Shred in Peace

So sad to hear the news yesterday of Eddie Van Halen's passing. It's hard to fathom why we keep losing all the good people, and the evil ones remain here in a race to see who can suck up the most oxygen for longest, but so it goes. 

I was lucky enough to see Van Halen when I was in high school, on their For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour. Although I was nearly crushed to death in the crowd until a bouncer pulled me over a gate into the stage front area, it remains one of the most fun, energetic, and joyful shows I've ever seen. 

I had long avoided including the obvious Van Halen song on this blog, "Runnin' With the Devil," because it appears on so many Halloween playlists and radio stations during October already. Instead, let's check out the lesser-known "Voodoo Queen." This song is from their 1977 Warner Brothers Demos, and later became the song "Mean Street" with completely different lyrics on their album Fair Warning. In this version, David Lee Roth is unlucky in love until he's lured into the bayou by a lady with flashing eyes who dances in the moonlight. And of course Eddie Van Halen shreds the song as only he could. 

Party on, EVH, wherever you may be.