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VAN HALEN, 1979 | BIG IN JAPAN! (OSAKA)

Van Halen in Osaka Castle Park, Osaka, September 1979. (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)

The year was 1979, and Van Halen was taking over the FM radio airwaves across the country. The world had never seen a band this badass. A true party band that defined stadium rock, good times, and well… chasing babes. I was 9 yo so babes were not yet in my sites, and music videos weren’t even around yet. You had the album, lyrics sheet, and what you could read about in a music magazine. I never even saw these photos of Van Halen rollerskating in Osaka, Japan until 30 yrs later… Mind blown.

So awesome. Eddie Van Halen just put himself out there like a he was just regular guy, when he was the hottest guitar player of his time.
Eddie Van Halen was never too cool for school, it made him so relatable and cool.
Van Halen in Osaka Castle Park, Osaka, September 1979. (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
Alex & Eddie Van Halen on a pair of Bumble Bee Yamaha YZ80 dirt bike / motorcycles.
Eddie & Alex Van Halen on a dirt bike photo shoot with a pair of Yamaha YZ80s.
Eddie Van Halen on a dirt bike photo shoot with a Yamaha YZ80.