How lucky were we to be able to witness his genius in Bangor!

One of my true heroes, the great Eddie Van Halen, passed away yesterday at the age of 65, after a lengthy battle with throat cancer.

I had the pleasure of seeing Van Halen in concert four times over the last several years. The last time was back on July 30th, 2015, on the Bangor Waterfront. I remember it so vividly, because when I was a kid, I could have never imagined that a band as big as Van Halen would come to our little town, and boy were they great. I got so excited when I could open my front door, hours before the show, and hear the sound check. Eddie’s guitar was so loud, it was like he was sitting right next to me, finger tapping, and dive bombing his whammy bar.

Losing him yesterday has had such a profound effect on so many people all over the world. For people of a certain age (like myself) he represents so many memories of youth, before social media, when the world was a much simpler place. I can recall many a Saturday night cruising around Bangor with my buddies cranking Van Halen, loud as hell. I will never forget those times, and I will never forget Eddie, and how much he meant to me.

It is hard to explain the feeling of losing someone that was so important to me, that I never even met. It shows you the power of music, because it feels like he was an old friend. RIP EVH

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