Who's played keyboards for Van Halen in concert?

Cafe Society
1

The video for “Right Now” shows Eddie Van Halen tickling the ivories. OK, so that’s just the video – maybe it’s not EVH in the studio playing piano on the album. But Eddie is a classically-trained pianist (right?) – maybe it is EVH and he records his guitar and piano parts separately for the studio albums. Alternatively, perhaps Sammy Hagar is playing lead guitar on “Right Now”, both in studio and live.

Also, there is a fairly lengthy keyboard bridge in the Van Halen classic “Jump”. Eddie’s lead guitar is playing silmultaneous to the keyboard during the bridge. Again, EVH can record the keyboard and lead guitar parts separately for the album. But how did it come off during live shows?

Did Michael Anthony leave his bass at times? David Lee Roth never took over guitar duties the way Sammy Hagar can, did he (pretty sure DLR never did)? Has there been a regular touring keyboardist with Van Halen, or have they gone through several session players over the years?

2

The man (literally) behind the curtain for VH live is the keyboard player from Night Ranger Alan Fitzgerald.

Jack Blades, singer/bass player for NR, speaks about it here:

http://www.melodicrock.com/interviews/jackblades.htm

3

I saw Van Halen on the 1984 tour, there was no extra keyboard player. Ed played some keyboard on the intro into “Jump” and some in the middle, but stuck with the guitar for the solo. He did a solo keyboard pice as well seperately.

4

In concert, the keyboard parts were all either played by Eddie live sans guitar accompaniment or (especially on the last couple tours) were prerecorded and played back at the appropriate times. Nobody else played keyboards for the band, and Sammy played guitar mostly on his solo songs that the band played live. Roth has never played an instrument.

5

Roth used to play acoustic guitar at several occasions live with VH.

6

I’m sorry, but I have to disagree.

Aside from the interview I mentioned above, here’s two more links that talk about it:

  • an interview with VH’s lighting tech who tells a story about an incident involving Fitz played keys for VH off stage:

http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/misc/tifa96.html

  • a press release from NR’s management company

http://www.pathfindermanagement.net/night.htm

Plug in Alan Fitzgerald and Van Halen into any search engine and you’ll get dozens of articles talking about it.

7

Okay then, Eddie was apparently fibbing in the stories I read a few years back. Not surprising, unfortunately. And now that rsvp9146 jogs my memory, Dave did indeed play some acoustic guitar a long time ago when they’d do “Ice Cream Man.”

I’ll just be moving along here . . .

8

Seems the answer could have varied over the years … not necessarily a fib.

9

Eddy put down the guitar and played keyboards for “Dreams” on the released concert video “Live; without a net” in New Haven… ahem New Halen, CT. on the 1st Sammy Hagar tour.

I’ve seen VH 2 or 3 times in around '91 - '93 and on the keyboard songs, the keyboard player was never visible. I’ve always assumed it was prerecorded, but I don’t know.