Van Halen’s Pasadena Hometown Will Name a Stage After Them
Fifty years ago Van Halen was formed in Pasadena, California. Now the City of Pasadena wants to honor the band by naming a new stage after them.
The Van Halen family moved to Pasadena, California in 1962 where Eddie Van Halen started studying classical piano by year and was so good he won a few awards. Their father, Jan Van Halen, was also a musician.
Brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen started playing music together in the '60s and formed their first band in 1964 called the Broken Combs. Then the band was called the Trojan Rubber Co, then Genesis, then Mammoth, and finally Van Halen in 1973. David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony later joined the band and they recorded their debut album in 1977.
Fifty years later, the very city where the band was formed wants to honor Van Halen by naming a new stage after them. Pasadena is building a new one acre park, which will be named after science-fiction writer Octavia Butler, according to . The park has lots of open spaces, a playground with shade structures, public restrooms, a 48-space parking plaza, a dog run and a stage.
Instead of the performing stage being named after Eddie Van Halen, the city opted for naming it after the entire band. The park is expected to be complete this summer while the city council is expected to approve the new names of the stage/park on Monday, April 11.
Since Eddie Van Halen's 2020 death, the city of Pasadena has sought ways to honor the musician. Just last October, a memorial plaque was dedicated to Eddie and his namesake band in a ceremony led by Mayor Victor Gordo. The shrine was affixed outside the city's Civic Auditorium, a venue where Van Halen performed frequently.
Eddie Van Halen died at 65 in October 2020. Van Halen quietly disbanded after his death. His son, Wolfgang, a late-era Van Halen member, currently fronts Mammoth WVH.