Eddie Van Halen’s opinion on Tool

The late legendary Eddie Van Halen was considered the most influential Rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix, for having profoundly changed the landscape of guitar playing and reveal new possibilities for the instrument.

Highly focused on his own style and on developing his songwriting over the decades, he eventually stopped listening to new music and the last album he bought was Peter Gabriel’s “So” in the 1980s. However, his son Wolfgang Van Halen, introduced him to a few bands over the years, one of them being Tool, which Eddie later shared his opinion on.

What was Eddie Van Halen’s opinion on Tool

Eddie Van Halen was introduced to Tool’s music by his son Wolfgang and he actually liked it. He took his father to see the Progressive Metal band in 2019 and it sadly ended up being the final concert he ever attended with his dad. What impressed the legendary guitarist the most when he and his son went to see the band live was bassist Justin Chancellor, prompting Eddie to say, “F*ck, that bass player, man, that was the shit!” Later on he also praised the guitarist Adam Jones backstage.

“It was so funny, man. While I was at a Tool show with my dad and my uncle Patrick (Bertinelli), my mom’s brother. An amazing concert, first of all. It was very fun to bring dad to that so he could really see the music I really, really like. It resonated with him, in a way, because the first thing he said was like, ‘F*ck, that bass player, man. That was the shit!’ I was like, ‘Yeah! Justin Chancellor is one of my favorite bass players of all time.’ It was so great for dad to be like, ‘F*ck yeah!’ about that.”

Eddie Van Halen fell asleep for a few songs but not because he thought they were bad

However, Wolfgang also said that Eddie fell asleep during the show, not because their music wasn’t good but because he was tired. “There was even a moment because he was very tired – he goes to bed really early. So it was like during one or two songs, I think he fell asleep at the Tool concert. Not that their music was boring, but he passed out. Because it was like 10 o’clock at that point and he goes to bed at 7:30.”

Curiously, Eddie went largely unnoticed by the crowd that night, as they were watching the show from regular seats among other fans. Only a few people approached him to say hello and take photos. But a particularly funny moment stood out: a kid came up to Eddie, without knowing who he was and asked him to take a picture for him. It was Wolfgang Van Halen who later recalled the experience of watching Tool with his dad and described his reaction.

“Yeah, normally (people wouldn’t recognize him a lot), I was able to go out a lot with him. I remember for my birthday one time, we went to Six Flags and nobody recognized us there. It was just a fun day at the rollercoaster. But we were waiting after the show, just kind of standing there because their tour manager was the same as ours, we were gonna go back. We ended up meeting the guys. While we were waiting, some kid walked up to dad. I was like, ‘Oh…’ He’s been recognized a couple of times that night. I thought it was just some guy who’d take pictures with him.”

Wolfgang continued:

“But instead, he handed him his phone – ‘Here, I’m gonna go over here. Can you get the picture?’ I think a lot of people misunderstood (me posting the photo and telling what happened) my tweet to a certain extent. Because it wasn’t like, ‘How dare you not recognize Eddie Van Halen?!’ Dad just looked like a dad, you know? People’s imagination of Eddie Van Halen is, like, long, flowing hair. So of course, you wouldn’t recognize him. He (the fan) was a young dude.”

“But it was just so funny to be like, ‘Wow! If he knew who he just asked to take a picture of just him and the stage, he would’ve probably regretted not saying, ‘Hey, can you get in that picture too?’. So the second that happened, my uncle Patrick and I were like, ‘Oh my god!’ That picture I took was the one I posted, and it blew up. So funny,” Wolfgang Van Halen said in an interview with Eddie Trunk in 2021.

Eddie Van Halen praised Tool’s guitarist Adam Jones after the show

After the show they went to the band’s dressing room and Eddie had the chance to chat with Adam Jones. A few months after the musician passed away in 2020 at the age of 65, the Tool guitarist remembered that incredible experience of meeting one of his heroes.

“Eddie’s son Wolf is a big Tool fan and a really cool guy. He brought his dad to our show at the Staples Center (in Los Angeles). (…) Afterward, Wolf brought his dad to my dressing room and we had a good talk. Eddie was so humble and I was really happy to have that moment with him. To have one of your ultimate heroes shake your hand and say, ‘Hey, what you’re doing, it’s really cool,’ it’s like a trophy.”

“(…) That’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I feel lucky to have had that music in my life and to have that influence. And even though people can’t pinpoint it to what I do, it is absolutely there. Especially my riff writing – it’s influenced by Eddie Van Halen. Absolutely. I worship that music.”

“I connect with the way he experimented. Just the idea of taking what you do as far as you can take it. 100 years from now, when people talk about music and the history of music, they will talk about Van Halen. Eddie’s name will always be there. That guy will live forever,” Adam Jones told Guitar World in 2021.

Wolfgang said his Mount Rushmore band would consist of all the members of Tool

Wolfgang Van Halen obviously holds his father in very high regard, not only as a dad but also as a guitar player, like most of his fans. But curiously, when he is asked who would be on his “Mount Rushmore for each instrument,” Wolfie said that it would basically be all the members of Tool.

“Somebody asked me a question, like, ‘Who is on your Mount Rushmore for each instrument?’ I was like, ‘I think every member of Tool is, on every single instrument.’ Maynard was one of those people. He’s one of my favorite singers of all time. He was one of those guys where I was like, ‘I love you so much. I will never, ever bother you. Just keep being yourself.'”

He continued:

“Sometimes, I’m too big a fan to introduce myself, or to just bother them with my presence. And he was one of those guys. I remember we were at Download. Puscifer was playing the same day we were. John, my guitar player, was like, ‘Dude! Maynard’s over there!’ I was like, ‘Cool, I’m not going over there,'” he told Rick Beato.

But they eventually became good friends, especially after Ozzy was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2025. Wolfgang was asked to play guitar on “Crazy Train,” with Tool’s singer handling the vocals. When Tool was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990, Van Halen had already been in the music business for 17 years. Wolfgang would not be born until 1991. Their first album, “Undertow”, was released in 1993. It was followed by “Ænima” (1996), “Lateralus” (2001), “10,000 Days” (2006), and “Fear Inoculum” (2019). Their lineup has remained the same since 1995: Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Adam Jones (guitar), Danny Carey (drums) and Justin Chancellor (bass).