According to Blabbermouth, Wolfgang Van Halen has joined Mr. Bungle onstage for a cover of Van Halen’s 1980 classic “Loss of Control.” Mr. Bungle is nearing the end of their June 2024 tour, having only three dates left. Closing with a bang, the band invited Wolfgang Van Halen for a rocking cover on June 22, at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.
Mr. Bungle posted on Instagram about the set saying, “Had a special guest join us for ‘Loss Of Control’ today @graspopmetalmeeting. Thanks @wolfvanhalen!” Wolfgang responded in the comments saying, “Thanks for having me, dudes!!!!”
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Wolfgang being the son of Eddie Van Halen, this is not the first time that Wolfgang has done a Van Halen cover. Recently, Wolfgang joined Foo Fighters to play the Van Halen’s 1976 classic “Eruption.” On the “Talk is Jericho” podcast Wolfgang discussed his relationship to covers, as well as his father, saying, “It was wonderful. It was the exception where it was, like, ‘This would be the time to do it.’ Taylor was such a huge fan and to get my own satisfaction by doing a direct Van Halen tribute for Dad, it felt like the right thing to do in that moment. I’m really proud of it.” He added, “I’m happy to be able to prove myself. The important key distinction is that I’m not doing what my dad did, I’m my own person, I’m my own musician… It’s why I don’t play any Van Halen music or have a plan to play Van Halen music during my sets. Even my dad hated doing covers back in the day. His quote resonates with me all the time when he says, ‘I’d rather bomb with my own music than succeed with somebody else’s.’ And that’s exactly how I feel about playing Van Halen music. I’d much rather fail on my own than succeed heartlessly by playing ‘Panama’.”
Also, Mr. Bungle has done many different live performances featuring covers and invited other artists to perform along with them. In May, Mr. Bungle was joined by Duane Denison to perform Tomahawk’s “God Hates a Coward.” In addition, Mr. Bungle invited Max Cavalera to perform of Sepultura’s “Territory.” Mr. Bungle, additionally did a cover of Olivia Newton- John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
In addition to the tour, Mr. Bungle will be releasing a Quote Unquote 1991-199 box set. The boxset features two unreleased songs and their 1991-1999 albums Mr. Bungle, Disco Volante and California, set to release on July 19, 2024.
Mr. Bungle June 2024 Tour Dates:
06/23/2024 – Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium
06/27/2024 – Oslo, NO – Tons Of Rock Festival
06/29/2024 – Clisson, FR – Hellfest Open Air
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat