Remembering Eddie Van Halen And His Shreveport Connection

Today marks the 5 year anniversary of a sad day for the music world, and for Shreveport. On this day in 2020, legendary rock and roll star Eddie Van Halen lost his battle with cancer, passing away at the age of 65. Eddie influenced so many artists, in so many different genres, that he will forever be remembered as an iconic rock star. But for those in Shreveport, he was also a friend.

Eddie Van Halen's Long Time Relationship With Shreveport, Louisiana

Back in the 1980s, seeing Eddie Van Halen in Shreveport wasn't that weird. Not only was his band playing here regularly, his in-laws were in town.

Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli after the two met backstage at a Van Halen concert. That night was August 22nd, 1980...at the Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Bertinelli's father worked for General Motors, which brought the family to Shreveport, where she spent part of her youth...

After the two were married, Bertinelli's family remained in Shreveport. Which meant Eddie had a big reason to come through more often than the band's concert stops. So it wasn't uncommon to see him around the area in that time period.

Van Halen Made Shreveport A Regular Tour Stop

But Eddie had come to Shreveport before he even knew Bertinelli. The band made the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium a stop on their first ever major tour in 1978. They played Shreveport for the first time on April 13th, 1978. Becoming the next young musical act to help launch their career on the stage at the Muni.

READ MORE: All Of The Ozzy Osbourne Concerts In Shreveport History

In 1986, Eddie had one more life milestone in Shreveport. The band kicked off their 5150 Tour on March 27th, 1986 at the Hirsch Coliseum. That night was the first public performance Van Halen ever had with Sammy Hagar as their new lead singer.

Eddie and Van Halen played Shreveport at least 6 times between 1978 and 1991, as the band went from small venue to world-wide arena shows. It's safe to say that Van Halen outgrew Shreveport by 1991, but that doesn't take away the memories that were created here by the band during that period.

Here is a more complete list of the Van Halen shows we could find from Shreveport:

• April 13^th, 1978 – Municipal Auditorium– First major tour
• August 22^nd, 1980 – Hirsch Coliseum – World Invasion Tour – Met Bertinelli backstage
• September 8^th, 1981 – Hirsch Coliseum – Fair Warning Tour
• September 25^th, 1982 – Hirsch Coliseum - Hide Your Sleep Tour – Canceled the following night’s show
• March 27^th, 1986 – Hirsch Coliseum – 5150 Tour – First public show with Sammy Hagar as lead singer for Van Halen
• December 3^rd, 1991 – Hirsch Coliseum – Final Shreveport show we can find record of

Even though Eddie Van Halen is gone, his memory will live on forever. Both in the world of music, and as a legend of Shreveport.