The Mammoth WVH frontman celebrated sticking to original music five years after a social media user predicted he would play his father’s band’s catalog.
Mammoth WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen marked the five-year milestone of a social media wager regarding his refusal to perform Van Halen songs. On Aug. 24, 2021, user Robert Taylor commented, “In 5 years he’ll be playing all VH,” to which Van Halen accepted the bet for Aug. 24, 2026. Re-sharing the exchange on Instagram, the musician confirmed he still has no plans to perform Van Halen material with his band, recalling a quote from his father, Eddie Van Halen: “I’d rather bomb on my own than succeed with someone else’s music.”
Since launching his solo project in June 2021 with a self-titled debut album where he performed every instrument and vocal, Van Halen has earned four No. 1 rock radio singles: “Distance,” “Don’t Back Down,” “The End,” and “The Spell.” Mammoth WVH released its third album, The End, in 2025. Following a recently completed North American tour, the group will open for Iron Maiden in Chile on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 before embarking on a European tour that runs through Dec. 12.
