Why Eddie Van Halen Broke Down Crying When Meeting Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong was a spry young teenager in the ’80s, hence, his major musical influence was, of course, Van Halen. Anyone who grew up in the ’80s knows just how culturally significant Van Halen was and to some, still is. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is just one of the many voices who’ve attested to that fact, though, his Van Halen story is a bit more full circle and emotionally gripping than others.

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Green Day’s music is not as note-heavy and intricate as Eddie Van Halen’s and Van Halen’s. However, it still packs that same rebellious and screaming sound that makes somebody want to kick in their bedroom wall or punch their car window. Though, Billie Joe Armstrong never would have been able to replicate this sound if it wasn’t for the respect and admiration he held for Eddie Van Halen.

How Eddie Van Halen Became a Fan of Billie Joe Armstrong’s

According to the first half of this article, you would assume that Billie Joe was the one who cried when he met Eddie Van Halen. However, that is not the case, as it was Eddie who cried when he met Billie. Although, that wouldn’t have happened if Billie Joe Armstrong had not been an enormous fan of Eddie Van Halen and understood his alien-like guitar-playing talents.

In an interview on the Howard Stern Show, Armstrong recalled the first time he went to a Van Halen concert when he was 12-years-old. Regarding the concert, Armstrong stated, “I cried” and “[Eddie] reinvented how to play guitar.” Subsequently, he went on to share how full circle the moment became when he and some friends flew to Kansas City to see and meet Van Halen. Armstrong told Stern about his interaction with Eddie Van Halen, “It was kind of an emotional thing.”

“Then like this really insane thing happened where he kind of started crying” and “He looked at me and he put his hand behind my neck and he goes, ‘You’re the only one who understands me,’” continued Armstrong. “He just had tears coming down his eyes” and “It was this really kind of heavy experience,” concluded Billie Joe Armstrong.

Per Armstrong’s personal anecdote, the moment the two shared surpasses any understanding a civilian could grasp, as it is something that exists merely in the musician’s musical status. For the two of them, the moment seemingly marked a deep mutuality that had yet to be unearthed and will surely last until they do not.

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