How Eddie Van Halen Inspired Steve Stevens’ Classical Solos

Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens dazzles fans every night with a nylon-string guitar solo that ever-so-slightly teases bits of Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway to Heaven” and Van Halen‘s “Eruption.” It’s a fitting homage, considering Eddie Van Halen inspired Stevens to perform a classical solo in the first place.

“Oddly enough, the way that I ended up doing a nylon [string] guitar solo was that I was in Vince Neil‘s band, and we did about six weeks opening for Van Halen [in 1993],” Stevens recently told UCR. “And Vince said, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to do a guitar solo.’ And I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to do an electric solo, because in about an hour, this guy’s going to come out and play “Eruption,” and that’s the definitive word.’

“So I said, ‘Well, what do I bring that’s going to be unique to Steve Stevens?'” he continued.  “And I thought [of] doing a nylon guitar solo, which, I’ve played nylon guitar since I was 8 years old. One of my first guitar teachers was a flamenco guitarist. So I thought, ‘Well, that’s something that I’ll do that is nothing like what Ed’s gonna do.’ And so I’ve been doing that style of solo since the ’90s.”

Steve Stevens Says Eddie Van Halen ‘Couldn’t Have Been More Generous’

Stevens — who’s on the road with Idol in North America and Europe through late September — remembered jamming with Eddie Van Halen in the ’80s and recalled the namesake Van Halen guitarist’s incredible generosity.

“I had already become friends with Eddie [by the time of the Neil tour], and previous to that, I played at the NAMM show with him,” Stevens said. “And then I remember when Billy Idol was touring and we played the Forum in L.A. — it must have been ’88 — we had Eddie come up during the encore. So I was already his friend, and we hung out quite a bit, actually.”

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At that point, Stevens recalled, “I was still bringing out my vintage Marshalls on tour, and they were not road-worthy. They were breaking down. And I remember him coming over, going, ‘Hey, man, why don’t you try some of mine?’ And he had just brought out his Peavey 5150 line, and lo and behold, three days later, a truck shows up with three heads and three cabinets and solved everything for me. And I became a Peavey endorser for many years because of that.” (Van Halen gave similarly lavish gifts to tour mates Alice in Chains and Skid Row.)

“Guy couldn’t have been more generous,” Stevens added. “And it extended to giving us a full sound check, full use of the PA and lights and everything. When you’re Van Halen and you’re that freaking good, you’re secure. You can be really generous, because you know you’re great.”

Watch Billy Idol Play ‘Rebel Yell’ With Eddie Van Halen at 1988 NAMM Show

Steve Stevens Unveils Ciari Signature Ascender Guitars With Foldable Necks

Stevens is no stranger to innovative guitar technology himself. The guitarist has partnered with Ciari Guitars to create the Steve Stevens Signature Ascender. The series’ two models — the Ascender Platinum and the Ascender Premier — both feature Stevens’ signature Bare Knuckle Ray Gun pickups and Ciari’s patented foldable neck system, allowing players to collapse their guitars and bring them on planes as personal items.

READ MORE: 5 ’80s Rock and Metal Guitarists Who Started Great New Bands

“As a touring musician, I continue to write and I do demos and I’m sending ideas around while on tour,” Stevens told UCR. “I’m set up in my hotel room with a little recording thing. So having this guitar has really been a godsend, because it’s enabled me to work and play anywhere.”

“We have the luxury of bringing, with Billy Idol, tons of gear and all that. We have semis and all that,” Stevens added. “But I do quite a number of all-star shows with either Billy Morrison’s Royal Machines or Matt Sorum‘s Kings of Chaos. And when I do those kinds of shows, you’re not bringing a lot of gear, and we’re using amp modelers, and a folding guitar certainly fits right into that sensibility.”