Mammoth WVH Shreds The Astro!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

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Saturday night (7.18) in Omaha was a scorcher! The young rocker Wolfgang Van Halen took the Astro stage and melted our faces off! This was my third time having the privilege of covering Wolfie and his band, Mammoth WVH and it was just as awesome as the last.

Several hundred fans filled the theater to witness the tasty shredding of Wolf and his band. Before Mammoth took the stage we were treated to a set from Canadian Rockers Big Wreck. I'll be honest I wasn't familiar with the band but they turned in a great set. I did some investigating and they go back to the early 90s. They've had a decent amount of success in Canada and even had a few songs that charted in the U.S. I really liked their classic rock sound. I can see why Wolf picked them as an opener. They have a real "band's band" sound. They all sounded really tight and you could tell they were seasoned pros. Big Wreck played for nearly and hour and had the crowd nice and warm for when Mammoth WVH took the stage.

Mammoth WVH hit the crowd with a newer song "One of a Kind" from their latest album The End. It's a really great choice for an opener. With a snap, crackle drum beat and driving guitars it really got things shaking in a hurry. Wolf addressed the crowd and mentioned the show getting re-scheduled from back in November. He asked if there were people who couldn't make the original date and several folks raised their hands. Wolf said he was glad so many more people were able to come hang. The thing I love about Wolf and his band is how humble they are. You would think being the son of one of the best guitarists the world has ever known, Wolf would have a huge chip on his shoulder. Instead the dude is stoked on how big the crowd was and even said "When we saw the size of the building and how many people were going to be here we were like "Wow we're not supposed to be here". Again, just absolute humility all around. You can't help but love this guy!

Mammoth continued the set with "Another Celebration at the End of the World" complete with a video backdrop of fireworks. The song absolutely shreds and Wolf has a chance to show off his masterful guitar skills with a long solo. The fans ate it up with many in the front row giving their best solo spirt fingers. All across the venue families were rocking. From older Van Halen fans to super young kids just getting into the concert game, there was something for everyone.

My favorite part of the set came in the song "The Distance". This song always makes me tear up. It's about Wolf's dad Eddie Van Halen and it shows a lot of footage of Wolf growing up through the years. I know Eddie wasn't perfect. He battled for years with alcohol and drug issues, but from an outside perspective it looked like he really loved Wolf and they had a pretty good relationship. The song is beautifully written and does an awesome job honoring Eddie. I was able to bring my oldest son to the show with me so getting to see "The Distance" with him made it so much more memorable.

Mammoth WVH continued to melt our faces for four more songs including the smash hit "Don't Back Down" before closing with the title track of their new album The End. From front to back fans were on their feet giving Wolf and his band their flowers. The crowd had been sufficiently rocked!

I'm so glad I got to catch Wolf in all his glory. If you ever get the chance don't hesitate. His shows are truly amazing, he's such a talented human.

Thanks so much to Mammoth WVH management for photo access. Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!