Small apologies

Roth's departure kicked Eddie in the teeth; he didn't understand how he could leave after the band's most commercially successful album, how one man's ego could come before the band. They never saw it coming, and for a while, Eddie figured the ride was over.

"But Alex convinced me, 'Hey, We are Van Halen, so let's continue on,' and I realized, 'You're right,'" Eddie recalls. "It is our name; we are the trunk of the tree, so to speak. Sammy and us, we had a great time. Dave and us, we had a great time. But this is 1998, and this is Van Halen 3, and this is where we are. Take it, or leave it." Spoken like a man who offers no apologies at all.

Van Halen performs May 14 at the Starplex Amphitheatre. Kenny Wayne Shepherd opens.