But is there anything worse than seeing Eddie Van Halen playing keyboards? He's a finer keyboard player, but please.

He's a very good player...not as unique as he is a guitarist, but a very good keyboard player...

He learned music on piano but he ruled on guitar.

The great ones alweays seem to get bored with guitar or run out of old school shred ideas, like Vai and Malmsteen and others doing concertos with orchestras. Maybe Eddie just wanted to explore new avenues of music melodies. I remember reading back in the early 80's how Randy Rhoads was really starting to grow fascinated by acoustic and classical guitar right before he died. I wonder if he would still be playing the same Blizzard/Diary style today had he still been alive.

So to answer your question about Eddie: Yes it seems a bit wierd but I/we have had 25 years to get used to it so it is what it is, I suppose.

If he was a hack at it i'd be against it.

I never really cared for the keyboard stuff in the context of Van Halen. It never really sounded like it belonged in there to me.

I don't have any problems with Eddie tickling the imitation ivories every now and then. As long as he keeps his main focus on the gee-tar.

Speaking of Eddie, I recenlty say an interview with him talking about his line of Wolfgang guitars and I noticed that he now has that gruff smokers voice. He sounded like Kathleen Turner.

A finer keyboardist than a guitar player? I beg to differ.

As much as Van Hagar featured a lot more keyboard parts, Eddie began before Sammy came on board. When I saw Van Halen in concert on the 1984 tour, Eddie played all of Jump on the keyboards even his guitar solo in the middle.

Never saw Van Halen live so if I saw this I doubt it would bother me. Also since I heard the Van Hagar stuff before the classics the use of keys don't bother me either.