Mammoth MVH: Wolfang steps out

Pick your marquee.

Sometimes I buy a ticket only to wonder what possessed me so when the concert date arrives. 

The drive from Englewood or Denver to Colorado Springs sometimes feels too far and happens too late when I don’t have company for a show.

After a fresh listen to the first two albums from Mammoth WVH, I remembered why I sprang for a ticket. 

Is WVH stood for something other than Wolfgang Van Halen – son of Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli – people might not care about the music at all. I might not. 

But Wolfgang has genuine musical talent and brought his chops to the small stage in Englewood. It wasn’t a joke when at age 15, his late father had him replace Van Halen’s longtime bassist Michael Anthony on their final tour. 

Wolfgang has taken strides to show he isn’t just living in his father’s shadow. Mammoth WVH is no tribute show. No one heard any riffs that could be mistaken for Van Halen. 

On Mammoth WVH’s two records, Wolfgang plays all the instruments and sings the leads. That silences most critics. On tour, he comes with a full band, but solo studio routine impresses every time. These aren’t solo acoustic songs. To his credit, Wolfgang doesn’t overdo in the studio, saying he wants to be able to pull off every song live. 

 The night was full of classical names on the marquee, as Nita Strauss opened. The female guitarist put on some virtuosic displays above the rather basic nu-metal of her backing band. A female vocalist joined them for the latter half of their set, but it didn't really connect. Wolfgang's banter with the audience did. 

As a frontman, Wolfgang feels like he’s still finding his feet. He runs a little too self-deprecating at times – when the band emerged, he told the crowd he already forgot every way he planned to introduce the band. He quickly pointed out that due to their new album, he was glad to have enough original material to fill a full-length show.

He’s felt akin to a Jeff Tweedy or Dave Grohl type, telling stories and introducing songs while cracking up the audience. The band didn’t take long to find a groove, settling into WVH’s brand of heavy rock with catchy tracks like the instantly likable Miles Above Me. 

He had a knack for breaking up the songs.  

“What do I call you … Denver?” 

Several people shouted Englewood, the theater’s location. When he asked “Is Englewood better?” the response was a resounding “No.” 

The music was generally heavy, the influences easy to single out – Foo Fighters, Tool, much of the radio-friendly heavy rock that has circulated throughout the 21st century. But Wolfgang’s voice and guitar work help the material to rise above. 

He was not above admitting to his influences. He did so when introducing Optimist, a song he described as “a little too Tool.” 

When he introduced I’m Alright as the new single off Mammoth WVH II, the audience didn’t cheer enough, which earned a tongue-in-cheek rebuke. “Are you good with that? Otherwise, we'll play it twice," he said. 

 He had fun when switching to an acoustic guitar – he started with the chords from the Oasis hit Wonderwall and even sang the first line before cracking up and moving onto Distance. 

The acoustic guitar stuck around for a few songs, and Wolfgang broke back into Wonderwall as an interlude between songs, cracking up the crowd and himself every time. Wolfgang has the chops to shrug off the nepo-baby argument. He has room to grow, but his musical talent is undeniable. In fairness, with a name like Wolfgang Van Halen, it would be best to stay as far away from music as possible if the talent was not equal to the name. 

Even on a Tuesday night, the Gothic felt close to capacity of 1,100 people. More or less an all-ages show, Wolfgang and company wrapped up by 10 p.m., ripping through 80 minutes and most of the band’s two albums. 

By the time a third album arrives, I can safely guess Mammoth won’t play a venue this small again.