Eddie Van Halen Jams with G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band in 1987 — Video

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Here's something we spotted over at the Van Halen News Desk.

It's a rarely seen (and rarely posted) clip of Eddie Van Halen jamming G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live band in 1987.

Van Halen (Eddie, not the band) and Valerie Bertinelli appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live in February 1987. Eddie wound up jamming with guitarist G.E. Smith, bassist Tom “T-Bone” Wolk and the rest of the band — and he even performed in a skit.

Below, Van Halen & Co. dive into a song called “Stompin’ 8H,” which was named after the studio where the show was filmed. Van Halen handles lead duties while Smith — an incredible guitarist in his own right — sticks to rhythm.

NOTE: You might have to watch an entire commercial before you can watch the video. Sorry about that — nothing we can do about it!

Also, this might be a case of, "Enjoy it while you can!"

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.