In a new interview with The Music Zoo owner Tommy Colletti, legendary DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch recalled seeing VAN HALEN perform in Southern California clubs in the mid-1970s.

He said: “I saw UFO play with VAN HALEN at the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California, near where we lived.

We played there a lot.

It was somewhat dramatic, because I don't know if UFO knew what they were in for.” Lynch went on to credit Eddie Van Halen's friend and inspiration Terry Kilgore with influencing Eddie during VAN HALEN's early days.

Lynch reflected on some of the earliest Eddie Van Halen live performances he witnessed, saying: “I’d seen him when he was playing with a Les Paul through a Bandmaster or Bassman.

And then the Music Man and all that period.

And he was still amazing.

He didn’t have the tapping.

He didn’t have the bar.” Lynch also spoke about Eddie's shy personality, stating: “He was just incredibly shy.

He was just a super introvert.” Lynch previously talked about Eddie's influence in a 2009 interview with Guitar Player magazine.

Asked if he tried to copy Eddie, George said: “What I really did was sort of bounce off his stuff rather than emulate it.” Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.