DAVE 'SNAKE' SABO Looks Back On SKID ROW's 1995 Tour As Support Act For VAN HALEN: 'They Treated Us So Great'

In a new interview with Trevor Joe Lennon, Dave "Snake" Sabo reflected on SKID ROW's 1995 tour as the support act for VAN HALEN. Asked what Eddie Van Halen was like "up close and personal", the SKID ROW guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He treated us so amazingly. They all did. They treated us so great. I would see Eddie every day. I made sure — I wanted to see the soundcheck every day, 'cause I'm just such a fanboy. And I wanted to be around him and his playing as much as I could while we were out on the road. And I used to walk on stage right before a soundcheck and he'd walk over to me and we'd hug each other and he'd give me a kiss on the lips and ask me how I'm doing. And he was just such a sweetheart.

"Look, I don't know what other stories other people have," he continued. "All I can say is from my experience, he was the salt of the earth, man, and generous. We were talking about his amps, and at the time he was working with Peavey and doing the 5150 amplifiers through Peavey and doing the Wolfgang guitars through Peavey as well. And I'm, like, those amps are just incredible. He's, like, 'Oh, really? Okay, cool.' Well, cut to a couple of days later, we're playing in Camden, New Jersey at an amphitheater, and we were all still living in Jersey at this time. And so we drove our own cars down there. It was just really cool to be able to pull up in our own vehicles, and a bunch of family and friends were there. And so we're coming in the back area and he sees Scotti [Hill, SKID ROW guitarist] and me. He goes, 'Hey, hey, guys, come here. I got something for you. And he had two of the 5150 combos there waiting for us as gifts. And I was, like, 'You've got to be kidding me, man. Eddie Van Halen is giving us his signature amplifier. It's just crazy.' And so my heart will always have a special place [for Eddie]. And [VAN HALEN bassist] Michael Anthony, too. Sammy [Hagar, VAN HALEN singer] and Alex [Van Halen, VAN HALEN drummer] were great — I spent some time with them — but Michael Anthony, we spent a lot of time. Because behind his amp line, he would have a bar set up back there called Mad Anthony's Café. And we would go back there and do shots with him during the show, Jack Daniel's and stuff. And it was just a lot of fun. And I would go golfing with him once in a while. And he's just, to this day, again, he's just down to earth and humble and just a sweetheart of a guy. So, my memories are nothing but filled with admiration and respect and gratitude."

"Live In London", SKID ROW's first official live album and concert film, was released on September 20 via earMUSIC as a 2LP set and CD/DVD digipack. The concert took place on October 24, 2022, at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town.

"Live In London" marked SKID ROW's final release with Swedish singer Erik Grönwall, who quit the band seven months ago.

SKID ROW's longtime friend Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) handled lead vocals for the band's four concerts in late May and early June.

In late March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song was the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.