“It was the worst show I’ve played in my life. I could not stop thinking: ‘it’s right There!’” Jerry Cantrell has played some of the heaviest, most influential guitar music of the last 30 years. But even at the height of Alice In Chains’ power, there was one moment when confidence completely abandoned him, and it happened because Eddie Van Halen was watching.
Speaking in interviews over the years, Cantrell has been candid about how deeply Eddie affected him, both musically and personally.
“It was the worst show I’ve played in my life,” Cantrell admitted. “I could not stop thinking: He’s right there!”
When A Guitar God Is In The Room
Cantrell has explained that Eddie wasn’t just in the audience, he was standing side-stage, close enough for every note to feel scrutinized.
“I was so inside my own head,” Cantrell said. “I wasn’t thinking about the crowd at all. I was thinking about him.”
For a guitarist who helped define the sound of 1990s rock, the moment was humbling. Eddie Van Halen wasn’t just an influence, he was the influence.
“He changed everything,” Cantrell has said of Eddie. “Everybody after him owes him something.”
From Idol To Friend
What made the moment even more intense was the fact that Eddie and Cantrell had become friends. Eddie was known for encouraging musicians he respected, and Cantrell was one of them.
“He was incredibly kind and supportive,” Cantrell recalled. “He didn’t act like he was above anybody.”
That kindness extended beyond words.
The Guitar Eddie Van Halen Gave Him
At one point, Eddie gifted Cantrell a rare guitar, a deeply personal gesture from someone famously particular about his instruments.
“That guitar meant everything to me,” Cantrell said. “It wasn’t about the value. It was who it came from.”
The guitar symbolized acceptance from his hero, a quiet acknowledgment that Eddie saw Cantrell not as a fan, but as a fellow musician.
And Then It Was Gone
Years later, Cantrell revealed that the guitar went missing.
“It just disappeared,” he said. “I don’t know what happened to it.”
The loss still stings. Not because of what the guitar was worth, but because of what it represented.
“That was a piece of him,” Cantrell explained. “Losing it felt like losing a connection.”
Eddie’s Lasting Impact
Despite the loss, Cantrell says Eddie’s influence never left him.
“He made everybody better,” Cantrell said. “Even just being around him made you want to raise your game.”
That influence is still audible in Cantrell’s phrasing, tone, and approach, not imitation, but inspiration filtered through honesty.
A Human Moment Between Legends
Cantrell’s story cuts through the mythology of rock stardom. It reminds fans that even icons can freeze when their heroes are watching, and that greatness often comes with humility.
One guitarist changed the world. Another found himself unable to stop thinking one simple thought:
He’s right there.
And for Jerry Cantrell, that moment, and that missing guitar, will always be part of Eddie Van Halen’s legacy.
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