Eddie Van Halen at the 2021 Grammy Awards, which took place on the 14th, disappointed many people, including the guitarist's son, who took to social media to vent about what happened.
“The Grammys asked me to play 'Eruption' in the In Memoriam section and I refused. I don't think anyone could be faithful to what my father did for music other than himself,” said Wolfgang In Memoriam section
Now, the awards show producer, Ben Winston , responded to the criticism during an interview with Variety : “We spoke with Wolfgang’s representative before the ceremony to invite him to play. He didn’t want to, so we’ll offer eight or nine other guitarists who could play in his place,” he explained.
“But he thought it best to put on a video of Eddie himself, because nobody can play like him, so that’s what we did. I would have loved to do something longer than that, but he was the only one from the entire In Memoriam segment whose music was played.”
He continued apologizing to Wolfgang: “I thought it was a beautiful tribute, but if Wolfgang didn’t agree, I’m sorry. It’s awful to lose a father. We did what we believed was best.”
READ ALSO: Wolfgang Van Halen: “Distance” reaches #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart
