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Wow, what a great season!! Stay tuned for what’s next with the band. We can hardly wait to see you again. Follow us on social media (@VanHaydenBand) or sign up for alerts to find out where we will be performing for the next Iowa Hawkeyes football game.
Go Hawks!!
Connect with Van Hayden
New Video: Hayden Fry
Our latest song, "Hayden Fry", is a fun way to celebrate all the things we love about Iowa Hawkeye tailgates. Swarm beer, music, food, and the Hawk fans. Song is based on the Zac Brown Band’s "Chicken Fried."
Vanbulance New Uniform
Van Hayden Band reveals the new look for their custom converted ambulance. The beautiful vinyl wrap styled like Eddie Van Halen's guitar "Bumblebee" has been provided by thINK Custom in Elkader, Iowa. Storage for the Vanbulance is courtesy of MegaStorage in Tiffin, Iowa.
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Stay cool or keep warm by showing your support for the best tailgating band in college football. When you see this merch, you'll be as excited as the legendary play-by-play announcer for the Iowa Hawkeyes Jim Zabel and scream
"I love it!! I love it!! I love it!!"
Featured Videos
Van Hayden's Punt! (Official Lyric Video)
Van Hayden's Iowa (Official Lyric Video)
Caitlin Clark (Oh) Pretty Woman (Official Lyric Video)
The Band
- Hayden Lee Roth
- Lead Vocals
- Eddie Van Hayden
- Guitar
- Michael Van Hayden
- Bass
- Alex Van Hayden
- Drums
- Wolfie Van Hayden
- Keytar
About Van Hayden Band
Van Hayden is a Hayden Fry and Van Halen tribute band. The band's mission is to enhance the Iowa Hawkeye tailgating experience through Van Halen’s music and Hayden Fry’s legacy. To accomplish this, the band performs rock music out of a custom converted ambulance, lovingly known as "The Vanbulance." The band drives their mobile stage around Kinnick Stadium for select Iowa Hawkeye football games entertaining fans at tailgates by performing songs from the Van Halen catalog. The band also performs at community events, private parties, and has even marched in an Iowa Homecoming parade.
Van Hayden is made up of 5 members, all with strong ties to The University of Iowa. The band's costumes pay homage to the late, great, former Iowa Hawkeye football coach Hayden Fry. The music performed is from the Van Halen song catalog. Each song has been modified with a twist where the lyrics are changed to share the band's love for Iowa Hawkeye sports teams. Check out their song, "Iowa," which is a parody of Van Halen's "Panama." Another song, Punt!", is inspired by Van Halen's "Jump!" Their parody of the song "Oh, Pretty Woman" is dedicated to the former Iowa Women's Basketball star, Caitlin Clark.
Van Hayden Origin Story
We have been tailgating at Iowa Hawkeye football games alongside our childhood friends for the past 40+ years at various places up and down Melrose Avenue. We have seen the Magic Bus come and go, as well as many other amazing tailgates we have attended all around Kinnick Stadium. However, today we'd like to tell you about one tailgate in particular ...
Back in the 1980s, there was a tailgate on Melrose Avenue a little further down from our typical pre-game spot. At this tailgate, a guy would stand on a cooler and read aloud a poem before the kickoff of each Iowa Hawkeye football game. The Poem was performed by the "Hawkeye Poet", Carl Schwendinger. His rhyming verses were filled with funny jokes along with a good natured teasing about the current state of the Iowa football program. There was always a little dig at the opposing team, but what was great to us was that the Poem was always family friendly and positive. In those earlier days of Iowa football games, you would walk along Melrose and see a sign posted on a tree displaying the time of the reading of The Poem. These were the days before YouTube and social media. You only had one chance to see it performed, otherwise, you'd have to wait until the next game.
As the "Hawkeye Poet" would begin to speak, the large crowd that gathered around would instantly fall to a hush to listen closely. The crowd would lean in, then roar at key moments as he delivered the frenzied reading. In our memory, there was always the final stanza of the Poem that would get everyone excited for the game, and then the crowd would disperse. Hawkeye fans would walk away with a huge smile as they streamed into Kinnick Stadium. Clearly, The Poem left a huge impression on us from our childhood and we wanted to provide a similar experience. That is why every Van Hayden performance excites fans, gives them a positive pre-game experience, and puts a smile on their faces as they head into the game.
What is Our Inspiration?
In recent years, we have had close friends experience life threatening illnesses such as cancer. These life changing events have given us perspective and have helped us realize that everyone needs to live life to the fullest. As Van Halen says in the song Feelin’ ...
"Grow it long, shave it off.
Life is hard, never soft.
I need a change, I need it quick,
before it makes me sick."
So, with our friends getting sick, we have decided to bring awareness to as many Hawkeye fans as we can. Before each performance, we will request that if the crowd knows Van Halen and recognize Hayden Fry as one of the best and most memorable coaches of all time, then the time is Right Now to schedule health check ups, such as a colonoscopy and prostate exam, so we all can keep on Dancing in the Streets!!
For media inquiries and booking information, Van Hayden can be reached by e-mail at VanHaydenBand@gmail.com
Rookie Card
Check out our special edition rookie card!! Just ask for one the next time you see us performing at a tailgate. Be cool, though, and ask in-between songs. We can't rock out and hand out at the same time, you know?
Past Shows 2024
Saturday, November 2nd, 2024
Wisconsin vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game
Our last tailgates of the 2024 Iowa football season were phenomenal!! We danced with Herky, made every tour stop, and kindly chatted with campus police to ensure we could play Van Halen at an appropriate level in a parking lot. We'll add some fun photos and videos soon.
Tour Stops for the Wisconsin vs. Iowa football game included the following:
- 1:00pm
- Mystery Stop
- 2:00pm
- Myrtle Lot
South East side of Stadium - 2:30pm
- 331 Melrose Court
South East side of Stadium - 3:00pm
- iHeart Radio
727 Melrose Ave
South East side of Stadium - 3:30pm
- Mystery Stop
- 4:00pm
- Fry Bus & Swarm Bus Tailgate
Kinnick Stadium RV Lot 52
North side of Stadium - 5:00pm
- College of Pharmacy Tailgate
180 S Grand Ave
East side of Stadium
Saturday, October 26th, 2024
Homecoming - Northwestern vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game
We did it!! We finally made all the stops!! What a fun day hanging with Hawkeye fans at tailgates. We'll have a full game recap coming soon.
Tour Stops for the Northwestern vs. Iowa football game included the following:
- 10:00am
- Finkbine commuter lot
- 11:00am
- "The Wedge"
Special guest: Hawkeye Elvis!!
Corner of Golfview and Melrose
Across from Stella - Noon
- Fry Bus & Swarm Bus Tailgate
Kinnick Stadium RV Lot 52
North side of Stadium - 1:00pm
- 101st Annual Raecker Family tailgate
Dental Lot Loop between Lot 40 and Lot 33
East of Carver-Hawkeye Arena - 1:30pm
- 304 Melrose Court
South East side of Stadium
Saturday, October 12th, 2024
Washington vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game
Another great day to be a Hawkeye!! Van Hayden rocked the parking lots and tailgated with the best of 'em around Kinnick Stadium. The only hiccup of the day occurred when we found out that the University of Iowa dental students were scheduled to take their board exams at the exact same time we were about to rock the 101st Annual Raecker Family tailgate in the Dental Building parking lot. A concerned University of Iowa security guard halted our rockin'. He was kind enough to let us move around the corner and play at a lower volume than is normally expected of a Van Hayden performance. The last thing the band wanted was to become a distraction to the soon-to-be dentists with all our tailgate rockin’. These students worked long and hard and we hope they were all able to give the their best efforts. It all worked out and we were still able to put on a good show.
This was also our first time rockin' with the Fry Bus and the Swarm Bus. Wow, those folks know how to put on a tailgate!! Thanks so much for having us and we hope to be back soon to play for y'all.
Tour Stops for the Washington vs. Iowa football game included the following:
- 8:30am
- Fry Bus & Swarm Bus Tailgate
Kinnick Stadium RV Lot 52
North side of Stadium - 9:00am
- 101st Annual Raecker Family tailgate
Dental Lot Loop between Lot 40 and Lot 33
East of Carver-Hawkeye Arena - 10:00am
- "The Wedge"
Corner of Golfview and Melrose
Across from Stella
Saturday, September 28th, 2024
West Union 175th Celebration Parade in West Union, Iowa
Thank you, West Union, Iowa, for letting us be a part of your 175 year celebration!! The parade was so much fun and we enjoyed showing off the Vanbulance in the car show. This proves, once again, this band can rock any tailgate.
Saturday, September 7th, 2024
Iowa State vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game
The day was absolutely perfect for tailgating! However, we were unable to meet all our intended stops due to some battery charge difficulties. Just like our beloved Hawkeyes, we learn from our mistakes and make the next game better and better.
You wanna know the story? So, trying to plug in another powerful speaker to our sound system after already playing for 4 hours was a bad idea. I mean, a really bad idea. However, Hawkeye tailgates are the best and a super Van Hayden fan was able let us use his generator! Thanks, Tony, for saving the day and allowing us to perform with our good buddy, Hawkeye Elvis!! It was epic, and you should probably just watch the video of Van Hayden playing Suspicious Minds with Hawkeye Elvis.
Here were the scheduled stops where we performed before the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game on Saturday, September 7th.
- 9:00am
- Mystery Stop: Hawkeye Fan Shop
- 10:00am
- Hall of Fame Lot
- 11:00am
- Mystery Stop: Hawkeye Commuter Lot
- Noon
- Main Show
Corner of Golfview and Melrose
"The Wedge"
Special guest: Hawkeye Elvis!! - 1:00pm
Melrose Ave / iHeart RadioOh dear, we missed this stop due to technical difficulties.- 1:30pm
Melrose CourtOh dear, we missed this stop due to technical difficulties.- 2:00pm
Mystery StopOh dear, we missed this stop due to technical difficulties.
Friday, August 30th at FRYfest in Coralville, Iowa
Performed from 1:00 to 2:00pm
Van Hayden performed at FRYfest from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in the Block Party grounds during the Bags Tournament. For a Hayden Fry and Van Halen tribute band, it was the biggest gig we've ever been invited to play. Everyone was so excited to celebrate Hayden Fry and Hawkeye fans of all ages were rockin' the lots!
FRYfest is an annual, one-day event held at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center. The event is named after one of the greatest Hawkeyes of all time and the man who is responsible for bringing the Tigerhawk to the University of Iowa: Hayden Fry. With over 15,000 wild Hawkeye fans in attendance, FRYfest is an unique experience and tradition in Iowa City.
Washed Up Walkons Podcast
Van Hayden also performed their world premeire song, "Walkon Shake ‘n’ Bake" for the Washed Up Walkons. You can watch the performance on X.
Friday, July 26th, 2024
Fayette County Fair in West Union, Iowa
It was pre-concert tailgating fun before the Kip Moore Show!
Saturday, June 29th, 2024
Union Land Feed & Supply in West Union, Iowa
What a great time trying out some new songs and testing the upgraded Vanbulance sound system and uniform!
Saturday, June 8th, 2024
thINK Custom Open House Party
We are thrilled to announce our first appearance in 2024 is at the thINK Custom Open House in Elkader, Iowa from 5:00 to 9:00pm. The Vanbulance will be sporting a brand new, custom designed uniform created by our friends at thINK Custom. Wanna know what the new, rockin' exterior of our beloved 1994 ambulance looks like? Then you gotta show up, eat some BBQ, and gawk at the best rolling sound system ever dreamed up by Van Halen and Hawkeye fans.
Event Details
- RSVP
- thINK Custom Open House Party
- Time
- 5:00 - 9:00pm
- Address
- 713 High Street, Elkader, IA
- BYOC
- Bring Your Own Chair
A few members of the band will be in attendance playing the Van Halen song catalog through our upgraded sound system. However, this won't be a full performance. We don't want to give you the Runaround, but we are working on a bunch of new songs that will have you standing on Top of the World .
Hope y'all can come out to support our friends at thINK Custom, see the new Vanbulance outfit, and enjoy the kickoff of summer with some BBQ and hopefully a lil' Poundcake.
Past Shows 2023
Saturday, October 21st, 2023
Minnesota vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game
We love you Iowa City! Last tour of the season started bumpy & ended amazing, all because of you! Thank you for your support, hospitality & Hawkeye spirit!
Here were the scheduled stops where we performed before the Iowa vs. Minnesota football game on Saturday, October 21st.
8:30am - Triangle CourtOh dear, we missed this stop due to technical difficulties.9:30am - Rugby FieldsOh dear, we missed this stop due to technical difficulties.- Noon - The Wedge with Hawkeye Elvis
- 1:00pm - 331 Melrose Court
Another amazing day for tailgating! However, we were unable to keep that Pig!! Floyd of Rosedale is a trophy and tradition that the Van Hayden Band has watched for many years and we were sad that our music and tailgating fun did not help the Hawks keep the pork in Iowa City for yet another year.
We also had some difficulties with the Vanbulance battery at the break of day, so all of our exciting plans to warm up as many Hawkeye fans before the game didn't quite pan out the way we expected. All that said, NBC Sports stopped by one of our tailgates and filmed the band along with many of our loud, amazing fans. Check out the video and listen to the broadcasters talking about our sweet "Punt!" lyrics!
Saturday, October 7th, 2023
Homecoming
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Wow, we met Herkey and Hawkeye Elvis all on the same day!! We took some fun videos and tons of photos to capture our Homecoming memories for years to come. Thank you Hawkeye fans for yet another great day of tailgating!! Plus, it was a Hawkeye win, so that kept the celebrations going well into the evening.
Van Hayden's Performance of Suspicious Minds with Hawkeye Elvis
Friday, October 6th, 2023
Iowa Homecoming Parade
Van Hayden performed in The University of Iowa homecoming parade. The parade kicked off at 5:45 PM in downtown Iowa City. You can watch the full parade here or else see our recap video below. Thanks to Derek (our driver), Chris, Kristy, Ren, Grace, and Dee Dee for helping to hand out stickers, rookie cards, and get the parade crowd all wound up for some great Van Halen music!!
Van Hayden's Homecoming 2023 Recap
After the parade, we sped quickly (and safely) over to perform at the College of Engineering post-parade party. It was great making homecoming memories with fellow alumni of the College of Engineering at Iowa. Thanks, Brian Morelli, for making it happen!!
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
Van Hayden performed at the 100th year of tailgating for the Raecker family. We were honored to be a part of their unique and timeless Iowa Hawkeye history. Learn more about the Raecker tailgate from the amazing story covered by local news.
KCCI News Channel 8 out of Des Moines. 100 years and counting: Iowa family has century-old tradition of going to Hawkeyes football games
KWWL News Channel 7 out of Waterloo. For Hawkeye fans, the traditions and rituals connect generations through decades and centuries
We were also thrilled to pull the Vanbulance right next to Kinnick Stadium for NBC Sports to film us as we rocked out to our favorite Van Halen tunes. To top it all off, the Hawks won the game later that evening. We've said it a million times, it's great to be a Hawkeye!!
Saturday, September 2nd, 2023
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Utah State Aggies
Van Hayden rolled into Iowa City bringing their high energy performance to tailgates all around Kinnick Stadium on September 2, 2023. This was the most anticipated tailgate event for the Iowa Hawkeyes football season and it did not disappoint. Hawkeye fans rocked out alongside the band as they played their unique twists on Van Halen classics such as Jump! (Punt!) and Panama (Iowa). The Vanbulance was rockin' and rollin' down Melrose Avenue to the cheers and adoration of Hawkeye fans.
The following were tour stops around Iowa City before the kickoff of the Utah State versus Iowa Hawkeyes football game.
The Vanbulance
The Vanbulance was brand new when Tim Dwight, Tavian Banks, and Matt Sherman were Freshmen. Iowa was 5-5-1 that year, but at least we beat Iowa State. And the Vanbulance is old enough to remember that we didn’t have to win the game. We could just tie and pretend for a bit that we are soccer fans. Let’s not do that.
Please don't call it a food truck. College Football Enquirer, we're looking at you for that comment (fast forward to minute 37:12 of the podcast). Are the songs tasty? Yes.
All that said, it's lovingly referred to as "the Vanbulance" by the Band. Actually, it's a 1994 Ford E350 Road Rescue Ambulance that is white with a yellow stripe around it. There are beautiful vinyl stickers on the side with the Van Hayden logo provided by Impact Vinyl Graphix.
She’s a heavy ride, my friends. Here are her stats:
- Team:
- Ford
- Position:
- E350 Road Rescue Ambulance
- Rookie Year:
- 1994
- Weight:
(Gross Vehicle Weight / GVW) - 9000 lbs
- Interior Height:
- 5' 8" (watch your head!!)
- Body Width:
- 8'
- Body Length:
- 13' 7"
- Exterior Body Compartments:
- 6
- Length:
- 22' 1"
- Truck Height:
- 8' 7"
- Miles:
- 70,800 and going on up
- Engine:
- 7.3L IDI Diesel V8 (vrooooom!!)
- Transmission:
- Automatic
- Miles per Gallon:
- Let's not really talk about that, shall we?
- Wheels:
- 6 (Dual Rear Wheels). Brand new!! And yes, there is a backstory there we'll tell another time.
- Batteries:
- Dual 12 Volts plus more to run the Band
- Past Teams:
- Rutland-Dundee Fire Protection District Support Unit Ambulance in Illinois
Mission Statement
Enhance the Hawkeye tailgating experience through Van Halen’s music and Hayden Fry’s legacy.
