Ocean City Scores a Hard-Rock Heir — Mammoth WVH Roars at Boardwalk Rock

By Dave Parsons

As the late-afternoon sun dimmed over Ocean City’s salt-washed boardwalk on May 17, 2025, anticipation swept through the throng of the 50,000 attendees who had come to witness the arrival of Mammoth WVH, fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen.  His surname already bore rock royalty, the comparisons inevitable, but at this show at Boardwalk Rock, Wolfgang wasn’t riding his father’s shadow. He was casting his own.

When Mammoth WVH released their debut in 2021, it was both gratitude and defiance. Wolfgang’s voice, partly an echo of Van Halen, and a defiant attempt to sound unique, was unique in another way. He recorded nearly every instrument himself, which made the project blossom into a touring band under Wolfgang’s leadership.

With little fanfare and introduction, Wolfgang nodded to the crowd and closed his eyes, as he played the opening chords of  Another Celebration at the End of the World.  The band crashed in, as the afternoon heat made the sweat start immediately, and it seemed to spur Van Halen to lean into the lyrics even harder.

Born in 1991, Wolfgang learned from watching legends like his father Eddie, defining guitar brilliance, and his mother, directing production. He brought both of them with him to the Boardwalk Rock stage, basking in the legacy he inherited and trying with everything he had to add to his own.

As he tore through his setlist with very little banter between songs, the band was incredibly tight, bringing life to songs like Right? and Epiphany.  It was like he was letting the music speak for him, instead of chatter that would get twisted in a thousand different ways on the internet, some of it before the set even ended.

And, while he didn’t mention his family at length, families in the crowd were having their own moments. There were generations standing in the same area.  The youngest of the group was having their first experience, at the same age as their older counterpart had years ago.  It brought the set full circle.  A young girl, maybe 10 or 11, danced barefoot through Don’t Back Down, wearing a patched-up Van Halen denim vest with her mother tearing up beside her.

Boardwalk Rock 2025 was stacked with Halestorm, Rob Zombie, Bush, Extreme, and dozens more.  Each band brought its legacy. But Mammoth WVH? They brought evolution. For a man forging his path not because he must, but, because he can.  This wasn’t just another “next-gen rocker.” This was an heir writing his own legacy. Wolfgang Van Halen didn’t just perform. He planted a flag.

Mammoth WVH Setlist — Boardwalk Rock, May 17, 2025

1. Another Celebration at the End of the World
2. You’re to Blame
3. Right?
4. Mammoth
5. Epiphany
6. Like a Pastime
7. Stone
8. Take a Bow
9. Don’t Back Down
10. The End