An Alex Van Halen-owned drum kit, which he used during VAN HALEN's 1980 "Invasion" tour, sold for $230,400 at an auction held this past weekend by Julien's Auctions. Alex's custom-designed Ludwig drum kit, stage-played on over 100 shows, made history once again as the first and only drum kit of the rock icon ever to come to the auction. "This kit from the 1980 VAN HALEN 'Invasion' world tour spent five years on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland," said Alex Van Halen. "It's the only one like it in the world and I'm happy that 100% of the selling price will be going to charity via the Frangioni Foundation and Mr. Holland's Opus." The white Ludwig kit, which was used on more than 100 shows during the tour in support of VAN HALEN's "Women And Children First" album, was previously displayed at Cleveland, Ohio's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum starting around a decade ago. Alex used the drum kit not only as a percussion instrument, but also as a visual art form. Working with various drum manufacturers, Alex custom-designed enormous and elaborate drum kits that reflected the group's musical sensibility and provided Alex the platform to shine. The kit features two custom articulated bass drums, each more than five feet long, in addition to an impressive array of floor toms, tom-toms, a gong and myriad cymbals. Alex and his brother Eddie Van Halen formed a band called MAMMOTH in Pasadena, California in 1972, then renamed it VAN HALEN when singer David Lee Roth joined the group and, later, bassist Michael Anthony. VAN HALEN was one of the biggest rock bands in the country in the 1980s, with hits like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Dance The Night Away", "Hot For Teacher", "Panama" and "Jump". The group, which later featured Sammy Hagar on vocals, was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007. The Van Halen family moved to Pasadena after emigrating to the U.S. from the Netherlands in 1962.
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