Angus Young of AC/DC has revealed that Eddie Van Halen's legendary guitar solo "Eruption" left him doubting his own abilities, despite AC/DC's reputation as a fiercely competitive band prone to real-life confrontations with rivals such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Young singled out Van Halen as a band he felt a particular kinship with, given their similar family-band origins, and admitted he was stunned decades later to learn that Eddie Van Halen had admired his own playing in return.

The two bands first shared a bill at Bill Graham's Day on the Green festival in 1978, where Young recalled being deeply impressed by footage of Eddie Van Halen performing "Eruption", though the pair did not actually meet until years afterwards at the Monsters of Rock festival in England. Young said he was shocked to discover Van Halen rated his guitar work, insisting "I've never rated myself as a guitarist" despite co-writing AC/DC classics such as "Thunderstruck" and "Highway to Hell".