March 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of 5150, the first of four albums Van Halen recorded with Sammy Hagar. To commemorate the milestone, Rhino is set to release an expanded edition on March 27 that digs deeper into one of the most important eras in the band’s history.
The release includes a newly remastered version of the original album, a full disc of rare singles edits and B-sides, and a live performance that has never been officially issued. That concert was recorded on August 27, 1986, in New Haven, Connecticut, during the tour supporting the album. The set also features a Blu-ray containing the first high-definition release of the band’s 1986 live video Live Without A Net, along with a promotional video for the track “Dreams”.
A live version of “Summer Nights” taken from Van Halen’s New Haven performance has also surfaced ahead of the release.
![Van Halen - Summer Nights (from Live Without A Net) [Official Video]](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/g9pYywCZrXc/hqdefault.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1)
The 3CD/Blu-ray/LP configuration of 5150 (Expanded Edition) brings together several key pieces from the period. It includes the remastered studio album, overseen in 2023 by longtime Van Halen engineer Donn Landee for The Collection II box set, a disc compiling rare non-LP edits and mixes, and the full audio from the Live Without A Net home video. The New Haven show, recorded at the New Haven Veteran Memorial Coliseum, has been newly remastered in HD and appears on Blu-ray alongside two music videos.
Originally released in 1986, 5150 became Van Halen’s seventh studio album and the band’s first to reach number one on the Billboard 200. The record has since earned six-times-platinum certification in the United States and delivered several of the group’s best-known songs, including “Dreams”, “Love Walks In”, and “Why Can’t This Be Love”, which climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album’s title has its own history. 5150 was named after the California police term for a mentally unstable person, taken from section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code. The name also refers to guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s home studio, where the band worked on the album and helped shape a defining chapter of their catalog.
You can now pre-order 5150 (Expanded Edition) here.
