Did anyone ever see Van Halen live with DLRoth (before 1985)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Andersoncouncil, Aug 20, 2011.

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  1. WhoTapes1

    WhoTapes1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    There is a bunch of pro -shot concert video available for Van Halen from the Diver Down '82 and '83 tours. The Showtime footage you mention is from the '83 US Festival and that whole show is available to find in bootleg form, as are the others. You can download them at torrent sites or check eBay to buy them, usually.
     
  2. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I think I saw them 4 times w/ DLR. First time was in '80. Then maybe twice on the Fair Warning tour and once or twice on the Diver Down tour. Which show is the pro shot Largo, Md show that's been on boot DVD forever? I'm pretty sure that's one of the later shows I attended.

    My brother snuck a recorder into the '80 show and recorded it. Terrible sound quality of course, but coincidentally he wrote me this past weekend that he had gone back and listened to the tape for the first time in probably 30 years. Both of us had always remembered it to be a great show -- and after listening to the tape again he wrote that there was a reason why..."they were an incredibly well oiled machine that night, pushing the envelope as far as they could and still be Van Halen".

    They were still good on the later tours, but not great. They seemed to be going though the motions.
     
  3. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    I've seen that footage and it's a piss-poor show. The US Festival from 1983 is a joke. Hey Dave, leggo you ego!

    Unless they recorded shows during which Dave actually tried to "sing" instead of acting like a drunken buffoon, forget it. I've heard many shows from every tour between 78 and 84...and the 81 shows were by far the most consistent overall. That's not saying a lot from the lead singer's corner...Dave was good in the studio but he sucked onstage.
     
  4. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Likely because Dave sucked onstage and could never sing. They could've dubbed new vocals if they wanted to, but I doubt a live album was a high priority, despite recording more than enough shows.
     
  5. I saw them at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in September of 1980, and it was a good concert. Very late into their 1980 world tour, so they seemed a little road weary. Saw them again in 1983 at the "Us Festival", and DLR was a drunken mess. I was part of the crowd that was chanting "boos" at him.
     
  6. Mad Dog

    Mad Dog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Saw them in Philly in July of 81 at the Spectrum. Looking around the internet I see they played 3 shows here so I can't remember which date I went to. Remember it being a lot of fun. Here is a setlist I found, although I can't confirm if its completely correct:

    1. On Fire
    2. Sinner's Swing
    3. Drum Solo
    4. Hear About It Later
    5. So This Is Love?
    6. Jamie's Cryin'
    7. Bass Solo
    8. Runnin' With the Devil
    9. Dance The Night Away
    10. Sunday Afternoon In The Park
    11. Romeo Delight
    12. Everybody Wants Some
    13. Ice Cream Man
    14. Mean Street
    15. Guitar Solo
    16. Feel Your Love Tonight
    17. You Really Got Me

    18. Encore:
    18. Unchained
    19. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
     
  7. I got to see them open up for Black Sabbath in 1978 at the Cape Cod Collesium. Their set was essentially their first album, with "Ain't Talking 'bout Love" being a memorable high point. They blew away Sabbath and I was so impressed I bought their first album the next week.
     
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  8. ElevatorSkyMovie

    ElevatorSkyMovie Senior Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I've seen footage from the US festival. I don't think the footage I am talking about is from that. This footage was in an arena. I could be wrong about it airing on Showtime.

    Anyway, the video is really high quality, and the audio is very good. Dave is actually singing. That's why I think it was doctored. They sound too good.

    I wish I could remember where I saw the video. The audio from those 3 songs in the video is on some of the VH boots. I think one of the songs may have been Happy Trails. :help:
     
  9. WhoTapes1

    WhoTapes1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    They showed the 3 US Festival songs on Showtime (that may be where you are confused), but you must be talking about the 3 great live promo videos from the Oakland '81 show (So This Is Love, Hear About It Later, and Unchained) - they were fantastic - I wish the whole show circulated on video.
     
  10. ElevatorSkyMovie

    ElevatorSkyMovie Senior Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    No, I know about those videos. In these videos Eddie is wearing the overalls, like he did on the DD tour.

    I'll do some investigation to see what I can find.

    As a VH fan, I'd love to have a DVD of each of the first 6 album tours. That would be amazing.
     
  11. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    No, but I saw David back in the 60's when his band played at a dance I attended in Pasadena.
     
  12. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Saw them in 1980, Knoxville, TN - they were ok, no more, no less.
     
  13. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    I have a lot of pro shot early shows, please don't lump all shows as terrible.

    I have many early shows, most of them he sounds great.
     
  14. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    I have full length shows from befopre DD, they are really great shows.

    Someday everyone will see them and realize how great these guys were in the early days.
     
  15. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    I saw VH at the Anaheim Stadium - Sept '78 with Sammy Hagar, Van Halen, Black Sabbath and the final act Boston.

    VH was definitely high energy. Sabbath seemed stoic as the next act and by the time Boston came on - it was anti-climatic (and fuzzy). :D
     
  16. McGruder

    McGruder Eternal Musicphile

    Location:
    Maryland
    Saw them in '78 at the Captial Centre in Largo, MD. They opened for Ted Nugent (we were huge Nugent fans). I'd never heard of them, but they blew us away. We bought their LP right away and wore the grooves out. I remember they did this thing where Roth, EVH, and Michael Anthony would swing their upper bodies forward and back in synch to Running With The Devil, Roth's hair flying back and forth. When we saw EVH perform Eruption, we knew they (at least Eddie) were special.

    Around the same time Sammy Hagar was performing solo and we saw him open for Boston, also at the Cap Centre.
     
  17. Purplerocks

    Purplerocks Forum Resident

    Location:
    IN
    I saw them 4 times with Roth at Market Square Arena (RIP) in Indianapolis. Don't remember the exact years but would have been for the "Women & Children First", "Fair Warning", Diver Down" and "1984" tours. I was a youngster and we partied pretty hard before and during those shows; lot's of great memories.
    Van Halen pretty much was the soundtrack of my years from age 14 through 18.
     
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  18. Fair Warning

    Fair Warning Forum Resident

    Nice...those 81 Philly shows are great bootlegs. I have 7/20 and 7/21/81 date as well as 2 Philly 1984 shows.
     
  19. I was at that show. Summer. No A/C. No seats on the floor. I survived being smashed against the wall in front of the stage through all of VH and 1/2 of Sabbath's set.

    Many kids had not even heard of VH, but I already had their record and was playing a cassette dub over the car stereo while partying before the show.

    For some reason I have a memory of one of VH's stage hands wearing one of those green winter parkas with the fur lined hood (we called them Eskimo coats). To this day when I think about that, all I can think of is WTF, dude? :)
     
  20. Jvalvano

    Jvalvano Senior Member

    Location:
    NH
    May 12, 1979 Palladium NYC. I really enjoyed the show. Smallish venue, had great seats.
     
  21. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Saw them on the Women and Children First tour at the Spectrum in 1980. As best as I can recall it was my third or 4th Big rock show, having already seen Yes (Tormato tour) and Styx (Cornerstone tour). Not sure if this was before or after seeing Genesis (Duke tour). Later that year I caught my first Grateful Dead show, whcih I believe was my 5th big concert.

    A funny thing is that this was before VH was using video screens, and my seats weren't too close to the stage, so when the opening act started playing - a clearly VH influenced act with guitar, bass, drums and a front man with long blonde haired, I at first thought they were Van Halen and were playing stuff I hadn't heard off the latest album, which I had not yet bought. Show got much better once the real VH took over :)

    The song that most stands out in my memory from the show was a phenomenal performance of And the Cradle Will Rock
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2014
  22. Rapid Fire

    Rapid Fire Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mansfield, TX, USA
    Saw them 5 times with Roth. First time I saw VH was at the Texxas Jam 79. VH were supporting their second album. Then I also saw them at Reunion Arena in Dallas when they toured for 'Women and Children First', 'Fair Warning', 'Diver Down' and '1984'.

    After that, being married with children kept me away from the concerts.
     
  23. Efus

    Efus Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    August of '81- Fair Warning tour. First show I ever worked at the old Hollywood (FL) Sportatorium.
    Was at their hotel, and have some stories in regards to that, a few hours before the show. The opener, the Graniti Brothers were boo'd unmercifully in their black leather jackets and skinny ties.
    I thought it was overly chaotic, and fairly sloppy, but for sure, the party was on in the place when VH hit the stage.

    December of '82- Diver Down tour. Last show of the American tour proper at the Jacksonville Coliseum around the 10th or 12th of December.
    Down in front of Eddie on the general admission floor. Place was naturally packed. Band was in good spirits, played really well, and a champagne bath following the encore. Was the best show of the 3.

    January of '84- 1984 tour. First show of the tour at the Jacksonville Coliseum, (Jan. 16th, I'd guess) about a week after the album release, and less than a month after the relase of the "Jump" single.
    I believe Autograph (?) were the openers.
    Again, packed to the rafters, again up close for general admission in front of EVH. Show was not all that spectacular from what I remember.
    They played "Jump" to a fairly tepid response, I think it was still somewhat of a shock to most of the fan base .
     
  24. joelee

    joelee Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Houston
    Saw them in 78 opening the show for Montrose and Journey in a small venue(Music Hall, Houston). Remember them playing You Really Got Me, really weren't that impressive.
     
  25. WhoTapes1

    WhoTapes1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    Yes, Charlotte Coliseum in '82 & '84 - great shows!
     
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