Ambulance Tour

The Balance album's tour was dubbed the Ambulance Tour by Eddie because of the hip and neck injuries sustained by himself and brother Alex. 

This tour featured the band opening for Bon Jovi on the European leg of their tour. The reasoning behind this move was that the band needed to broaden their European fan base. Bon Jovi was huge in Europe. A plethora of other bands also shared the bill on Van Halen's European dates, including Thunder, Ugly Kid Joe, Crown of Thorns, Slash's Snakepit, Die Doofen, The Pretenders, Skin, Otto, H-Blockx and Little Steven.

The band added a new element to their stage show on this tour: the Jumbotron. Initially Alex's idea, this was the band's first time touring with a video production. The Jumbotron was a giant screen, similar to a television set, located above Alex. This was only the second time the setup had been used in arenas. Barbara Streisand was the first to use it in this manner. A six-man video team using four operating cameras and three point-of-view (POV) cameras, two of which were located on Alex's drum kit, filmed the band, the crowd, and more, projecting the images onto the giant screen. The MTV-banned Amsterdam video was also shown on the Jumbotron and at the end of each show, the Balance album cover twins would appear, saying their goodbyes to the audience.

Mike added a nod to J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" in D minor (recognized by many as the macabre organ piece from the Phantom of the Opera) to his bass solo on this tour. His bass setup included five Music Man 4-string basses; two in metallic gold, two transparent red, and one sunburst. Each was outfitted with a 2TEK bridge designed by Anthony and Linn Ellsworth and were otherwise stock with the exception of an added thumb rest and the removal of the three-position pickup selector switches (the pickups were hardwired for series-only operation). All the basses were strung with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings, gauged .045 to .105. Rig-wise, Michael used three racks of gear. The first housed Samson UR-4 and UR-5D wireless receivers. His main rack consisted of two Ampeg SVT-Pro preamps, a Bradshaw switching system, a Custom Audio Electronis 3+ Tube Preamp (for the bass solo), two Roland SDE-3000 digital delays (set to 579 and 279 milliseconds), two Boss SE-70 multi-effects units (for distorted flange), and an Ampeg SVT-3000 power amp (used as a spare). The third rack housed three Ampeg SVT-300 300-watt mono tube amps; two power a pair of Ampeg SVT810Es each, and the third was a spare. He also kept some standby units from previous tours including an ADA flanger, an Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro-Synth, a Colorsound fuzz, and a Roland DC-30 chorus/echo unit.  

Prior to the start of the tour, Mike teamed up with Peavey and tried out a CyberBass, a bass-to-MIDI controller that connects to a rackmount sound module. The CyberBass was a precursor to a similar concoction known as a MidiBass. He considered using it during his bass solo, but didn't for unknown reasons.

Alex drank a homemade garlic and carrot drink each night before taking the stage, that had a tendency to leave a rather garlicky-smell all around him and his drum kit. This practice made Alex the butt of many jokes. His solo featured a segment where he played against a recording of himself, showering the crowd with a rather Latinesque treat.

Eddie brought "Franky" out on the tour during the first leg, but ended up not using it for unknown reasons. Eddie also played one of his Ernie Ball Music Man guitars from time to time, which had black electrical tape covering the Music Man logo, probably due to the fact that he was now endorsing his new Peavey Wolfgang line. Early in the tour, Eddie began to experience intense pain in his hip, which was later diagnosed as Avascular Necrosis. It was common to see him standing relatively still for most of these shows, even sitting on a red, white and blacked striped stool on more than one occasion. By tour's end however, he was much more active, either getting used to the pain or doing a hell of a job masking it. His solo featured several Roth-era song teasers including the verse section to Mean Street and the intro to Runnin' with the Devil, as well as a nod to the 5-note communication sequence from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The final leg of the tour featured the guitarist following in Alex's footsteps: he also played against a recording of himself. 

The band grossed a staggering $32.7 million in support of Balance. Other top grossing acts for the year included the Eagles with $56.6 million, the Grateful Dead, R.E.M. and Page & Plant.

Typical set list: 

• The Seventh Seal
• Runaround
• Top of the World
• Amsterdam
• When It's Love
• You Really Got Me
• Bass solo
• Aftershock
• Drum solo
• Can't Stop Lovin' You
• Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
• Feelin'
• Eagles Fly
• Guitar solo
• Why Can't This Be Love?
• Finish What Ya Started
• Right Now
• Panama
• Dreams 

3/11/95: Pensacola Civic Center, Pensacola, FL. Opening act: Collective Soul. MTV films "Spring Break Rocks." Audio and video recordings exist.

3/12/95: Jacksonville Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio and video recordings exist.

3/14/95: The Thunderdome, St. Petersburg, FL. Opening act: Collective Soul. Several members of the World Wrestling Federation join the band backstage.

3/17/95: Miami Arena, Miami, FL. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

3/18/95: Orlando Arena, Orlando, FL. This show was canceled.

3/20/95: Orlando Arena, Orlando, FL. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

3/22/95: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA. Opening act: Collective Soul.

3/24/95: Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX. Opening act: Collective Soul. Outfitted with a large pair of earphones, Wolfgang Van Halen takes the stage to thunderous applause. He and Eddie kick an inflatable beach ball back and forth. Audio and video recordings exist.

3/25/95: San Antonio Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, TX. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

3/26/95: The Summit, Houston, TX. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

3/28/95: El Paso Special Events Center, El Paso, TX. Opening act: Collective Soul.

3/29/95: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

3/31/95: Thomas & Mack Arena, Las Vegas, NV. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/01/95: America West Arena, Phoenix, AZ. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/02/95: San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio and video recordings exist.

4/04/95: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/05/95: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. Opening act: Collective Soul. MTV films this concert and attaches the segment to news of Eddie's gun incident. Eddie also experiences major technical difficulties with his sound during the Cathedral portion of his unaccompanied solo and slams his guitar on the stage in disgust. Audio recording exists.

4/07/95: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. Canceled due to Sammy being sick.

4/08/95: San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA. Canceled due to Sammy being sick.

4/09/95: Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA. Canceled due to Sammy being sick.

4/14/95: Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/15/95: Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/16/95: Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/18/95: Allen County Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Wayne, IN. Opening act: Collective Soul. MTV films an episode of Road Rules. (The cast spends the day as Van Halen roadies.) Video recording exists.

4/19/95: Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/21/95: Erwin J. Nutter Center, Dayton, OH. Opening act: Collective Soul.

4/22/95: Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/23/95: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV. Opening act: Collective Soul.

4/25/95: Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/26/95: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/28/95: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio and video recording exists.

4/29/95: Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

4/30/95: Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

5/02/95: Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY. Opening act: Collective Soul.

5/03/95: Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY. Opening act: Collective Soul.

5/05/95: Colisee de Quebec, Quebec, QC. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio and video recording exists.

5/06/95: Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio and video recording exists.

5/07/95: Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY. Opening act: Collective Soul. Audio recording exists.

5/13/95: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. Opening act: Shaw and Blades. Make-up for canceled 4/07/95 show. Audio and video recordings exist. 

5/14/95: San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA. Opening act: Slash's Snakepit. Make-up for canceled 4/08/95 show. Audio and video recordings exist.

5/15/95: Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA. Opening act: Slash's Snakepit. Make-up for canceled 4/09/95 show. Audio recording exists.

5/24/95: Le Zenith, Paris, France. Opening act: Bad Moon Rising. Attendance: 20,000. Audio recording exists.

5/26/95: Weserstadion, Bremen, GER. This is the first show that Van Halen opened for Bon Jovi. The band would continue to open for Bon Jovi until 6/30/95. Ugly Kid Joe joined Van Halen as openers for this show.

5/27/95: Weserstadion, Bremen, GER. Die Doofen joins Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen to open this show.

5/28/95: Goffertpark, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Little Steven joins Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen to open this show. Audio recording exists.

5/30/95: Georg-Melcher Stadion, Essen, GER

6/01/95: Sportforum, Chemnitz, GER. Ugly Kid Joe opens with Van Halen.

6/03/95: Olympiahalle (Rock Im Park), Munich, GER. Other openers at this show included Hootie & the Blowfish, H-Blockx, Ugly Kid Joe, Slash's Snakepit, The Pretenders, and Otto. Audio recording exists.

6/04/95: Nurburgring (Rock Am Ring), Nurburg, GER. Other openers at this show included Hootie & the Blowfish, H-Blockx, Ugly Kid Joe, Slash's Snakepit, The Pretenders, Otto, and Little Steven. Audio recording exists. 

6/06/95: Waldbuhne, Berlin, GER. Audio recording exists.

6/07/95: Waldbuhne, Berlin, GER

6/10/95: St. Jakob-Fussballstadion, Basle, Switzerland. Other openers at this show included Allison and Thunder. Audio recording exists. 

6/11/95: Osterreich-Ring, Zeltweg, Austria

6/13/95: Estadio Olympico, Barcelona, Spain. The Pretenders join Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen as openers. Audio recording exists. 

6/14/95: Palacio De Los Deportes, Madrid, Spain. Van Halen headlined this show. The opening acts were Lizard and The Pretenders. Audio recording exists.

6/15/95: Stadion Avalade, Lisbon, Portugal. Crown of Thorns joined Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen in opening this show.

6/17/95: Festivalsite Werchter, Werchter, Belgium. Little Steven joined Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen in opening this show. Audio recording exists.

6/18/95: Flugplatz Lahr, Lahr, GER. Little Steven joined Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen in opening this show. Audio recording exists.

6/20/95: Omnisports De Bercy, Paris, France

6/21/95: Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales. Crown of Thorns and Thunder join Van Halen in opening this show. Video recording exists.

6/23/95: Wembley Stadium, London, England. Thunder joins Ugly Kid Joe and Van Halen in opening this show.

6/24/95: Wembley Stadium, London, England. Crown of Thorns and Thunder join Van Halen in opening this show. Audio recording exists.

6/25/95: Wembley Stadium, London, England. Crown of Thorns joins Van Halen in opening this show.

6/27/95: Gateshead Int. Stadium, Newcastle, England. Crown of Thorns and Thunder join Van Halen in opening this show.

6/28/95: Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, England. Crown of Thorns and Thunder join Van Halen in opening this show. Richie Sambora performs Rock and Roll with Van Halen. This was the last show Van Halen opened for Bon Jovi. Audio recording exists.

6/30/95: Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark. The bill for this show included Cathedral (5:30pm), Van Halen (7:30pm), The Cure (10:00pm), and D.A.D. (1:00am). Audio recording exists.

7/15/95: Garden States Art Center, Holmdel, NJ. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

7/16/95: Garden State Art Center, Holmdel, NJ. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

7/18/95: Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row.

7/19/95: Deer Creek Amphitheatre, Indianapolis, IN. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row. Audio and video recordings exist.

7/21/95: Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, MO. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

7/22/95: Riverport Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, MO. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

7/23/95: Riverport Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, MO. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

7/25/95: Tupelo Colesium, Tupelo, MS. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

7/26/95: Starwood Amphitheatre, Nashville, TN. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

7/28/95: World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row. Sammy Hagar forgets the words to Eagles Fly. Audio recording exists.

7/29/95: Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, WI. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row. Audio recording exists.

7/30/95: Target Centre, Minneapolis, MN. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. The Monks of Gyuto Tantric University, who provided the chanting at the beginning of The Seventh Seal, opened the show. (They had put on a performance of their own the night before.) The monks were taken by surprise once the band kicked into the song. Some of the unsuspecting holy men were so disoriented, they scrambled for cover, forgetting the plans made earlier at soundcheck. Led by Kevin Dugan, the group was to exit the stage via stage right in single file, with tour manager Scotty Ross bringing up the rear. One monk jumped into the pits and another sat down on Alex's drum riser, apparently totally unsure of where he was supposed to go. Audio and video recordings exist.

8/01/95: Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Foxey Lady is added to the set list for this show. Audio recording exists.

8/02/95: Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. White Room and Foxey Lady are added to the set list for this show. Audio recording exists. 

8/04/95: Nissan Pavilion, Stone Ridge, VA. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/05/95: Blockbuster-Sony Music Entertainment Center, Camden, NJ. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row.

8/06/95: Old Orchard Beach, Portland, ME. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

8/08/95: Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row.

8/09/95: Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA. Opening acts: Our Lady Peace and Skid Row. Audio recording exists.

8/11/95: Starlake Civic Center, Burgettstown, PA. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Video recording exists.

8/12/95: The Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus, OH. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Outside Woman Blues is added to the set list for this show. Audio recording exists.

8/13/95: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/14/95: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/15/95: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/18/95: Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Video recording exists.

8/19/95: Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. The Pay-per-view special is filmed. Audio and video recordings exist.

8/20/95: Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa, ON. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/22/95: Jones Beach Theater, Wantaugh, NY. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio and video recordings exist.

8/23/95: Jones Beach Theater, Wantaugh, NY. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio and video recordings exist.

8/25/95: Jones Beach Theater, Wantaugh, NY. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Leslie West joins band to perform Mississippi Queen. Audio and video recordings exist.

8/26/95: The Meadows, Hartford, CT. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

8/27/95: Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center, Scranton, PA. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

8/29/95: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

8/30/95: Classic Amphitheatre, Richmond, VA. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

9/01/95: Hardee's Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, NC. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/02/95: Blockbuster Pavillion, Charlotte, NC. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/03/95: Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/11/95: Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, AB. Opening act: Our Lady Peace.

9/13/95: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC. Opening act: Our Lady Peace. Audio recording exists.

9/15/95: Portland Civic Stadium, Portland, OR. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/16/95: Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/17/95: BSU Pavilion, Boise, ID. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/19/95: The Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT. Opening act: Brother Cane. Audio recording exists.

9/20/95: Fiddler's Green, Englewood, CO. Opening act: Brother Cane. Foul weather was afoot at this show. The band performed during a snowstorm, even getting involved in a playful snowball fight with the audience. The young boy featured on the Balance cover was brought on stage partway through the show and introduced to the crowd.

9/22/95: Kansas Coliseum, Witchita, KS. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/23/95: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA. Opening act: Brother Cane. Audio recording exists.

9/24/95: Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, IL. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/26/95: Pyramid Arena, Memphis, TN. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/27/95: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, AL. Opening act: Brother Cane.

9/29/95: Woodlands Pavilion, Houston, TX. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row.

9/30/95: South Park Meadows, Austin, TX. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row.

10/01/95: Coca-Cola Starplex, Dallas, TX. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row.

10/03/95: The Myriad, Oklahoma City, OK. Opening act: Skid Row.

10/04/95: The Myriad, Oklahoma City, OK. Opening act: Skid Row.

10/06/95: Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row. Peavey presents Michael Anthony with a gold-speckled bass in hopes of an endorsement deal. Audio recording exists. 

10/07/95: Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion, Devore, CA. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row. Eddie's guitar tech Matt Bruck and his band Zen Boy play outside as the crowd files into the Pavilion. Sammy dedicates Eagles Fly to his mother, who is watching the show from the stage. Mike performs with the Peavey bass received the night before for the very first time. Audio recording exists. 

10/08/95: Selland Arena, Fresno, CA. Opening act: Brother Cane.

10/11/95: Lawlor Events Center, Reno, NV

10/13/95: Cal Expo Amphitheatre, Sacramento, CA. Opening act: Skid Row.

10/14/95: Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row.

10/15/95: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA. Opening acts: Brother Cane and Skid Row. Audio recording exists.

10/25/95: Yoyogi Olympic Pool, Tokyo, JAP. Audio recording exists.

10/26/95: Yoyogi Olympic Pool, Tokyo, JAP

10/27/95: Yoyogi Olympic Pool, Tokyo, JAP

10/29/95: Kokusai Center, Fukuoaka, JAP

10/30/95: Castle Hall, Osaka, JAP. Audio recording exists.

11/01/95: Budokan Hall, Budokan, JAP. Audio recording exists.

11/02/95: Budokan Hall, Budokan, JAP

11/04/95: Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI

11/05/95: Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI