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Sunday
Nov212010

Fair Warning Tour

Kicking off in Nova Scotia, this 10-month odyssey (also dubbed the W.D.F.A. [We Don't Fuck Around] Tour) was then considered the largest continental tour in rock and roll history and grossed more than $10 million. The 75-man crew was made up of a large number of Vietnam veterans who managed 175,000 tons of equipment. The stage show featured 90,000 watts of sound and over 1.5 million watts of lighting. The band frequently trashed the stage routinely covering it with amazing amounts of confetti, trash, streamers and even blow-up sex dolls.

Once again the band got creative with their hotel check-in identities. Dave was known as "Ray Dio," Mike as "Captain Crash" and Alex as "Bigus Dickus."

One interesting feature of this tour (which may have also been in effect on earlier tours) was the "Bounty System." The "Bounty System" was yet another creative backstage pass idea concocted by Roth. For every show, each roadie was given a number of passes with his initials marked on them. The overall concept was simple: every female fan who spent "time" with the vocalist that evening wearing a pass with initials on it, earned the appropriate roadie a monetary reward, normally in the amount of $25 per pass.

Rumors of Billy Sheehan replacing Michael Anthony had surfaced some time during the album's production and the start of the tour though, nothing ever became of them.

Openers The Fools do not have fond memories of the taunting they took on this tour from both fans and Roth. They were replaced a few months into the tour.

The band's stage attire this tour was quite interesting. Alex normally wore a zebra-striped karate-like gui (his drums were painted in the same manner). Michael wore a fatigue-green jumpsuit, Dave regularly donned a pair of white skin-tight pants with red fringe up the legs and Eddie looked like a rock and roll version of Raggedy Andy in his white knickers and red and white-striped knee-high socks.

Typical set list:

5/12/81: Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Opening act: The Fools. 

5/13/81: Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. This show was reportedly canceled.

5/15/81: Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI. Lucille is added to the set list for this show. Audio recording exists.

5/16/81: Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME. Opening act: The Fools. 

5/17/81: Glen Falls Civic Center, Glen Falls, NY. Opening act: The Fools.

5/18/81: Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY

5/20/81: Charleston Civic Center Coliseum, Charleston, WV

5/22/81: Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY

5/23/81: Hara Arena, Dayton, OH

5/24/81: Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI. Opening act: The Fools.

5/27/81: Edmonton Coliseum, Edmonton, AB

5/28/81: The Corral, Calgary, AB

5/29/81: The Corral, Calgary, AB

5/31/81: Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, WA

6/02/81: P.N.E Coliseum, Vancouver, BC

6/04/81: Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA

6/05/81: Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA. Audio recording exists.

6/06/81: Seattle Civic Center, Seattle, WA. Audio recording exists.

6/08/81: Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR. Opening act: 3 Out of 5 Doctors.

6/09/81: Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR. Opening act: The Fools

6/11/81: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. Opening act: The Fools. Audio recording exists.

6/12/81: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. Opening act: The Fools.

6/13/81: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. Opening act: The Fools. According to Dave, all three of these Oakland shows were filmed, but only the third night was a keeper. According to Warner Brothers, special attention was paid to the first show. Three songs ended up being picked as videos to promote the Fair Warning album: Hear about It Later, So This Is Love? and Unchained. There remains some confusion about exactly which show was used for the videos.

6/16/81: Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. Van Halen is banned from Rush's show when the two bands perform in Las Vegas, NV, together on separate bills as a payback from an earlier altercation on 6/20/80. To further heighten tensions, Geddy Lee and Eddie Van Halen cross paths in a casino later that evening and an unwitting bodyguard gives the boot to Lee when the bassist attempts to mend ways with Eddie.

6/18/81: Selland Arena, Fresno, CA

6/19/81: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA. Opening act: The Fools. Audio recording exists.

6/20/81: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. Audio recording exists.

6/21/81: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. Opening act: The Fools. Audio recording exists.

7/02/81: Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI

7/03/81: Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI

7/04/81: Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI. Audio recording exists.

7/05/81: Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI. Opening act: The Fools.

7/07/81: St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

7/09/81: Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN. Opening act: The Fools

7/10/81: International Amphitheater, Chicago, IL. Opening act: The Fools. Audio and Video recordings exist.

7/11/81: International Amphitheater, Chicago, IL. Opening act: The Fools.

7/12/81: Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL. Opening act: The Fools. 

7/14/81: Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

7/16/81: Cross Country Coliseum, New Haven, CT

7/17/81: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. Audio recording exists.

7/18/81: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY. Opening act: The Fools. Audio recording exists.

7/20/81: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA. Audio recording exists.

7/21/81: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA. Audio recording exists.

7/22/81: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

7/24/81: Boston Garden, Boston, MA. Opening act: G-Force.

7/25/81: Boston Garden, Boston, MA. Audio recording exists.

7/26/81: Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME

7/28/81: Capitol Centre, Largo, MD. Audio recording exists. Warner Brothers films this show.

7/29/81: Capitol Centre, Largo, MD. Audio recording exists.

7/30/81: Capitol Centre, Largo, MD

7/31/81: Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY. Opening act: G-Force.

8/02/81: Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, OH. Audio recording exists.

8/03/81: Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, OH

8/04/81: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON. Opening act: G-Force.

8/05/81: Montreal Forum, Montreal, QE. Audio recording exists.

8/18/81: Sportatorium, Hollywood, FL

8/19/81: Civic Center, Lakeland, FL. Opening act: G-Force.

8/22/81: The Omni, Atlanta, GA. Audio recording exists.

8/23/81: Knoxville Coliseum, Knoxville, TN

8/24/81: Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC

8/25/81: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC. Audio recording exists.

8/27/81: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

8/29/81: Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH. Audio recording exists.

8/30/81: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN

8/31/81: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, AL. Audio recording exists.

9/01/81: Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN

9/03/81: Von Braun Civic Center Arena, Huntsville, AL

9/04/81: Jackson Coliseum, Jackson, MS

9/05/81: Mississippi Coast Highway Coliseum, Biloxi, MS

9/06/81: Riverside Centraplex, Baton Rouge, LA

9/08/81: Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, LA

9/10/81: Reuninon Arena, Dallas, TX

9/12/81: Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX

9/13/81: Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX. Opening act: G-Force.

9/28/81: Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ. Audio recording exists.

9/29/81: San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA

10/02/81: Austin Special Events Center, Austin, TX

10/03/81: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK. Opening act: G-Force

10/06/81: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM. Audio recording exists.

10/07/81: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, TX. Audio recording exists.

10/09/81: San Antonio Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, TX

10/15/81: Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, OK

10/16/81: Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, KS. Opening act: G-Force.

10/17/81: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO

10/18/81: Checkerdome, St. Louis, MO. Opening act: G-Force. 

10/21/81: Five Seasons Center, Cedar Rapids, IA. Opening act: G-Force. 

10/24/81: Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, FL. The bill for this performance included the Henry Paul Band and The Rolling Stones. A photo taken at this show appears in the artwork for the Diver Down album.

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