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Monday
Jan312011

World Vacation Tour

Van Halen II was released on the same day the band began this tour in Fresno, CA. The stage setup boasted 33 tons of equipment including a 22 ton 10,000 watt sound system and 10 tons and 444,000 watts of lighting. The road crew consisted of a 24-person technical team and a personal security team. The band used two custom coaches, a Lear jet, and three 44-foot semi-trucks to move the production from city to city.  

Rabid Van Halen fans rivaled the band's own tales of destruction demolishing eight stage barricades in the first six weeks of the tour.

Alex was now regularly lighting his drum kit on fire. Just before the final encore each night, lighter fluid was applied to all of his drumheads. His drum tech would then hand him a pair of mallets soaked in fluid and lit. The effect was nothing short of spectacular. One night, however, a little too much fluid was used and Alex lit himself fire. The effect was retired by tour's end.  

During the Japanese leg of the tour David Lee Roth had an idea: he wanted to have the band photographed chopping down a huge stack of hamburgers with a Samauri sword in front of a Tokyo McDonald's. The restaurant wouldn't allow the photo shoot, so the food was purchased and taken to a local studio. Once there, the band went crazy splashing beer everywhere, pouring ketchup all over each other and creating a huge mess of hamburgers, french fries and beer.

Typical Set List:

3/25/79: Selland Arena, Fresno, CA. Opening Act: The Fabulous Poodles. Audio recording exists. The Fabulous Poodles were reportedly harassed off the stage by fans only a few songs into their set.

3/27/79: Armory, Medford, OR

3/29/79: University of Montana, Missoula, MT

3/30/79: Fieldhouse, Caldwell, ID

3/31/79: University of Utah, Logan, UT

4/03/79: University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. Opening act: Big Horn. Attendance: 4,200.

4/05/79: Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Marin, CA. Opening act: Barooga Bandit. Attendance: 2,028.

4/06/79: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose, CA. Opening act: Barooga Bandit. Attendance: 5,189.

4/07/79: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose, CA. Opening act: Barooga Bandit.

4/08/79: Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA. This was known as the Califfornia World Music Festival. The bill on 4/07/79 included the Fabulous Poodles, Cheech and Chong, Head East, Mahogany Rush, the Outlaws, REO Speedwagon, Toto, Cheap Trick, and Ted Nugent. The bill on 4/08/79 included April Wine, Boomtown Rats, Brownsville, Cheech and Chong, Eddie Money, Mother's Finest, Toto, UFO and Aerosmith. Van Halen invited more than 300 people to the show as their personal guests. The band and crew arrived in a fleet of 16 white limousines. A chimpanzee dressed up like David Lee Roth and accompanied by two little person bodyguards greeted the guests at the gate. Attendance: 106,000. Audio recording exists.

4/10/79: Coliseum, Reno, NV

4/12/79: Arena, Seattle, WA

4/13/79: Arena, Seattle, WA. David Lee Roth collapses on stage, due to a stomach virus and exhaustion.

4/16/79: Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR. Attendance: 8,000.

4/17/79: Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR

4/18/79: Vancouver Coliseum, Vancouver, BC. Opening act: Eddie Money. Attendance: 13,200.

4/19/79: Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA. Opening act: Robert Fleischman. Attendance: 7,457. Audio recording exists.

4/21/79: Boulder, CO. Opening act: Robert Fleischman. Attendance: 10,898.

4/22/79: Boulder, CO. Opening act: Robert Fleischman. Attendance: 8,420.

4/24/79: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO

4/26/79: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL

4/27/79: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL

4/28/79: Checkerdome, St. Louis, MO. Opening act: Robert Fleischman. Attendance: 8,420.

4/29/79: Market Square Arena, IN

5/01/79: Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, MI. Audio recording exists.

5/02/79: Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, MI

5/03/79: Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo MI

5/05/79: Cincinnatti, OH

5/06/79: Gardens, Louisville, KY

5/07/79: Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

5/08/79: Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, OH

5/09/79: Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY

5/11/79: Warner Theatre, Washington, DC

5/12/79: The Palladium, New York, NY

5/13/79: Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA

5/14/79: Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA. Video recording exists.

5/15/79: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON

5/16/79: London Gardens, London, ON

5/17/79: Manley Fieldhouse, Syracuse, NY

5/18/79: War Memorial, Rochester, NY. Audio recording exists.

5/19/79: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

5/30/79: Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA. Opening act: G-Force. Attendance: 3,812.

5/31/79: Coliseum, Charlotte, NC

6/01/79: Norfolk Arena, Norfolk, VA

6/02/79: Carter Stadium, Raleigh, NC. The bill for this show included Poco, the Outlaws and Boston.

6/04/79: Coliseum, Knoxville, TN

6/05/79: Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, AL

6/07/79: Mid-So. Coliseum, Memphis, TN

6/08/79: Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, AR. Audio recording exists.

6/09/79: Louis Messina Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX. Also known as the Texxas Jam, the bill for this show included Sammy Hagar, Heart and Boston. Attendance: 81,000.

6/10/79: The Superdome, New Orleans, LA. Attendace: 62,000. 

6/14/79: Forest National Brussels, Belgium

6/15/79: Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam, NL. Audio recording exists.

6/17/79: Philipshalle, Dusseldorf, GER

6/18/79: Stadthalle, Offenbach, GER

6/19/79: Circus Krone, Munchen, GER

6/20/79: Paris, France

6/21/79: Palais Des Sports, Lyon, France. Audio recording exists.

6/22/79: Porte de Pantin, Paris, France

6/23/79: Palais Des Sports, Lille, Framce

6/25/79: Birmingham Odeon, Birmingham, UK

6/26/79: New Castle City Hall, Newcastle, UK. Opening act: St. Paradise.

6/27/79: Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England. Opening act: St. Paradise. Audio recording exists.

6/28/79: Rainbow Theater, Ballroom London, UK. Audio recording exists.

6/29/79: Rainbow Theater, Ballroom London, UK. Audio recording exists.

6/30/79: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Audio recording exists.

7/01/79: Seattle, WA. Audio recording exists.

7/05/79: Auditorium, Jacksonville, FL

7/06/79: Auditorium, West palm Beach, FL

7/07/79: Jai Alai, Miami, FL. Audio recording exists.

7/08/79: Civic Center, Lakeland, FL. Audio recording exists.

7/10/79: Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, TX. Attendance: 6,113.

7/11/79: The Music Hall, Houston, TX. Audio recording exists.

7/12/79: The Music Hall, Houston, TX

7/15/79: Chaparral Center, Midland, TX. Attendance: 4,076.

7/16/79: Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX

7/17/79: Convention Center, San Antonio, TX

7/19/79: Century II Convention Center, Wichita, KS. Opening act: Screams. Everybody Wants Some!! is added to the set list for this show.

7/20/79: Assembly Center, Tulsa, OK

7/21/79: Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK

7/22/79: Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE

7/24/79: St. Paul Theatre, St. Paul, MN

7/25/79: St. Paul Theatre, St. Paul, MN

7/26/79: Five Flags Civic Center, Dubuque, IA. Opening act: Screams.

7/27/79: Illinois State Armory, Springfield, IL

7/28/79: Dayton, OH

8/10/79: Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME. Opening act: Screams.

8/11/79: Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ. Audio recording exists.

8/12/79: Coliseum, New Haven, CT

8/14/79: Music Hall, Cleveland, OH

8/15/79: Music Hall, Cleveland, OH

8/17/79: Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA

8/18/79: Cape Cod Coliseum, Hyannis, MA

8/20/79: Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI

8/21/79: Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI. Audio recording exists.

8/22/79: Hara Arena, Dayton, OH

8/25/79: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA. David Lee Roth claims that he first started his practice of jumping around on stage at one of these shows at the Oakland Coliseum.

8/26/79: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA

9/03/79: Kaikan Hall, Kyoto, Japan. Audio recording exists.

9/05/79: Kyoden-Taiiku-Kan, Fukuoka, JAP

9/07/79: Shi Kokaido, Nagoya, JAP

9/08/79: Shimin Kaikan, Kurashiki, JAP

9/10/79: Furitsu Taiiku-Kan, Osaka, JAP. Audio recording exists.

9/11/79: Furitsu Taiiku-Kan, Osaka, JAP

9/13/79: Budokan, Tokyo, JAP. Audio recording exists.

9/18/79: Coliseum, Edmonton, AB

9/19/79: Corral, Calgary, AB

9/22/79: Agridome, Regina, Saskatchewan

9/23/79: Convention Center, Winnipeg, MB

9/25/79: Arena, Duluth, MN

9/27/79: Civic Center, Bismark, ND

9/28/79: Civic center, Rapid City, SD

9/29/79: Metra, Billings, MT

10/02/79: Tucson Community Center, Arena Tucson, AZ. Opening act: Screams.

10/03/79: Civic Plaza, Phoenix, AZ

10/06/79: San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA

10/07/79: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. Opening act: Screams. Audio recording exists.

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