Van Halen's stage shows throughout the years....

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  • fraroc
    Commando
    • Jun 2012
    • 1172
    #1

    Van Halen's stage shows throughout the years....

    Ok, After watching the Three Sides Of The Coin podcast concerning KISS' stage shows, I always wondered this... What is the RothArmy's opinion on Van Halen's stages, which ones do you think were awesome and which ones do you think weren't so awesome?

    I would like to start off by saying that I believe that the 1984 tour's stage was the most impressive. The drum riser looked monstrous piled with amps and staircases. Not to mention the amps that were piled up to the highest teir of the stage where Ed's keyboard was. Also, the disco floor that changed color was a very cool effect. You also can't go wrong with Alex's flaming gong after You Really Got Me!! Sadly, even though the stage show was impressive, I feel that the 1984 tour setlist didn't measure up. They did WAY too many new songs and not enough old ones. They did absolutley NOTHING from the VH2. No Dance the Night Away, no Sombody Get Me a Doctor, and no So This Is Love?

    My least favorite stage has got to be the 1995 Balance tour. The fact that it's a Van Hagar tour aside, they didn't really put on much of a show AT ALL for that tour, no pyro bursts like the 5150 tour, not really much lighting, and overall it was a stale stage. Granted, Ed's playing compensated, but it just wasn't a good show.


    I understand that some of you will probably thing that a KISS-like stage show for Van Halen with pyro and levitating drum sets would be very distracting, but for some reason, I was always impressed with the shows that Van Halen puts on.
    How do you spell pretentious? S-A-M-M-Y H-A-G-A-R
    Tags: None
    • moose
      Veteran
      • Mar 2004
      • 1987
      #2
      any stage that had the original 4 members of Van Halen playing was the best


      Good topic though!!

        Comment

        • twonabomber
          formerly F A T
          ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

          • Jan 2004
          • 11201
          #3
          Funny, I was thinking about this the other day, but as a slightly different topic. For Van Halen, my only references are the last two tours. Kind of boring stages.

          Now, Dave's EEAS stage...hell, the whole show...a full frontal assault on practically every one of your senses. Brings to mind the phrases "nothing exceeds like excess" and "too much is never enough."

          The bomb (I know, it was really a mine...) behind the drums during the VHagar '04 tour was kind of prophetic. Saw pics somewhere that summer and got a good laugh out of that one. And didn't they auction it off on Ebay or something? I wonder which Links member has THAT hanging in his garage.
          Writing In All Proper Case Takes Extra Time, Is Confusing To Read, And Is Completely Pointless.

            Comment

            • TJMKID
              Veteran
              • Mar 2004
              • 1533
              #4
              I never got to see it in person since my Mommy was being a dick in the 80's --- but from the photos I've seen I'd say Fair Warning or 1984 had the most epic stages.

              Nothing says success like excess!



                Comment

                • Va Beach VH Fan
                  ROTH ARMY FOUNDER
                  • Dec 2003
                  • 17913
                  #5
                  I liked the platforms on both sides of the stage, and the platform that jutted out at center stage....

                  The flashing "1 9 8 4", while it make seem corny now, I recall was pretty cool back then.....

                  The entire lighting rig was pretty state of the art for those times as well.....
                  Eat Us And Smile - The Originals

                  "I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth

                  "We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee Roth

                    Comment

                    • Zing!
                      Veteran
                      • Oct 2011
                      • 2363
                      #6
                      Hard to top 1984 - that stage set-up was awesome just in the sheer immensity of it all. When Dave recounts in his book that the stage would sometimes sink into the arena floor you have to take him at his word. Fair Warning was epic too with the Mean Street backdrop, and the 1980 tour was bad-ass with Al's drum-riser being the focal point of the design. The current touring stage set-up is pretty bare-bones with the exception of the video screen - and don't even get me started on the dance-floor. I actually liked the 07-08 stage better.
                      My karma just ran over your dogma.

                        Comment

                        • fraroc
                          Commando
                          • Jun 2012
                          • 1172
                          #7
                          I AM AN IDIOT!!! How could I have forgotten this? The gigantic Van Halen logo for the 1981 Fair Warning tour, even in the Oakland 81 footage (come on Ed, where is the full concert?!) it just oozes intimidation and the attitude of Classic Van Halen. I really got to ask my Dad some of these questions because he went to a good amount of shows from from both the CVH-era and the Van Hagar-era.

                          And I would also like to mention the 2007-2008 tour. I loved the stage! I loved the giant ass circular ramp that went across the audience which snaked AROUND the drum riser, and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't VH start messing around with lasers on that tour? I could swear that during Romeo Delight there was a green laser curtain being projected from the two sides of the jumbotron. I really wish that they didn't scale down the 2012 ADKOT tour's stage so much, even though I could SWEAR that there was a slightly smaller VH logo being shown in the lighting rig.
                          How do you spell pretentious? S-A-M-M-Y H-A-G-A-R

                            Comment

                            • Fairwrning
                              TOASTMASTER GENERAL
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 11371
                              #8
                              Ill always prefer the FW tour...stacks of amps, killer light show, the massive black and white drum kit (although the Sheep tour guns were cool)...I was just in such awe of this at 14 yrs old.

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