US Festival Lost Tapes

[FORD]

Thing is, it wasn't just Dave who was drunk. Anyone who has watched the US Fest performance, or even if you just heard the audio from it, it's evident that all 4 of them are very intoxicated. You can hear Ed's mistakes, Al's mistakes, Mike's mistakes (on bass and on harmonies). They were all fucked up, and yet it was a great performance despite all that.

I don't think you'll ever see an "official" release of the US Festival, because it's not what commercial interests consider a good show. But for the fans who know what Van HALEN was all about, it's a fucking classic.

[Seshmeister]

Exactly!! Wonder if Ed said anything Al about that because in the video you can see Al laughing right along with him.

Also everyone slams Dave from that show saying how drunks he was, yea but they pulled it all together from mid point on!

I think maybe some coke sobered him up a bit.

[Nitro Express]

Thing is, it wasn't just Dave who was drunk. Anyone who has watched the US Fest performance, or even if you just heard the audio from it, it's evident that all 4 of them are very intoxicated. You can hear Ed's mistakes, Al's mistakes, Mike's mistakes (on bass and on harmonies). They were all fucked up, and yet it was a great performance despite all that.

I don't think you'll ever see an "official" release of the US Festival, because it's not what commercial interests consider a good show. But for the fans who know what Van HALEN was all about, it's a fucking classic.

I was at that show. After all day in the sun it got cold and Van Halen was the last show. We were pretty worn down from being there all day and they were drunk as shit. Plus, they were these little ants on the stage. The footage makes it seem better than it was. It actually was the worst VH concert for me. But then I guess I can say I was there.

VH was better to see at smaller venues with a roof. Outside the sound just goes to hell.

[chefcraig]

As most of us know that remains one of the best live shows we have to date and can still watch. I'ts my favorite by far of all my bootlegs.

That's both good and bad. What everyone seems to have forgotten over the years is that the reason most Van Halen boots (both audio and video) sound so awful is because Van Halen the band sounded so awful. Christ, it was a full on sonic attack, equal parts white noise, howling, out of control feedback and distortion. The sound pumping out of the speakers would blast over the heads of the audience, ricochet off the back wall of the concrete barn or hockey arena they were playing in and nail you square in the back of the skull 5 seconds after it initially hit you in the front of it. The drums sounded like bowling balls being chucked down a wooden staircase, and I couldn't tell you what the bass sounded like because I only heard it once out of about a half dozen shows on "So This Is Love", and barely at that.

You also have to take into account the generally crummy technology available at the time for recording a show. Outside of a handful of professionally filmed or recorded shows, you are pretty much stuck with stuff that some guy taped by sticking a Radio Shack tape recorder under his shirt and sneaking it in the building. Given all that, we really are lucky to have anything at all from the Roth era worth watching or listening to, and the only thing making the situation even shittier is the idea that Ed Van Halen may have some quality stuff from back then sitting under his bed, but refuses to release it because of his ego or personal pique at another band member.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

the only thing making the situation even shittier is the idea that Ed Van Halen may have some quality stuff from back then sitting under his bed, but refuses to release it because of his ego or personal pique at another band member.

Post of the year.....

Face it, Ed's a perfectionist.... I admire that in life itself, but not as a Van Halen fanatic...

[hambon4lif]

That must have been a great fucking day.

The kind you wish you could freeze and live over and over again...

As awesome as the whole experience was, the funniest, most rock'n'roll moment actually happened 3 years later, and the laugh was at Sheriff Tidwells expense.

After the Us Fest, Tidwell made no secret of the fact that he hated Van Halen, and was very adamant about never allowing Van Halen to set foot in San Bernardino County ever again! If you brought up the name Van Halen in front of him, he'd go off on an angry rant.
It's hard to watch Jackie Gleasons character in Smokey And The Bandit and not think of Floyd......he was that guy! Just barely smart enough to be corrupt, but overall, a bumbling jackass. A one-bullet-Barney who always had to pull his pants up every three steps, and if you asked him who Van Halen was, he'd say "that blonde loudmouth punk".

One Saturday morning in late-May of '86, we hear the local DJ announcing that "David Lee Roth is shooting a music video today at the Orange Pavillion, it's free, so if you're not doing anything today, you might want to swing by there and check it out". Me and my friends were in shock.
It's Roth, it's free, we're there!

On the way there, my friend says "I guess that idiot Floyd had a change of heart". I said "Not quite. That idiot Floyd doesn't know who Dave is".
Turns out that Floyd made the same mistake the club owners made when Van Halen was starting out, thinking Dave was 'Mr. Halen'.
The whole thing was total Rock'N'Roll. Not only was it pure genius to make your first move as a solo artist by shooting a video dead-smack in the middle of Sammy Hagars hometown (Fontana being 10 miles away), but in doing this, Roth also managed to give a rasberry and the finger to hapless Sheriff Tidwell, who unwittingly allowed the one person he hated to set up shop right there under his nose. When he finally found out a week later, he was livid. It was fucking beautiful!!

For months afterward, we all carried magic markers in our back pockets, and whenever we saw Floyds picture hanging up somewhere, we drew a VH logo right over his face.
THAT was an awesome moment in time.

ROTH'N'ROLL MUTHAFUCKAS!!!!

[DlocRoth]

Beautiful. ^

[Terry]

Thing is, it wasn't just Dave who was drunk. Anyone who has watched the US Fest performance, or even if you just heard the audio from it, it's evident that all 4 of them are very intoxicated. You can hear Ed's mistakes, Al's mistakes, Mike's mistakes (on bass and on harmonies). They were all fucked up, and yet it was a great performance despite all that.

I don't think you'll ever see an "official" release of the US Festival, because it's not what commercial interests consider a good show. But for the fans who know what Van HALEN was all about, it's a fucking classic.

ALL of the band were half in the bag by the point showtime rolled around, agreed.

[Terry]

That's both good and bad. What everyone seems to have forgotten over the years is that the reason most Van Halen boots (both audio and video) sound so awful is because Van Halen the band sounded so awful. Christ, it was a full on sonic attack, equal parts white noise, howling, out of control feedback and distortion. The sound pumping out of the speakers would blast over the heads of the audience, ricochet off the back wall of the concrete barn or hockey arena they were playing in and nail you square in the back of the skull 5 seconds after it initially hit you in the front of it. The drums sounded like bowling balls being chucked down a wooden staircase, and I couldn't tell you what the bass sounded like because I only heard it once out of about a half dozen shows on "So This Is Love", and barely at that.

You also have to take into account the generally crummy technology available at the time for recording a show. Outside of a handful of professionally filmed or recorded shows, you are pretty much stuck with stuff that some guy taped by sticking a Radio Shack tape recorder under his shirt and sneaking it in the building. Given all that, we really are lucky to have anything at all from the Roth era worth watching or listening to, and the only thing making the situation even shittier is the idea that Ed Van Halen may have some quality stuff from back then sitting under his bed, but refuses to release it because of his ego or personal pique at another band member.

From my memories of it, the 1984 show (the only CVH tour I was lucky enough to see) wasn't the best sounding show I'd ever seen...nor even necessarily the best production I'd ever seen either...although at that point it was easily one of the biggest rock productions I've ever seen in terms of indoor arenas.

[Seshmeister]

PA's have improved hugely since the 80s plus in those days only Milli Vanilli used backing tapes.

[AJW]

As most of us know that remains one of the best live shows we have to date and can still watch. I'ts my favorite by far of all my bootlegs.

Largo '82 is far better.

[AJW]

As awesome as the whole experience was, the funniest, most rock'n'roll moment actually happened 3 years later, and the laugh was at Sheriff Tidwells expense.

After the Us Fest, Tidwell made no secret of the fact that he hated Van Halen, and was very adamant about never allowing Van Halen to set foot in San Bernardino County ever again! If you brought up the name Van Halen in front of him, he'd go off on an angry rant.
It's hard to watch Jackie Gleasons character in Smokey And The Bandit and not think of Floyd......he was that guy! Just barely smart enough to be corrupt, but overall, a bumbling jackass. A one-bullet-Barney who always had to pull his pants up every three steps, and if you asked him who Van Halen was, he'd say "that blonde loudmouth punk".

One Saturday morning in late-May of '86, we hear the local DJ announcing that "David Lee Roth is shooting a music video today at the Orange Pavillion, it's free, so if you're not doing anything today, you might want to swing by there and check it out". Me and my friends were in shock.
It's Roth, it's free, we're there!

On the way there, my friend says "I guess that idiot Floyd had a change of heart". I said "Not quite. That idiot Floyd doesn't know who Dave is".
Turns out that Floyd made the same mistake the club owners made when Van Halen was starting out, thinking Dave was 'Mr. Halen'.
The whole thing was total Rock'N'Roll. Not only was it pure genius to make your first move as a solo artist by shooting a video dead-smack in the middle of Sammy Hagars hometown (Fontana being 10 miles away), but in doing this, Roth also managed to give a rasberry and the finger to hapless Sheriff Tidwell, who unwittingly allowed the one person he hated to set up shop right there under his nose. When he finally found out a week later, he was livid. It was fucking beautiful!!

For months afterward, we all carried magic markers in our back pockets, and whenever we saw Floyds picture hanging up somewhere, we drew a VH logo right over his face.
THAT was an awesome moment in time.

ROTH'N'ROLL MUTHAFUCKAS!!!!

That is so fuckin' awesome!!!!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Largo '82 is far better.

Two completely different scenarios though....

Of course, the Largo show was pro filmed indoors in an arena, where they obviously had much less to drink....

While VH was at Camp Van Halen on a 3-day binge.....

You know what video exemplifies CVH the most IMHO ? Obviously I could say Oakland '81, but also the Detroit '84 video with the MTV winner.... You can really see how frenetic the crowd is/was back in the day....

[CROWBAR]

Largo '82 is far better.

Damn straight it is. You could also add Buenos Aires or the Sao Paulo show to the list as they kicked ass. Far, far better shows than the US Fest. I suppose that's good for nostalgia purposes though, and to be a "completest", have it in your collection.

[VAiN]

So this got me thinking (i hate it when that happens), VH went back and polished up the US Fest tracks that appeared on Showtime - what do you figure the odds are that they polished the entire show? Weren't they considering releasing it as a video, but the angles are so shitty that they put it away? I seem to recall Ed bitching about 'union camera guys'..