Going through old video clips of Van Halen, I discovered that TODAY is the 40th Anniversary of the start of the 1981 Fair Warning tour...Van Halen's BEST TOUR, performance-wise and setlist, ever, IMO.
I went to 5 shows on this tour:
June 20-21: LA Forum
August 30: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN
September 12: Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston TX
October 2: Frank Erwin Center, Austin TX
Each concert was one big non-stop party, which, when you're 19, is EXACTLY what you want at a rock concert!!! These shows remain among my most treasured concert memories...the Nashville show being my first big-time road-trip and first visit to the "Music City".
Of course, I had seen Van Halen before, having the good fortune to live in Southern California...my very first Van Halen show was at the Whisky-a-Go-Go the weekend right before tickets went on sale for Led Zeppelin's 1977 tour at the Forum. Being a hometown band, Van Halen shows in LA were always off-the-charts insane.
What I was not expecting was how BELOVED the band was in Texas...I swear, I think Van Halen audiences in Texas were just as geeked up as the LA ones. And Van Halen seemed to return the love, for if you look at their tour schedule, they played Texas almost as much as California throughout their history. And not just the big cities like Dallas and Houston, but the rinky dink towns, too, that most bands of their stature passed over.
Anyway, here's the full tour schedule: see if you can find the date you went to on this tour. I've included a setlist, too...a correct one, the one on wikipedia is wrong.
If there's anyone here old enough to have seen Van Halen on this tour, post the show you went to and your memories.
Van Halen 1981 Fair Warning Tour
First North American Leg
* May 12, 1981: Halifax, NS - Halifax Metro Centre
* May 15, 1981: Providence, RI - Providence Civic Center
* May 16, 1981: Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center
* May 17, 1981: Glens Falls, NY - Glens Falls Civic Center
* May 18, 1981: Rochester, NY - Rochester Community War Memorial
* May 20, 1981: Charleston, WV - Charleston Civic Center
* May 24, 1981: Kalamazoo, MI - Wings Stadium
* May 27, 1981: Cleveland, OH - Richfield Coliseum
* May 31, 1981: Spokane, WA - Spokane Coliseum
* June 2, 1981: Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
* June 6, 1981: Seattle, WA - Seattle Center Coliseum
* June 8, 1981: Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
* June 9, 1981: Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
* June 11, 1981: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
* June 12, 1981: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
* June 13, 1981: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
* June 16, 1981: Las Vegas, NV - Aladdin Theater
* June 18, 1981: Fresno, CA - Selland Arena
* June 19, 1981: Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
* June 20, 1981: Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
* June 21, 1981: Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
Second North American Leg
* July 2, 1981: Milwaukee, WI - MECCA Arena
* July 3, 1981: Detroit, MI - Cobo Hall
* July 4, 1981: Detroit, MI - Cobo Hall
* July 5, 1981: Detroit, MI - Cobo Hall
* July 7, 1981: St. Paul, MN - St. Paul Civic Center
* July 9, 1981: Indianapolis, IN - Market Square Arena
* July 10, 1981: Chicago, IL - International Amphitheater
* July 11, 1981: Chicago, IL - International Amphitheater
* July 12, 1981: Chicago, IL - International Amphitheater
* July 14, 1981: Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena
* July 16, 1981: New Haven, CT - New Haven Coliseum
* July 17, 1981: New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden
* July 18, 1981: Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
* July 20, 1981: Philadelphia, PA - The Spectrum
* July 21, 1981: Philadelphia, PA - The Spectrum
* July 22, 1981: Philadelphia, PA - The Spectrum
* July 24, 1981: Boston, MA - Boston Garden
* July 25, 1981: Boston, MA - Boston Garden
* July 26, 1981: Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center
* July 27, 1981: Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Civic Center
* July 28, 1981: Largo, MD - Capital Center
* July 29, 1981: Largo, MD - Capital Center
* July 30, 1981: Largo, MD - Capital Center
* July 31, 1981: Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
* August 2, 1981: Cleveland, OH - Richfield Coliseum
* August 4, 1981: Toronto, ON - Maple Leaf Gardens
* August 5, 1981: Montreal, QC - Montreal Forum
Third North American Leg
* August 18, 1981: Hollywood, FL - Hollywood Sportatorium
* August 19, 1981: Lakeland, FL - Lakeland Civic Center
* August 22, 1981: Atlanta, GA - The Omni
* August 23, 1981: Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Civic Coliseum
* August 24, 1981: Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Coliseum
* August 25, 1981: Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
* August 27, 1981: Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum
* August 29, 1981: Cincinnati, OH - Riverfront Coliseum
* August 30, 1981: Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
* August 31, 1981: Birmingham, AL - Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex
* September 1, 1981: Memphis, TN - Mid-South Coliseum
* September 3, 1981: Huntsville, AL - Von Braun Civic Center
* September 4, 1981: Jackson, MS - Mississippi Coliseum
* September 5, 1981: Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum
* September 6, 1981: Baton Rouge, LA - Riverside Centroplex
* September 8, 1981: Shreveport, LA - Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
* September 10, 1981: Dallas, TX - Reunion Arena
* September 12, 1981: Houston, TX - Sam Houston Coliseum
Fourth North American Leg
* September 28, 1981: Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
* September 29, 1981: San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
* October 2, 1981: Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
* October 3, 1981: Norman, OK - Lloyd Noble Center
* October 6, 1981: Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
* October 7, 1981: El Paso, TX - El Paso County Coliseum
* October 9, 1981: San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Convention Center
* October 15, 1981: Tulsa, OK - Mabee Center
* October 16, 1981: Wichita, KS - Kansas Coliseum
* October 17, 1981: Kansas City, MO - Kemper Arena
* October 18, 1981: St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Arena
* October 20, 1981: Omaha, NE - Omaha Civic Auditorium
* October 21, 1981: Cedar Rapids, IA - Five Seasons Center
* October 24, 1981: Orlando, FL - Citrus Bowl (Opening for The Rolling Stones)
* October 25, 1981: Orlando, FL - Citrus Bowl (Opening for The Rolling Stones)
Set list
1. On Fire
2. Sinner's Swing!
3. Drum Solo
4. Hear About It Later
5. So This Is Love
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Bass Solo
8. Runnin' With The Devil
9. Dance the Night Away
10. Sunday Afternoon In The Park
11. Romeo Delight
12. Everybody Wants Some!!
13. Ice Cream Man
14. Mean Street
15. Guitar Solo
16. Feel Your Love Tonight
17. You Really Got Me
Encore:
18. Unchained
19. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love