The Rover Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) http://www.vhnd.com/2011/04/28/the-30th-anniversary-of-the-van-halen-masterpiece-fair-warning/ Ahhhhh, the Memories..... Fair Warning is my favorite VH album, but I like all of the CVH albums. FW is just special for other reasons, the time it was released, the friends I had, that shared the joy of that Hard ROCK LP, as a young adult of 25. My Vote for the BEST VH Back-to-Back songs, in their entire Catalog is: “SINNER’S SWING” & “HEAR ABOUT IT LATER” ! ! ! And, for all the LIVE concerts, I guess the TOP VH concert memory, for me, was from the Fair Warning Tour .... when Dave, Eddie, & Michael began hopping toward the front of the stage as the opening notes to "Hear About It Later" were being played ! Edited May 2, 2011 by The Rover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Gimme a break Dave.........................One break. . . Comin' Up.................................................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStairwayRemainsTheSame Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hmmm 1984 for me although I'm a huge VH fan this does come second for me because of Unchained my favorite VH song.. Although I used to spend hours staring at that album thinking WTF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pagemeister Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) This is probably my favorite Van Halen album. To me, its very underrated but I love just how dark and sinister it is. Edited May 2, 2011 by JimmyPageZoSo56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) At first, when I saw the thread topic title, I laughed and thought to myself, "what a random arbitrary anniversary to note". But, you know, Fair Warning was a KICK-ASS album, and very underrated. It didn't have the radio hits and sell as much as "Women and Children First" and "Diver Down", the albums that preceded and followed Fair Warning. But apart from the first VH album, Fair Warning is the one I listen to most. Mean Street, Unchained, Hear About it Later, Sinner's Swing, the positively effervescent So This Is Love?...so many good tunes, and unlike a few of their albums, no crappy covers for a change; all original material. I defy anyone not to jump around when Unchained starts playing. I saw all the DLR-era tours and the FAIR WARNING TOUR is where the Van Halen live show was at its GODHEAD peak. With Led Zeppelin gone, there wasn't a hard rock band around that could touch them. Aerosmith? PLEASE, in 81 they were a disaster...same with the Rolling Stones, who were galavanting around the country on their enormo-football stadium tour, getting upstaged by the opening bands at just about every stop (ZZ Top in Texas, Prince and J. Geils Band in LA). Deep Purple...Black Sabbath...Rainbow...Ted Nugent...Foreigner...Loverboy...Jethro Tull...Boston...they all sucked. They were either old and running on fumes or were never any good in the first place. No, in 1981, Van Halen ruled the roost. They were THE band to see if you wanted to party and get your rocks off. For one thing, like Led Zeppelin, early VH attracted the ladies, so there were always loads of hot girls at VH concerts. Unlike Judas Priest, UFO, Scorpions, Motorhead, Saxon and Iron Maiden shows, which were sausage-fests filled with hairy grim-faced beasts wearing sleeveless Levi denim jackets covered in band patches. Awww...those were the days. Edited May 2, 2011 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 ^^ Great band live, and great memories of a few concerts. All of you have me listening to VH right now!! I love Fair Warning..but felt like playing this, this song will be coming up soon Van Halen - Van Halen - Ice Cream Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I started to lose interest in them around the time of Fair Warning but that's probably only because Women & Children First was so fucking good. Quite honestly I've never understood the love for 1984 as that's where they really started to lose it and I'm not just talking about the incorporation of keyboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pagemeister Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 The only beef I have with this album is the track Push Comes To Shove: Probably the weakest of the DLR Van Halen tunes. Disco is not their thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Fair Warning has always been my fav. VH album. Love the live clip from "So This Is Love?" that MTV used to play. Thanks, Jahfin, for posting that "Mean Street" video. Found it interesting that you can hear the ending for "Hot For Teacher" at the end of the song. I also remember Michael Anthony saying that was the first song he sang backup for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Gimme a break Dave.........................One break. . . Comin' Up.................................................. You should add that to the great solo intros thread This album totally reminds me of high school. It was playing everywhere, all the time. On the local FM station and in everyone's cars (that would be Camaros), at all the parties, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJC455 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 This is another underatted classic not played often like the rover ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) You should add that to the great solo intros thread Except that it's not an intro to the solo, it actually comes AFTER the solo. But it's still a classic Dave-and-Ted moment. Great clip of Mean Street, Jahfin...but by 1983, the bloom was a little off the rose. Dave's hair was looking terrible and his concert raps were getting stale, and you could get the sense that the band's comraderie was not at its best. The whole DLR-era VH from 1977-1984 was great, but the 1980-81 tours were VH's PEAK concert-wise: Dave was still fresh and energetic, Eddie's tone was amazing, and Alex's drumkit hadn't yet gone beyond the ridiculous stage into parody. So, here you go Rover, and all of you other Fair Warning fans...here's some PRIME 1981 LIVE Van Halen, starting with the Rover's 2 favourite tracks back-to-back: "Sinner's Swing" and"Hear About It Later": Sinner's Swing is a mix of 1981 Chicago video and audio from 1981 LA Forum. Edited May 4, 2011 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 What, you thought I could stop at just 2 clips? Hell no...gotta have some more 1981 VH clips...time to get UNCHAINED!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SafuhroDXyE&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) These next clips aren't the best quality...but they're from a September 1, 1981 show at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, TN...so I'm picturing some of the fine Southern Belles on this message board at the show. Sunday Afternoon in the Park & Romeo Delight - Memphis, TN 9-1-81 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouY2r-QkkXQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovIPIEu1dxw&feature=related Edited May 4, 2011 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 And this one is for Deborah J, who LOVES her Ice Cream Man: Ice Cream Man Live in Memphis, 9-1-81 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9HKPHjOQB0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Thank you Strider^^ I was at this one in 1979!!! Front row and the mosh pit those days were a lot wilder than today http://www.classic-rock-concerts.com/performances/7877 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bitnogoodjive Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I saw them play on their last date of the Fair Warning tour, October 25, 1981, Tangerine Bowl, Orlando. Opening for the Stones.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Now THIS is how you open a rock concert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) 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 Edited May 12, 2011 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackDog71 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) 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 I love that set list! I think this was truly the prime for VH. I bet it showed in the concerts. Wish I could have been there for the Chicago shows. I was too busy not being alive. Oh well! Edited May 17, 2011 by BlackDog71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 As a side note, the back cover of "Diver Down" is from one of those concerts opening for the Rolling Stones in Orlando @ the Citrus Bowl. Thanks for sharing the information from the tour - very cool indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thismusicsux Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) 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". WHOA!! very jealous you got to see VH 5 times on Fair Warning Tour!!!! I can't even imagine. Def my favorite album and tour from The Mighty Van Halen. Unfortunately I was on the younger side and didn't really start getting into VH until 82 and my first concert was VH 1984. Hey at least I got to see em on their farewell tour ;-) I must have 20+ audio boots from '81 tour. but awesome that you got to see them so much from 77-84. man!!!! Edited February 28, 2013 by thismusicsux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidZoso Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Fair Warning is one of my fav DLR era albums along with VH 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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