A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

I'm really not sure this warrants a topic all of its own since things like this tend to pop up from time to time, but this 1982 concert just got uploaded to YouTube today and I know at least a few of you here will be interested in it.

Van Halen - Largo, Maryland October 12, 1982 PROSHOT



Set list:

1. Romeo Delight
2. Unchained
3. Drum Solo
4. Full Bug
5. Runnin’ With The Devil
6. Dave Raps
7. Jamie’s Cryin’
8. Little Guitars
9. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
10. Bass Solo
11. Hang ‘Em High
12. Cathedral
13. Secrets
14. Everybody Wants Some
15. Dance The Night Away
16. Somebody Get Me A Doctor / I’m So Glad
17. Ice Cream Man
18. Intruder/Pretty Woman
19. Eddie’s Solo
20. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
21. Bottoms Up
22. You Really Got Me / Happy Trails

You know there’s something special about a band when you recognize and enjoy every single song of the setlist.

That was very cool, thanks tsuki

Just listened to the audio book version of Runnin' with the Devil by Noel Monk. Enjoyed it.

I'm thinking back to October 12th, 1982, imagining what I may have been doing on that Tuesday night while that concert was taking place. The preceding Saturday, October 9th, Van Halen had played the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, which was just thirty minutes from the little town I lived in. I did not go as my parents were not yet allowing me to go to rock concerts. But I distinctly recall kids wearing the "Hide Your Sheep Tour" concert t-shirt in school on Monday.
The boomers talk about remembering the moment they saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and the impact of Beatlemania. Van Halen was all of that for me. There was a mania for the band in my Middle School in 1982. You could see posters and photos of the band plastered on the inside of locker doors when you walked down the halls. Kids wore VH hats, shirts, and buttons, wrote the logo on the cover of their Trapper Keepers and spiral notebooks. Van Halen cassettes blared through boom boxes and Walkman headphones.

For some reason Van Halen skipped Syracuse on their next two tours, The 1984 Tour, and The 5150 Tour. They didn't play the Carrier dome again until October 15th, 1988, on The OU812 Tour. I was there and stood the entire time thinking how much I would give to have Dave there, or better yet, to have been there that Saturday night in October 1982.

The two videos below are from that exact same time frame as the Maryland 82 video in the OP, though from the perspective of the venue and promotor. They also give a sense of the colossal hype and hysteria surrounding the band. The media market revolving around Syracuse had a profound impact in shaping my tastes and inclinations in music during my formative adolescent years. On my stereo-record player up in my bedroom I'd listen to the AOR rock statio 94 Rock , which broadcast out of Syracuse (Manlius). 94 rock existed from January 1980 through January 1983, when it switched to a lite rock format called Y 94 (literally the same as what happened to radio station KPPX in the movie Airheads). The 94 Rocks years corresponds to the time during which I was in the 5th through the 7th grades. There was a well loved DJ named “Big Mike.”I would have first heard Aerosmith, Sammy Hagar, Dio era Sabbath, Judas Priest, KISS with Vinnie Vincent, and yes, Van Halen, on 94 Rock. Southern Rock was at its peak during this time, with Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, The Outlaws, and Marshall Tucker. They also played the "newer" bands like Asia, Loverboy, and Aldo Nova. The logo for 94 Rock was reminiscent of the Woodstock logo. There was something very special about that station and it had a lasting impact on me.

I would love it if VH would open up the vault for the pro shot shows like this one and the Oakland show. Remaster everything, get the sound tip-top, and sell them.on DVD and Blu-Ray at fine retailers near me. That would be sweet.

Even better if they have some early shows before the Bolivian marching powder became too big of an issue.

UPDATE: speaking of the sound, a couple of things:

- Man, that loud buzz throughout gets annoying.
- Anyone else notice how Ed's tone warms and thickens up through the course of the show?

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:26 pm UPDATE: speaking of the sound, a couple of things:

- Man, that loud buzz throughout gets annoying.
- Anyone else notice how Ed's tone warms and thickens up through the course of the show?

What's striking to me is how much Strat-i-ness there is in his tone. The bright snappy timbre of a bolt on neck Strat, the metallic plink of the trem, even the contribution of the tremolo springs seems apparent.

What would you attribute the progressive warming and thickening to? Amps? Temp of the guitar and parts? Something else in the circuit?

toomanycats wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:39 pm

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:26 pm UPDATE: speaking of the sound, a couple of things:

- Man, that loud buzz throughout gets annoying.
- Anyone else notice how Ed's tone warms and thickens up through the course of the show?

What's striking to me is how much Strat-i-ness there is in his tone. The bright snappy timbre of a bolt on neck Strat, the metallic plink of the trem, even the contribution of the tremolo springs seem apparent.

What would you attribute the progressive warming and thickening to? Amps? Temp of the guitar and parts? Something else in the circuit?

I am not a HUGE EVH person or Van Halen band fan, don't dislike either, but they have some stuff that I like. I do have enormous respect for him and his playing and I watched some of the video on the youtube until my attention span drew me to "The Jimmy Kimmel incident" video; oh skittles.

Anyway, some of my admiration comes from, bare with me, he understands and uses the whole guitar. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.
On the 82 video I would attribute it to the amp and other equipment warming up, sure, but probably the player warming up. How much stretching and warm-up did he perform before taking stage? No really I don't know?
Keep the change.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:39 pm

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:26 pm UPDATE: speaking of the sound, a couple of things:

- Man, that loud buzz throughout gets annoying.
- Anyone else notice how Ed's tone warms and thickens up through the course of the show?

What's striking to me is how much Strat-i-ness there is in his tone. The bright snappy timbre of a bolt on neck Strat, the metallic plink of the trem, even the contribution of the tremolo springs seems apparent.

What would you attribute the progressive warming and thickening to? Amps? Temp of the guitar and parts? Something else in the circuit?

My guess is a combination of the amp warming and the strings deadening. The Super Lead was starting to lose its punch by that point, so if he was still using it live, it could have just needed time to settle in to what it was doing.

On "Live at the Tokyo Dome" I noticed something similar. The fisrt songs are incredibly bright and way too mid heavy. Later on, things are less over the top.

I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

So I go into this pawn shop I haven't been at in a while. There's a new employee there, a guy I hadn't seen before. He's probably in his mid 60s and is in charge of the musical instrument department. We start talking shop about guitars, and very soon mutually realize that each of us is a bona fide guitar geek. So there's a little bonding going on, sharing of stories and so on.

As this guy starts opening up to me he begins telling tales about working security for bands in the late 70s, amongst them Toto, The Police, and Van Halen. I press him for anecdotes specifically about Van Halen and he immediately says that, "Dave is an asshole." Mike was super cool and Eddie was "tweaking." The first thing Ed said when he walked up to him was, "Do you have any joints?"

This guy was in charge of controlling access to this one backstage door. Dave comes up to him and says, "There's going to be three girls that come to your door one at I time, and I want you to walk each of them to my room." He did exactly that. He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:56 pm I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

So I go into this pawn shop I haven't been at in a while. There's a new employee there, a guy I hadn't seen before. He's probably in his mid 60s and is in charge of the musical instrument department. We start talking shop about guitars, and very soon mutually realize that each of us is a bona fide guitar geek. So there's a little bonding going on, sharing of stories and so on.

As this guy starts opening up to me he begins telling tales about working security for bands in the late 70s, amongst them Toto, The Police, and Van Halen. I press him for anecdotes specifically about Van Halen and he immediately says that, "Dave is an asshole." Mike was super cool and Eddie was "tweaking." The first thing Ed said when he walked up to him was, "Do you have any joints?"

This guy was in charge of controlling access to this one backstage door. Dave comes up to him and says, "There's going to be three girls that come to your door one at I time, and I want you to walk each of them to my room." He did exactly that. He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

TMC: What about Alex?
Pawn Shop Guy: No comment.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:56 pm I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

So I go into this pawn shop I haven't been at in a while. There's a new employee there, a guy I hadn't seen before. He's probably in his mid 60s and is in charge of the musical instrument department. We start talking shop about guitars, and very soon mutually realize that each of us is a bona fide guitar geek. So there's a little bonding going on, sharing of stories and so on.

As this guy starts opening up to me he begins telling tales about working security for bands in the late 70s, amongst them Toto, The Police, and Van Halen. I press him for anecdotes specifically about Van Halen and he immediately says that, "Dave is an asshole." Mike was super cool and Eddie was "tweaking." The first thing Ed said when he walked up to him was, "Do you have any joints?"

This guy was in charge of controlling access to this one backstage door. Dave comes up to him and says, "There's going to be three girls that come to your door one at I time, and I want you to walk each of them to my room." He did exactly that. He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

There are no surprises in this story, but it's a good one none the less

PsychoCid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 5:53 pm

toomanycats wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:56 pm I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

So I go into this pawn shop I haven't been at in a while. There's a new employee there, a guy I hadn't seen before. He's probably in his mid 60s and is in charge of the musical instrument department. We start talking shop about guitars, and very soon mutually realize that each of us is a bona fide guitar geek. So there's a little bonding going on, sharing of stories and so on.

As this guy starts opening up to me he begins telling tales about working security for bands in the late 70s, amongst them Toto, The Police, and Van Halen. I press him for anecdotes specifically about Van Halen and he immediately says that, "Dave is an asshole." Mike was super cool and Eddie was "tweaking." The first thing Ed said when he walked up to him was, "Do you have any joints?"

This guy was in charge of controlling access to this one backstage door. Dave comes up to him and says, "There's going to be three girls that come to your door one at I time, and I want you to walk each of them to my room." He did exactly that. He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

There are no surprises in this story, but it's a good one none the less

I'd be more surprised if Dave DIDN'T have three girls sent to his room.

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 7:06 pm

PsychoCid wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 5:53 pm

toomanycats wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:56 pm I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

So I go into this pawn shop I haven't been at in a while. There's a new employee there, a guy I hadn't seen before. He's probably in his mid 60s and is in charge of the musical instrument department. We start talking shop about guitars, and very soon mutually realize that each of us is a bona fide guitar geek. So there's a little bonding going on, sharing of stories and so on.

As this guy starts opening up to me he begins telling tales about working security for bands in the late 70s, amongst them Toto, The Police, and Van Halen. I press him for anecdotes specifically about Van Halen and he immediately says that, "Dave is an asshole." Mike was super cool and Eddie was "tweaking." The first thing Ed said when he walked up to him was, "Do you have any joints?"

This guy was in charge of controlling access to this one backstage door. Dave comes up to him and says, "There's going to be three girls that come to your door one at I time, and I want you to walk each of them to my room." He did exactly that. He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

There are no surprises in this story, but it's a good one none the less

I'd be more surprised if Dave DIDN'T have three girls sent to his room.

"After the show, send up all those brown M&Ms. Oh, and have some warm milk ready by my fireplace."

- Things not said by DLR, 1982

toomanycats wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:56 pm I've just got to share this Van Halen story I heard today.

He said they were all smoking hot and looked like hookers.

Hmmm... You don't usually hear "hookers" and "smoking hot" used in the same sentence too often.

I have a second-hand Van Halen story... I had a friend whose father was involved with the MTV music awards in some capacity, and he told me he met David Lee Roth in the men's room at the event. Dave was preening in the mirror, and as a joke, my friend's dad walked up to him and said: "Do you wanna borrow my comb?", and Dave FREAKED OUT in a fit of anxious vanity and insecurity... "Why?? Is my hair fucked up?? Does it look bad?! Where's my hair-dresser?!!"".

All Dave stories are good.

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 4:40 pm All Dave stories are good.

I do miss Pasadena.

Any time I mentioned Dave, my old boss would say "I don't like that guy, never did." (Folks in my area grew up with their backyard parties)

And I'd say why? ..."He was an ass."

PsychoCid wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:48 pm

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 4:40 pm All Dave stories are good.

I do miss Pasadena.

Any time I mentioned Dave, my old boss would say "I don't like that guy, never did." (Folks in my area grew up with their backyard parties)

And I'd say why? ..."He was an ass."

This does fit with 99 percent of the stories I have heard about the guy. And read about the guy (highly recommend Noel Monk's book by the way).
I get the feeling that Dave is actually really insecure, despite his ego and bravado.

Anything to keep a Van Halen thread going.


PARTY BAND circa 1942

PARTY BAND circa 1982

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:39 am

PsychoCid wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:48 pm

Rollin Hand wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 4:40 pm All Dave stories are good.

I do miss Pasadena.

Any time I mentioned Dave, my old boss would say "I don't like that guy, never did." (Folks in my area grew up with their backyard parties)

And I'd say why? ..."He was an ass."

This does fit with 99 percent of the stories I have heard about the guy. And read about the guy (highly recommend Noel Monk's book by the way).
I get the feeling that Dave is actually really insecure, despite his ego and bravado.

I wouldn't doubt it, though the same is likely true for many big personalities to varying degrees.

That is to say, everyone has their challenges and their strengths