Van Halen - On Fire (live '79)

[thisdopenose]

Dave himself IS on fire here. His vocals in this recording sound brilliant. I love Dave, but it is frustrating watching later recordings of him compromising the vocals for the sake of showmanship. We can see here just what the man is capable of live. Brilliant!

[zwaqster]

guitar lessons right there

[jgrahamwireless]

The greatest rock ever! Wish we had this today.....The crunch of the guitar, the greatest guitarist of all time, and the voice/scream of Roth. I was too young to see them in their prime..........

[rocknrollphilip]

My fave song on the debut album!

[Pedroh2609]

worse impossible!! worse quality of the video!!

[paquemapo]

@Pedroh2609 who cares, the song is amazing, if you want HD, go to watch videos of lady gaga...

[paquemapo]

@Pedroh2609 who cares, the song is amazing, if you want HD, go to watch videos of lady gaga...

[paquemapo]

@Pedroh2609 who cares, the song is amazing, if you want HD, go to watch videos of lady gaga...

[benchmat]

EVH still the best after all those years........freakin' AWEZUM!!!!! \m/\m/

[pteeng1]

It's stuff like this, when a band is still hungry and performs like this, which makes heavy rock. Classic, influential band. Great stuff!

[guitarslave]

I used to think RR was a bad ass but after seeing all this EVH footage;

[bebopredux]

Saw VH in '79 and then again in '81. Met Dave. Met Eddie. Show in '79 was...well...like you see here. Dave was peaking with the banshee wails all night. Eddie and his solo was something I'll never forget. All of us that went, we couldn't believe what we were seeing and hearing. Goosebumps to this day . They were at the top of their game and flamed out after 5 good years. I was at the front of the stage and their sweat was going on me! Still remember shows like that. Never happen again. Ever.

[stripes5150]

can you repost this in HD please?

[zwaqster]

I'm drinking champagne when I ride that sonic wave...

[Hunkola]

2 things become crystal clear watching this:

--- David Lee Roth fucked a LOT of hot chicks on this tour

--- Eddie was the baddest mudda-fucka on guitar

That's all that needs to be said --- CASE CLOSED

[darksith36]

So long heaven here is now hell with Justin beaver and shit.

[jeembo420]

LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT !!

[tmpc45]

Shit that's just how it looked through my blood shot eyes live back in 79

[fridogg]

looke at Dave.. Top form here. What a rockstar. Eddie ripping it

[downincognito76]

WOLF GANG shd do everyone a favour !! n say thanks dad i got my chance , i had a great time it was amazing! but its time to let someone in the band who can actually plat n sing!! doesnt have to be mike ( wld be great if it was ) but a decent musician , caiuse its just embaressing to the Vh legacy

[downincognito76]

ONG the greatestest band live ever in their day! yes led zep, deep purple acdc where never asnywhere near as great as this Daves voice was amazing! 

[edwardsre]

If you want top quality videos, go to metalvideos net

[nissansentraglx]

wonder if this was the tour where roth starting discovering the art of sex! lol !!!!!!

[AtomicPunk1995]

I don't even care about the quality, it's still awesome!

[HawkRock1996]

Amazing!Thanks!

[metrakos]

Brilliant vid! It is amazing it exists...thanks for posting!!!

[ohshiite]

pretty weird for that time. listen??

[theShowStopper321]

They sound a full-step tuned down, not just half.

[zwaqster]

the best ever

[LedWilde]

The original VH. The REAL VH. Glad Roth is back with them. They sound best with him. But unfortunately VH can never reunite 100%. I miss Michael Anthony. Bring him back!

[DarthKazi]

@LedWilde He doesn't want to come back and Alex is sick of picking up the slack for his mediocre bass playing.

[LedWilde]

@DarthKazi So they got Wolfgang to replace him? Not knocking Wolfgang but that makes no sense to me.

[DarthKazi]

@LedWilde This reminds me of armchair football coaches second-guessing player decisions. You aren't at the jam sessions. You aren't in on the recording and rehearsing at 5150. All you've heard is some grainy, shitty recordings from concerts where, as usual, Ed's rig is so loud you can barely hear anything else. Maybe it's nepotism on Ed and Al's part, but I doubt Dave would say he's the baddest ass bassist he's heard in years for nothing.

[LedWilde]

@DarthKazi Les Claypool plays bass good though but does he belong in Van Halen? In my opinion, OPINION (musical taste is based on opinion, not fact) Michael Anthony belongs in the band and that I can careless about their new album coming out. We are debating opinions. Has nothing to do with "how good Michael Anthony" is. If that's the case, then Eddie Van Halen should have replaced John Lennon because he plays faster and has a lot of technical skills. IMO, Ed is a great guitar player but a dick

[DarthKazi]

@LedWilde It isn't really MY opinion is it? What does MY opinion matter? I'm saying that Ed, Al AND Dave all think Wolfie is the man for the band. The Mike situation isn't fully understood by the public. Do you know why? Because all of those guys would rather keep their personal lives private. Mike has been playing with Sammy since about 1999 or so and he's happy. He's made his money with VH and had his good times. Ed, Al and Dave still respect and care about Mike...visa versa.

[DarthKazi]

@LedWilde So, as far as I'm concerned, as the guys said, it's a new band. If you don't like it, don't buy it, don't listen to it. Put on your old -=VH=- records and rock out. But, if the new record kicks ass, then who really cares who the bass player is? The band is called VAN HALEN... not Michael Anthony or David Lee Roth or Van Hagar.

Get over it.

[vinorama58]

This is rock. No substitute for good old fashioned testosterone.

[shellyssa]

I'm 50, I saw this tour when it came through So Cal at Anaheim Stadium, the line up was,opener Sammy Hagar,Van Halen,Black Sabbath(the original band),Boston.I would have to say that when Van Halen came on,the stadium was shaking so much sitting in the stands,it felt like a serious earthquake.They flashed up on the scoreboard to sit down or they would have to stop the concert.It was scary, but I was pretty stoned and it seemed fun at the time.But Van Halen by far blew every other band away!

[coolhandluke621]

@shellyssa wow, nice lineup! I am 47 and I saw Van Halen open up for Black Sabbath in Houston Coliseum. It was Nov. 1978. I did the Van Halen, Sammy Hagar and Boston in 1979 at the Texas Jam in Dallas, Tx. It was an all day jam. Man those were the good ole days.

[snowman4440]

This is so intense!

[Gibson735150]

This has to be the 1000 time I've heard this but I still get goose bumps every time I hear that: I'm on FIRE!!! part

[bleedthefreak19]

I seen this tour at Louisville Gardens, KY, If i recall right that whole day was mda madness! Barely made it through the show with friends. Awesome Memories and an Awesome Show, thanks for the flashback!

[rexholio44]

Wow! What a truly excellent post! Thank you so much!!

[stybarrow]

I saw this tour, and it was life changing. the crowd starting booing the warm-up band (G-Force ?) immediately and yelling for Van Halen to start !

[TruthAxe]

DLR annoys. Too bad Ed, Alex and Mike didn't find a legit singer before the first recording.

DLR must have driven Ed crazy with his half-assed approach to performance.

That echo effect sucks.

[clesterrific]

First concert I ever saw was them in 1979 at Portland County Civic Center in Maine!

[rags847]

Beyond amazing that this even exists!

[paquemapo]

@rags847

Yeap... Long live Classic Van Halen...

[semiacido]

DAVE: Big Boom & FLYYYYY...!!!

[taperdj]

Pristine Versions of both Fresno Shows (78 & 79) now available from Original Source on DVD. Come and get em at...sonic wiz dj at g mail . com

[funds450]

FUCK YEAH!

[GeorgVanHalen]

why don't Van Halen put money on making these kinds of videos into top quality? They would earn alot of money by doing so !

[Theo80126]

The were in VHS. Video quality falls apart (starts to like de-magnitize after a while.) Just think of all the footage they have laying around in Ed's or Alex' basement.

[Trooperx0]

@GeorgVanHalen I think they wanna be private. Considering the fact that it's nearly impossible to find even van halen shirts in stores.

[stybarrow]

@Trooperx0 yep. and i'm not selling any of my old tour shirts or tour guides that i bot i the 70s either.

[ryan79ryan]

@GeorgVanHalen not any more people will just watch them all free online or on websites for free

[edwardsre]

@GeorgVanHalen go to metalvideos - they have old VH live concerts and more - I have a collection of over 50+ live bands

[snowscum]

Freaking AWESOME!!!!

[fenderfunk]

Oh YEAAAAH baybaaaaay!

[eugvh18]

this show really kickazz i mean dave's fuckin srcreamin and damn eddie whalin out' I want see more of this concert de 79 ViVa VaN HaleN !!!!!!!

[cisco9x]

Fuckin badass

[IrishAmericanPride]

we want a live album with Dave!!!

[paquemapo]

I really tray... but maybe...

[HanonGuurl527]

@IrishAmericanPride Well it's a bootleg, but there IS one! It's called Nightmere before Halloween, made in '77

[downincognito76]

man this is a gem!!!!!!!!!! wow VAN HALEN if they had any respect4 there fans wld release a whole bunch of concerts , even like a boxset like kiss or led zep , bad or not these have to be seen . largo , 1984 oakland , all that stuff , old interviews , and some new ones , wld be great!!!! u cld have the sammy one , the dave one , man but as u know van halen treat us like shit , . tour the US , man thats it .

[pigletized]

VanHalen at their best.

[KiriyuLOL]

Dave sings brilliantly here. Heck I wish I was born earlier, I'd kill to have been there.

[bradominus1]

Oh dude, you don't know how good it was!!! We took all these kick-ass bands for granted... F***!

[stratdem]

i saw the there first World Tour back in

1978 Philadelphia Pa. led zepplin couldnt touch these guys not even close.

[Adnoydal]

your knot into "zepplin"

[foppa123]

from Philly myself, but too young for concerts then.

[mrbrianmccarthy]

They were great back then.I saw this tour.Eddie was at his best.and Dave is actually trying to sing!

[dogtownskater777]

when u say "Dave is actually trying to sing" ru you saying he is good or bad?

[wing59]

yea you fool i saw them and they were at there best

[br289165]

Eddie was 23 or 24 in '79.

[n2motocross]

Edward was damn raw back in these days.... glad I got to see them back then as a teenager!!

the solo one this one is so fucking mean!!!

[Adnoydal]

contrast this to the endless identical noodling noises he made later - pops squeaks, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, pops, squeaks, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs. bends, pops squeaks,

[n2motocross]

Absolutely! Eddie was so raw back then when he was at his best in my opinion.

[twinfin321]

Rare footage of Ed playing the chopped Ibanez "Shark" Destroyer.

[54EDP]

That's actually the "Snake" guitar- even rarer!

[jklinecarguy]

I have an audio tape of this show I bought on the streets of NYC about 15 years ago. Still one of my fave.boots!

[SpikeMichaels]

The SHARK destroyer is pictured on the back of WACF...

I'm pretty sure this is the dragon/snake destroyer, rarely seen, but pictured on the cover of Guitar World, and also a photo shoot Eddie did during the WACF era, where he's wearing a pink jumpsuit, and he's holding a pickaxe!!!

[lookylooky2006]

@ 1:40 thats the ultimate guitar sound/lick

[lookylooky2006]

Part of the craziness is what makes people different and in this case great

EVH!!!!!!!

[rckid0814]

hey, all bands got problems- their luky they pulled through for 25yrs. o and i heard AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL ANTHONY AND HE UNDERSTOOD HOW EDDY COULD WANT HIS KID IN THE BAND

[Hunkola]

Not sure why all you dumb pricks still think Dave was the egomaniac in this band...........Eddie has fired everyone involved with Van Halen at least TWICE in the past 30 years..........he's the control freak asshole of the bunch !!

D.L. Roth just wanted to entertain the hell outta you when he was onstage.

[zwaqster]

I think I may have to agree with you.

[TruthSurge]

But it was Dave who got drunk on stage and forgot words to the songs. Prob is, both Dave and Ed had their faults. It's a shame because they WERE Van Halen and will always be.

[sayde73]

i agree with u hes insane, even mike anthony was fired because he was trying to be the spot on the band, on EVH words what a dumb ass

[Hunkola]

Mike Anthony had no reason to be fired.........except that Eddie is a total control freak prick who wants his son to be in the band........Wolfie is decent but Mike had that signature vocal harmony.........sad to say, but the real Van Halen died in 1985.........they are a nostalgia act these days.

[sayde73]

yes 100% agree. fucking eddie, he just fucked up that great band, fuck!!!!!

[SpikeMichaels]

Yeah, no shit...besides, he has mental problems....I heard he's like schizophrenic or some shit.....

I didn't even fuck with that last tour...what, they got some fat little kid playing bass?

I'd rather just watch em on YOUTUBE...the GREATEST BAND EVER!!!!!

[jahovah1414]

Even if Eddie was a control freak, he is still one of the greatest guitar players EVER.

[SpikeMichaels]

Not one of....THE!!!!!!!

[Adnoydal]

nah.

[4youk]

how old was eddie when he started playing guitar?

[ssivegas]

DJ is the man. He just played the super clean DVD that he speaks of, and it is this With MUCH better video. I don't think it has EVER been seen before. Very impressive.

[taperdj]

Thanks to all who have viewed our VH vids, 78&79. My roommate at the time, Glenn C. & Myself, DJ, used a wheelchair to sneak in my Sony TC 153SD Cassette Recorder & 2 AKG D-1000E mics, along with his film rig. I spliced all of the 3 min. segments together & projected it on a screen in my living room, while videotaping & syncing to my cassette. After seeing this horrible copy, I broke out my original VHS Master last night & made a Super Clean DVD. Those who know me will vouch. MYSTERY SOLVED!!!!

[gobare]

Too bad Dave can't hit those screams now! Awesome stuff!

[chefjameso]

why dont they get this footage and release it as a dvd, amazing shit

[AncientxAtlas]

All great comments :)

This is a great video of the boys.

I wish they'd give us a live album from the really old days. Call it, "When We Were Bad-Ass!"

[Goin4the1]

I love this Video.....this sound is what started Hairband music not Black Sabbath. Everyone wanted to be heavy like Black Sabbath but have that quick guitar sound of Eddie Van Halen. All the guys started dressing like Van Halen too not Sabbath. The front men of 80s Hairbands reflected David Not Ozzy. Ozzy even went out and found a quick guitarist like Eddie Van Halen to form The Blizzard of Ozz. The Late Great Randy Rhodes.

[SpikeMichaels]

Heh heh, no doubt...every fucking 80-s singer, from Vince Neil, to uh, Bret Michaels...to, uh...what? Axl? Then Sebastian..then that's about it...unles you count Don Dokken...or the dude from what's it? Uh great white? Or Coverdale, for the role of all scumbag fucking faggots

[truthseekno9]

At this time, Roth had it going on big time. His voice was kickin' and the rest of the band were awesome as usual. This is before Roth started acting like the band was a circus and he was the ringmaster...

[SirHomeFries]

Actually I think the whole band was just more down-to-earth back then. It seems like by the time 1984 came out, Ed, Alex and Dave all had explosive fucking egos.

I think Mike is the only guy who managed to stay normal through it all, LOL.

Still one of the best rock bands ever though, if you ask me.

[ACEDIMEMUSTAINE]

Lay your bodies down, I'm in your beds, your beds. ha I can tell Dave wrote these lyrics! classic song! Too bad they don't play very often anymore. I saw them in 07 and they played a lot of great songs, except this. Oh well can't please everyone. or can you? IM ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!

[ACEDIMEMUSTAINE]

Anyone notice how Dave and Eddie are the only one's in the spotlight. I'm a guitar player for Hollywood Harlot so I know the bis. But The whole band should just be one big fucking SPOTLIGHT, cause it is a BAND THAT CHANGED MUSIC. British bands created Heavy metal, and VAN HALEN CREATED HARD ROCK sex drugs and rock n roll. FUCK AREOSMITH AND KISS, VAN HALEN IS WHERE IT's AT. KISS ROCKS JUST NOT LIKE VAN HALEN.

[zwaqster]

I'm drinking champagne when I ride that sonic wave!

[dajzilla]

i'm hangin' 10 now baby as I ride our sonic...waaaaaaaave.

THAT is what he is saying.

[chefjameso]

man there where ON FIRE;-) !!!!

[Hunkola]

Pure rock gods.......no other way to say it.

[CHURINFUNFLAIS]

Van Halen the band that broke the trend in the U.S.A late 70's opening a wide door for the new Heavy Metal revolution that will follow after their success, Making Los Angeles the HARD Rock/Heavy metal capital of the world!

[NormsChem]

Man... this tune really grabs you by the balls! What a great track!

Does anyone know where I can find more live versions?? All I've found is an audio recording from 1976, and a partial video from '81.

[mmlewis69]

theirs only one vn and that is with dave.

[salgamripper]

Lots of dope smoking going on there :)

[camcon05]

roth is awesome--can you imagina sammy singing lead here LOL

[curtisclark13]

You know what, people always say stuff like "Oh so and so can't hit those notes anymore" So what!!!! He hit 'em back then and it still doesn't change the fact that in their time, these big rock bands were amazing. Youth doesn't last forever, neither does fame. I know i can't do the same things i did as a kid, can you?

[schuey999]

The Pick of Destiny

[Guitarchordhelper]

hahaha agreed

[leehr777]

Roth will never ever hit thse notes again..

[smh32]

Dudes, =VH= was so on top of their game back then. Unbelievable!!! Their sound was so fucking tight and roth's voice was ultimate metal!! I wish time could be reversed and we could all stay in the moment forever!!!!!!

[atomicplayboy4u]

A++++ Sure beats the yo yo yo no talent crap !

[zulubeat]

Dude, Van Halen is a precourser to rap. We used one of their songs off of "Fair Warning" as a break beat. Study.

[doubleknuckled]

Not just them, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Judas Priest. The loud beats and lyrical subject matter are very similar.

[zulubeat]

True Indeed! As a grade school student, I was rapping off of "Walk This Way" in 1980, 4 years before Run DMC did the remake with Aerosmith. That was one of the FIRST hip hop break beats.

[ColtraneTaylor]

Could you say more about that. Never knew of this.

[doubleknuckled]

This had to be the hardest rock of the 70s. On Fire.

[zulubeat]

This came out in late '79. It's really 80s music and they had a brand new sound totally different from 70s rock. They actually brought rock back after Disco was king. Jeez.

[doubleknuckled]

They were way before their time, no doubt about that. But this song was made in the mid 70s.

[zulubeat]

"On Fire" was the last song on side 2 of Van Halen 1 which was released in 1979. I'm looking at the vinyl copy in my hands as I write this. Look it up.

[zulubeat]

My bad, it says 1978 on the album.

[gobblygooo]

it was released march 1978...i think the 10th

and was not played on the radio untill june of that year,then it was all over the place. by the end of 78 every car and party was playing it!!!

[iownallnoobs]

it was written before 1978

[onurbilad]

hes the PAPA of all metal shredders... just accept it... its true..

[TsGreek2me]

Oh gosh, the memories!! I remember going to back yard parties in 76 and 77 and then watching them at the Pasadena Civic Center in 77 and 78! Brings me back home again!  Eddie was such a regular guy -kinda shy out in public. He used to come into the Market Basket where I worked with his Dad and buy beer. Amazing video...thanks for taking me down memory lane!

[smbragg03]

my dad toured with vanhalen in 79-80.he did the merchdizing.him,keven white and ralph white.keven,and ralph was the logo desiner.also was with jerry jeff walker,did the merchdize.i have autographe's to me from all V/H,and cricket the truck driver.many more autograph.

[preludioenigmatico]

these guys unleashed their own unique brand of pandemonium back then.

[hopper433]

How did you get a video cam in there?

BTW, that is rockin.

[CodyRocksDrums]

I Love this video !!!!! This is the whole thing that changed music. I first heard this when it came out and like this shitty video it blew me away. Rock On!!!!!

[sandblastskin]

Eddie was fucking on top of his game in this vid!

[mKreifeldt]

Great memories...this was my first concert at the tender age of 14. The ultimate VH1 riff machine. They just just came at you like an unstoppable freight train. Awesome! thanks to poster of this vid!!!

[Eterna7]

Oh fuck yeah! Hellest song on youtube! ^^

[mark89coupe]

Holy shit!

[demmikedem]

Wow. This is fierce.

[BlackSabbath1969]

THIS is Rock'n'Roll!!!

[kenwen43]

no,fu

[GuitarGod2112]

for more van halen and other bands like zeppelin, beatles, stones, rush and funny vids go to my channel GuitarGod2112

[noslashnognr]

Just 11 long, long, long days more for me to wait, then I'm there, in Charlotte, seeing the REAL Van Halen for the first time in 23 years... actually, for me, for the first time ever.

[givewingstomytriumph]

i think this one of van halens most underrated songs its short but the song and vocals as a whole kicks your ass!

[rags847]

Yo Friends!

Get an upgraded copy of this and other rare footage on jamtothis site!!!

[hjheavenly]

What a voice... Like the devil is chasing him...

[RobCrue]

wanna know what the difference is between this and van hagar? this is exciting, this is rock n roll. van hagar is like the fat gay step brother of the talented van halen. DLR rules.

[careypeak23]

dave used to say they were for real, not like a band who has the wife,kids,dog,and station wagon with wood on the sides waiting for them backstage. This was meant to be played young. No matter how kick ass they are right now, it was that youthful spirit on 10 that fueled them. Go wolfgang. Hagar brought his solo carrer to VH and alex and ed played along. Now the mighty VH is back. Sell your tequila, and dave will take your whiskey home!

[chrisstatas]

Could'nt have but better dude, well said!!

[DMacJD]

I wonder if it's possible to get a good copy of this concert somehow?

[satchbooggy]

What i wouldnt give to hop in a time machine.....

[gymman1031]

Bad news! It was announced on 02/20/07 that the supposed 2007 tour with Roth has been postponed indefinitely!

[bradominus]

This is one my favorite VH tunes... I saw them on their second tour at the Capital Center in Maryland. Saw the Cars there too around the same time... OMG - what a difference between them! ;)

[moviepreviews4U]

I saw these guys this same year in Baton Rouge, LA.. great freaking show..I remember Dave Getting so fucked up he could play Popsickle Man with his fudgesickle shaped guitar.. everyone was throwing drugs up on the stage for him and he was doing them..

[gmankool]

Thanks for the video. This is by far the most effort I've ever seen DLR put into singing. Amazing how good he was live at one time and how much he stopped caring later on. The vintage stuff was by far the best.

[Bromoe99]

EDWARD!

[muzik027]

Now I know how my father and grandfather felt whenever they told me... "ah, the good old days..."

[iamprov]

Unbelievable. It's weird to sit and watch this at age 29 and realize that they're younger than I am now and they're just completely destroying the earth right here. I wonder who they're opening up for?

[frankenstrater]

umm.. they didnt open for anyone after VHI .. i dont believe. this was their 1st show during world tour for VHII ('79) album

[firefly87]

oh, thats's nice!

[mikme]

Thank You. Now we are Rockin. Rock On! On Fire!

[al567]

That was killer Vintage Halen!Thanx for sharin' it!

[paquemapo]

TK. you for see this vid... The real Monsters of the rock!!!

I upload more, I promise it.

[Davey1992]

that's awsome how there voices go so high when they say im on fiiirrrre

[paquemapo]

I think... It's a DLR style.

TK for see this vid.