Van Halen On Fire Live 1981

[MOPARGEORGE]

Actually, this might be my personal recording. I bootlegged this show. Gotta look for it and see if my quality is better.

[MOPARGEORGE]

They were "On Fire" at this show!! I was there, nothing better the whole year! Hands down.

[skullkap1]

Nice! I was at the show in Nashville late August. Definitely one of my favorite concerts! Thanks for putting this up!

[DELHOOLY]

Saw this and the following 4 tours... could have seen them in 1980 but it was aschool night and i was only 13... still bitter >:/

[mikenobeardthepirate]

I WAS THERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stigbool]

my birthday. I was 19. Amazing.

[Vaekkrinhart]

I saw em on this tour, too. 1981 Fair Warning tour.

2ND best show I've ever seen. Amazing...

Best show ever: KI55 Reunion tour with Ace on board and full makeup. '96. Hands down the most electrifying, exciting show ever. The energy in that place was unmatched.. and Ace was ON FIRE.

But this VH show is right up there. 1a and 1b.

Trans Siberian Orchestra, 3rd... NOT kidding.

[MrVHJRNY]

I seen the 1st night of this tour here in Halifax Nova Scotia !!!

[slashwide]

I wish I was born earlier!!!

[RasputinsVision]

I wish I could flash back into the future right now !!!!!!

[chupacabra122]

Only 9.75 !

[loutcb]

VH was a totally unpredictable, dangerous band . Led by Dave, they did what they wanted!!!

[5140CALLIE]

I was there also I do not how I got there and why I was eating Lobster @ 12 am

[johnnyrokker69]

This was an awesome show! My high school graduation present from my parents!

[catkins05]

I was there! ROCK AND ROLL!!!

[bubbatron4]

Awsome!!! 8 days before my 14th. b-day!!! KMET,wow what blast from the past!!!! The Wave SUCKS!!!! Long Live KMET!!!!!

[bubbatron4]

Awsome!!! days before my 14th. b-day!!! KMET,wow what blast from the past!!!! The Wave SUCKS!!!! Long Live KMET!!!!!

[TheBaconheart]

I was at this show. Back then I used to work for Ralphs Grocery store and my friends and I brought a whole bunch of Ralphs beach balls to the concert, and they were a flying around all over the place, and when Eddie came out for the first number there was one on the stage and he kicked it off into the crowd.

[Streetkid65]

Boston Ma..Boston Garden.FRONT ROW>>.BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!

[TripperLV]

I saw them play in Las Vegas on this tour! It was a unreal! Thanks for posting!

[powerkor]

the crowd response is crazy!

[77dragonslayer]

man that brings back some memories.I seen em in Houston at the Summit 2 nights

back to back.It was bad ass!!!

[ACEDIAMOND666]

i was there.

[thndrlzrd]

saw them in Memphis in '81 it was my first concert. kicked ass.

[glowasted999]

throw your headphones on...Im in your heads...

[howpow45]

i saw this show when they did 3 nights at cobo arena the 1st night and the 3rd night i was 13 this song was loud and kick ass in concert to me this era was the only van halen that reached out and rocked the hagar era was jock rock. roth and eddie were the best .alex and mikey

[sammyr63]

47 to 106 look how high roth is amazing. Equally amazing 9.75 a ticket wtf.

[Skippyloo1]

this is awesome, my first time seeing them was on this tour in Atlanta. The funny thing is that you were sitting (or standing like me) in generally the same area that I was! I still remember the hair standing up on my arms when the lights went down and they tore into this song. Thanks for sharing!

[thunders5291]

I was at the July 28th show in Largo,Md.UNREAL

[canadaguy2112ca]

$10.....wow

[rks639]

fuckin lee roth must have been 15 feet in the air,seen them in syracuse carrier dome in 83 ,40.000 people inside show, roth, said it was the biggest inside show theyed played to @ that time. badass show

[DHRC18]

Look at the price of that ticket!!!!.......I remember paying that price.....now it's $100.00 for a decent seat!!

[yomomsboyfriend]

$9.75 for 12th row, man!

[piecrust8]

2:15

OMFG.

[nissansentraglx]

This must have been an awesome fuckin show!!

[ChristianU2ubeh]

NO RECORDINGS

Someone didn't listen.

[gtrrobster]

@ChristianU2ubeh

Good for them...and us :)

[rpgfire]

i was there.. it was my birthday and my sister got me tickets for that show. fookn rocked

[mountaineerndixie]

I saw them 1 month earlier.....May 20th in Charleston, WV. Incredible show.

[jeantue]

I was there. I was 12.  My first show. KICKASS

[jeantue]

This was the first show I ever went to, for my 12th birthday. Thank you for posting!

[ipsofacto297]

Roth was probably the only singer that could get away with such pathetic live vocal performances as this. (lmao) On album he was briliant...live (however) he sucked. Attitude, antics, and stage presence made up for it.

[Vaekkrinhart]

@ipsofacto297 lol. yep.. I saw em on this tour and they opened with this song.. It was half-way through the song before I figured out what they were playing!.. To be fair, though, the acoustics in the place sucked so bad, and they were so F#@king loud! It was great, though.. one of the best, for sure.

[sheephider82]

@ipsofacto297

Not sure why Dave didn't sing like he's capable off doing. Van Halen played nearly every night back in those days. I often thought he was one of those singers that used his voice up pretty easily. But, like you say, just his stage presence created a crowd frenzy like no other. And, on record, when that voice was fresh, he was brilliant.

[guitarcrazy019]

Oh how I wish I could've seen VH back in the day. How great it must have been.

[johnwmcd]

@kenbird7 - lol I have equal respect for (original) VH and Rush for vastly different reasons. Comparing Geddy to Dave is like watching a librarian fight a longshoreman. Come on, man lol

[metalmark2112]

i was @ the forum show, one of the best shows ever

[RATSALAD9]

Nice pics. I saw this tour two months later in Charlotte. I got busted trying to sneak my camera in and had to take it back to the car! They opened with On Fire in Charlotte to. I also remember them playing Sunday Afternoon in the Park and Mean Street. The set list was probably the same for the whole tour. VH is not known for changing the set from show to show. I paid $10.50 to see this show and it was general admission. You have to pay 10 times that now! Ridiculous!

[buschnic61]

Real nice...at 3:15-thats a legit 20 ft.high jump-I saw V.H. open for Montrose/Journey in 77'-open for Sabbath in 78'-again in 79'-all in Detroit-seriously-each time was like a bomb goin' off in your lap every 6 seconds.

[canadaguy2112ca]

are these good seats??

[snowman4440]

Great video, that jump is so cool, I love it!!!

[lzrb]

Good job Video64!

Glad you got to see the show and sneak your camera in, even better with the audio!

Thanks for posting an excellent 'Classic' from the Greatest American Show Band!!

Wish I could'a been there to see 'em with ya!

[nehocyrrah]

Oh my God!!! What could ever touch these guys!!!! The greatist of all time!!!!!!!!!!

[tinpan11]

9.75 a ticket in 81. 4 times the price these days.

[lemususc]

great memories man, saw them in june, 81 in oakland, 30 years later, still the best concert ever!

[skullkap1]

I saw them on this tour a couple months later in Nashville. Opened with On Fire there also . Eddie did Sunday Afternoon in the Park, too. That concert was so great.

[pepper123]

What a great clip, indeed! I saw them at The Forum that year. It was the 1st time I wasn't in the first 3 rows. Van Halen rocked the house, as usual.........but, I loved the 1980 INVASION better. I was 3rd row again and VH opened with Romeo Delight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[r8ersfan]

GREAT POST!!Only 1 week after the classic Oakland shows that was videotaped I was fortunate to be at,sneakin' out the window cuz Mom hated "that devil music"!BTW,pause @ 0:11..ONLY $9 F**KIN' BUCKS&75 CENTS to see a show!!Kids,what are u payin' now to see Coldplay or whoever the f**k u listen to

[scottrap]

I was at this show too. Hands down, THE BEST CONCERT IVE EVER SEEN!

[foxheadspeed]

you are very lucky

[plasticaholic]

Medford Oregon 1980 , I was 15 yrs old my friends still bring up our 1st and best concert !

[marked95128]

@plasticaholic Hey plasticaholic, I was at that Medford show too! We drove up from Crescent City. We were High School Seniors....My friends and I, if you can believe this, actually drank and partied with Eddie and Alex after the show at the Holiday inn on the third floor in Eddie's room. Their tour bus was parked down in the parking lot and Dave finally came up the stairs with two girls, one under each arm and rounded up Eddie to go listen to the tape of the show on the bus....

[jgrmstrd]

Great pics but bad audio. Still cool!

[kenbird7]

I'd like to see Geddy Lee do that leap off the drum kit riser

[mjp96]

i saw them twice - i'm old - 46 - they were ok. not great -

[FractAlkemist]

i never got to see them.

i'm older.

they are AWESOME.

[lacika67]

what you mean not great ?? ? I saw them in 82 and it was awesome, much better than with Hagar.  ROTH RULEZ

[obliquestrategies66]

well done video 64! VH in '81 is the magic!

[TripperLV]

Very cool! I saw VH that some tour in Las Vegas! I was 16. RUSH played the first night (Moving Pictures tour) and Van Halen played the next night (Fair Warning tour I believe). Two nights of great rock and roll. Anyway, this brings back a lot of great memories. Thanks for posting, really cool! RJ

[billybumbler69]

Dear God!!!! I was young too!  In my dreams...

[morats8up]

saw them at the old checker dome in st.louis $10. found a $20 on the floor and bought a kick ass jersey.one of the best concerts ever!

[richga]

Fuck...I was too young to go this show in the day...I'd give my left nut to be able to jump into a time machine and see this show! Show of a lifetime!

[Bromoe99]

They opened with this...caught them 4 times that tour. At their ROTH peak IMO.

[Mystifier122]

Brings back memories, that intro. Saw them on this tour in Oakland on June 11th. I was 13 and it was a real eye opener. My ticket was $10.00 though, you saved 25 cents.

[flushdraw78]

God I remember Ticketron...a casualty of Ticketmaster's rise to power. Damn, those were the days.

[netwolf]

$9.75 for that ticket!

Christ you can't even find parking that cheap now in days let alone a ticket for ANY concert!

[Redrobin63]

Sorry I missed this tour, I got the Oakland three, and a few others from Fair Warning Tour. Still the best record they did. Pictures are fantastic. Thanks for posting this.

[SpikeMichaels]

Shit, you should fucking talk to this dude ZLOZ....

[JManGuitar5150]

Isn't this the Fair Warning tour? Or did the Diver Down tour start in late 1981?

[jhs5150]

'81 had to be FW.

[ProfessorIgor]

$9.75..... OMFG.... it costs more to PARK at a concert now... .fuck, a BEER almost costs that !!

[JManGuitar5150]

I know!

[blackguitar86]

Awesome photo starting at 0:47!!!

[blackguitar86]

KMET 94.7?? What's that!! Just kidding, didn't they feature the Heavy Metal Six-pack or was it the Lucifer LeRock segment? I don't remember. My older brother used to listen to that all the time. WHOOOO-AAAAAA!!! or something like that!

[jax51501171]

I seen them in Indianapolis 3 week after this s!how. I was 12 years old . My best friend and I sat 3rd row. We got up the next morning and started a band. That show changed my life! Thanks for sharing! Thought it was fucking awsome

[joeyrsl]

why even post video of such low quality? i mean.... why??

[SpikeMichaels]

Van Halen footage from the 81"FAIR WARNING" tour is VERY RARE...true Halenites like me totally appreciate it! Besides, it's not that low quality, the pics are fucking cool!

[wangerstein]

also, maybe because we didnt have mini cams like we got now......duhhhh

[JManGuitar5150]

Its not that bad of quality actually.. I've seen MUCH worse from this past year's tour!

[alexl1001]

THIS is when VH was on TOP! This was "THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN" that I remembered and loved! They used to come out and kick in to a first song and it would just make the hair on my arms stand up! It was like being in the presence of GOD! The Power! The Authority! The whole experience was almost too exciting!! I loved it! Even when I last saw them with Sammy... same thing!

I don't think I'd pay to see them now.

[levik19]

the ticket said "no alcohol". I wonder what Dave's reaction to that back then.

[ANDLU1]

Holy shit Dave is getting serious air at 1:07!! You've got to have major balls doing that in front of 15,000 people. You'd look like an asshole if you didn't pull it off (Dave did though!)...

[reignman2112]

what the hell...my ticket from ac/dc show the same year, says 13.50...i guess they needed the money...

[ZeropointZero70]

the ticket stub says no weapons!?! Oh fuck that! how can you enjoy a rock show without weapons,Dammit? LOL! Gee guys, i guess we'll just have to enjoy the show with only a ton of dope and liquor! ...sigh...

[SirHomeFries]

This is one of my top VH songs ever. It's so fucking wild. It's the perfect song to perform live.

Unfortunately, it probably relies more on Roth's scream than any other tune they did, which means they can't do it in concert anymore. :(

I wonder if Mike came back, if he could take over the high-pitch sections? I would love it if they did this on tour again somehow

[dantes1815]

Man half the fun at a concert is smuggling in the libations lol. Always put your joints in a pack of cigarettes. The concert attendees never check ;)

[ciadella1971]

The date is on Wolfie's Birthday...

[nkreed66]

There was always alcohol at VH concerts and other party favors.Sneaking it in was part of the thrill. 81-83 VH concerts where anarchy.

[Dehmlack]

No alcohol at a concert? Man, only possible in the states. Having fun always seated :)Most concerts in EU had some feeling of anarchy and untamed wilderness. YES.

[gspotstudio]

1981 Fair Warning tour was VH in their prime. They were musically and visually peaking at this point. Fair Warning is one of the greatest sounding guitar albums of all time and the live show could not be touched by any other music act on the planet. Your pics in this video say it all. Thanks for posting.

[Edensadventures]

On Fire was from their first album; Van Halen.

Also, you don't think that their original album was by far the best?

[gspotstudio]

I was commenting on the 1981 tour and album itself mainly, not the song in this video. You would have to be living on another planet not to know that on Fire was from VH1, I think you misunderstood what I wrote. Not a big deal.

I love VH1, it was groundbreaking, but so was every VH album with David Lee Roth that came after that. I just feel that creativity really shined through on Fair Warning.

Every VH fan has their favorite. The first 6 were iconic. VH2 would actually be my 2nd favorite

[iamprov]

The current tour's stage was not as big, and def. not as loud.

[zwaqster]

very cool

[kaboom6899]

I'M ON FIRE!!!

[dyno1316]

Van Halen still the best ever till the present day if someone want to figth me every bady are welcome.

[NormsChem]

I love this song. If Dave still had that scream, I'm sure they would have played it on the '07 tour.

Not that I'm bitching - the fact that this band EVER wrote and played this song is fucking awesome. I haven't heard a rock single this hardcore in forever.

[pepper123]

I was there the 2nd night at the Forum on this tour. I loved the fact that they were still opening with "On Fire." When i saw them at Anaheim Stadium in '78, they opened with "On Fire," after the famous fake patachute jump into the stadium.

[seasmoke5151]

That ticket stub say's $9.75 and look at all the truck loads of equipment they brought. Unbelievable! Now I have to pay hundreds of dollars to watch other bands who bring have as much and who lip sync. This Halen 81' tour ruled!

[systemseven1]

That was the first VH tour I saw. I was in awe. I remember them playing Sunday Afternoon in the Park.

[SpikeMichaels]

No doubt...they did "Sunday" and they were all huddled around the drum kit...Dave was standing on the bass drums, back to crowd...then they busted into "Romeo Delight!"

But I mean, c'mon, now we've got Daughtry and The Jonas Brothers and Panic at the Disco...that's just as good, right?

[qualityisrare]

That Last Part Better Be A Joke! Or were you being sarcastic?

[rpgfire]

i was there..damn those were the days...

[lemususc]

great job man. I saw them in oakland 5 days before. i would love to see a video of them performing everybody wants some, i remember being drugged out of my head and watching from row 11 front stage all 4 members playing the drums together as an intro to this song. does anyone else remember this?

[smh32]

Does anybody know if the song Dirty movies off of Fair Warning is on any live video on You tube? And no, I'm not talking about dirty movies in hi stereo with no video clip. The real concert footage is what I'm looking for.

[jem777lng]

i dont think they ever played that live

[FarrokhBulsaraII]

dude, awsum pics man. did u like, post em anywhere on the net? if so, where can i see em?

[philwin1X]

great photos, especially the drum riser leap.

Dave looks way up there. the flaming gong photo is killer too. 5stars

[VHfan4life24]

A t-shirt costs three times as much now as a ticket did back then. But they are totally worth it, any time they are with dave. Pure Magic.

[prostock1r2]

Awesome thanks for posting this up, great pics

[rpgfire]

did anyone notice the price on the ticket?

i remeber those days.

[wankerman2002]

those picutres are fucking awesome. i can never find any decent live halen pictures from this tour showing the whole stage and everything. fair warning for life.

[hummarstra]

Oops, I should have read the description first, huh? Anyway, good stuff.

[hummarstra]

Cool. Where'd you get the pics?

[video64]

I took them myself.