On Fire Chicago 1981 Van Halen Live

[artimitateslife]

I just found this video. I was at this show at the ampitheatre on the south side of chicago. it was one of the first twenty shows or so that i ever saw (was 15 at the time). what i remember about the show was that it was horrible sound. 30 years later and thousands of shows later it is STILL the worst sounding live show i have ever seen! But VH during this era will always rule.

[GilesBoganski542]

Dnload the audio from this track at searchripgrab doht cohm.

[tagme5150]

This is a good example of Dave not remembering lyrics...I saw this Tour in San Diego Lyrics or not...It was one of the best SHOWS of the time...ended up seeing them at least once a year after this The US festival Year I think I saw them 4 or 5 times that year. Great Decade of Shows.

[AtomicNog]

i have full uk invasion tour message me if interested

[BigTroubles]

Dave was 1984 before it was even 1984.

[zambini631]

I saw Van Halen in Dallas at Reunion Arena in 1980, 1981(BEST SHOW), 1982, 1984(Last show with ROTH in the US until the reunion). The 81 show was the best, but I was never disappointed when I saw them. This video really brings the memories of the 81 show back full strength. Whenever I hear ON FIRE, I think of the 81 concert. It totally ROCKED!!!!!! Also saw them in 1986 (Texas Jam), and 1988 (Monsters of Rock Tour) with Hagar.

[ZOSO5150EVH]

@zambini631 I wish I was alive during 81. I defiantly would have seen them. Judging by the various bootlegs I've seen, it seemed like they were at the top of their game. Fair Warning is just phenomenal. Ed's tone was it's height. Diver Down was the beginning of the end IMO. I saw them in 2007 and I was greatly disappointed. Ed's tone was horrible IMO. He needs to bring back his Plexi.

[rolandgp8]

@ZOSO5150EVH Agreed, but he stopped bringing the plexi out after the first world tour... VHII he had a mix of new (at the time) Marshalls, Music Man (coz of tube power section) and Laney's. By this tour it was mostly Marshalls. Still has the plexi and uses it at 5150... but I know what you mean. He's back to favoring that sound... and can pretty much get it with his Soldanos, I mean EVH's... : ) But I agree, bring back that sound...

[nehocyrrah]

Vanhalen!! Binghamton NY 1983!!! One of the only times i didnt lose my ride home!!!!!

[myhideaway08]

To bad not a better clip of film..

[wizzzeeee]

DJtheDJtheDJtheDJ the DJ.............does.!!!

[Jmurray5150]

Far as I remember yer right, that B&W (might be blue stripes tho) guitar was a '81 tour only, along with the yellow & thin black stripes double neck. There was also a pastiche red, yellow, blue & maybe green thing he also used just for that tour. Any which way, I still think the '81 tour smoked everything after. I was lucky enough to have been at the Oakland video show and even ran south for the US Festival in '83. Man, they were they fuckin' HOT!!!

[ZOSO5150EVH]

That's awesome! The 83 US Fest was an amazing show, so many awesome bands, I wish I was alive then.. haha

[darkknight91]

The guitar you may be referring to was black, red, white, yellow and green. It's called the Rasta guitar. Dweezil Zappa now owns it. It also has the original neck from the black and yellow Charvel from VHII. The black and white guitar he's playing in the Unchained Oakland video is the Rasta before he went crazy with the paint.

[bluesdoc333]

I've never seen that black and white guitar without the pickguard before, cool!

[ZOSO5150EVH]

I think its the "Unchained" guitar cause at that time period the White guitar with black stripes and black pickguard was painted red.

[darkknight91]

The black and white guitar in this video is not the Unchained guitar. That one had stripes and circles and he later painted it black, red, white, green and yellow. It's called the Rasta. The one in this video is called the Rude guitar. It says RUDE in the neck pocket, maybe after Rudy Leiren.

[ZOSO5150EVH]

Yeah your right. It's the Rude guitar.

[gambit5150]

there always some inbred racist comment on youtube, u assholes

[DallasJackson18]

excellent

[niggers00smell00bad]

What do you call a black hitchhiker?

Stranded!

[niggers00smell00bad]

oh my God! Turn this shit off!!!

[wakclips]

DAMMN IT CAME ON SIZZLINNN.... LOL..

wHAT?

Fryed my damn hears... Wow

Check out Ed!

[sasukekun123]

Damn beginning scared mee!!!!

[EddySwass]

That was the best tour they did. i wish I would have seen them then.I wish they would release a dvd with this footage on it.

[railwayman]

wow! what a great concert! what was the song set list for this concert/tour?

[Mystifier122]

Don't remember the exact set list but they played mostly from Fair Warning and their 1st album. Not much from VHII and WACF... Dance The Night Away and Everybody Wants Some. I remember Dave requesting jungle colored lights from the light man.

[sexyguy4ula]

Van Halen started the whole 80's hair metal trend and they don't even get the credit they deserve! Van Halen the best rock band ever period!!!

[DarthKazi]

@sexyguy4ula DAVE started the hair band thing. The other guys didn't care about vanity.  The only reason Eddie wore weird outfits was because he was intimidated by Dave and placated him. "Hair bands" were bullshit. No different than the pop bullshit of today only with guitars and drums. Van Halen should never be compared to shit like Poison and Warrant.

[LinkHwoarang]

I can't understand a single thing :P

[NormsChem]

This song still blows me away when I crank it up. I wish we had better footage of this show... oh well, maybe out there somewhere in tape traders' land. lol.

This is one of the best songs off one of the 70's best rock albums, which is saying a LOT in a decade with Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.

When this shit hit stores there was nothing like it. Songs like On Fire, I'm The One, Atomic Punk, etc. just grabbed you by the balls and melted your face off before you could dial 911.

[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!

[fellopasinjer]

So badass! This was at the Ampitheatre on Halstead St. So many excellent rock shows blew through there in the 70s and 80s. Getting a good mix in there was tricky but VH pulled it off. I also saw them at the Aragon on the Women and Children First Tour but even though that was General Admission this show was better.

[Biskitt5]

Dude. GREAT POST. I saw them 5 times between 79 and 84 and they spoiled me. It was like..hard to see other bands live shows and not walk away criticizing them a bit. DEVO in Honolulu in 82 did do a good show but .. you know..it was Devo. Way different I know..but you just had to have been there and consumed the Puna Bud and the mushrooms like I did to really know what I mean. VH ruled the earth back then..and now to me.

[DemonicScreams666]

This looks like it was recorded in 1932

[jtomasik]

The beginning of glam. The beginning of the end of good rock.

[ReginaldsTest]

There wasn't a lot of actual glam rock on the VH and VH II albums, unless you mean their appearances - but the visual style got its roots back in the 70's from "good rock" a la Led Zeppelin, etc.

VH was actually a very talented band that incorporated a lot of styles into their music - most people have only heard the singles, though, like "Jump" and not the more visceral stuff.

[funk0049]

i agree...some of the best stuff was never a hit single....and some of the most fun stuff was when they'd cover some old cut like happy trails...all in all a great 7 year run for a group of talented rockers...

[Jaustinboo]

Umm that is not glam.

[fromage777]

=VH= isn't glam, but it seems like every glam band tried to be like them.

[believer06]

Caveman, this isn't Glam :D Crawl back under the rock you came out from under :D

[rfa70]

Great Video!!!! Do you have this entire show????

[ZOSO5150EVH]

No, wish I did...

[sandblastskin]

This is when it was the real VH!!!!!!

[rockintheswamps]

funny I dont hear roth do that high pitch scream anymore kinda sad it was cool.

[mark89coupe]

DLR is one of a kind. They tried to duplicate but failed.

[dhjmasa]

Hey JohnnyStorm The 1980 Invasion was 7-29-80...saw that too...So loud you could barely make out the songs!!!

[dhjmasa]

July 11th 1981 at the Chicago Amphitheater...I was there!!!!!!!!!!

[MikeAnthony36]

sure

[mtmetaltitan]

wow  rare

cool !

the metal titan

[patmix]

funny to see a whole 1981 vh whitin 3:16 by 8mm camcorder

it was hell in chicago on this july 1981

[JohnnyStorm2006]

Intl Amphitheatre? I saw 1980 invasion there.

[wjv4me]

I saw them in 81 or 82? at UofIL@Chicago(Circle campus) when their new pavillion

opened. Miss the old Ampitheater (43 &

Halsted-right?) Pity it was knocked down in the later 80s. Loved the Aragon Ballroom, esp. to see J.Geils Band there- rockNroll!

[jdonovan99]

I was there for both nights!!

7/10/1981 and 7/11/1981.

Great shows!!!

[bigdaddy40]

If you look close you can see valarie Bertinelli in the front row.

[mike21463]

Yep, 81...Alex's stripped drumset, eddie's goofy socks and the mean streat/fair warning backdrop...

[gymman1031]

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

[ZOSO5150EVH]

I know, VH can never get their stuff together.

[ledtom]

Its 1981, but more than On Fire.(This is already on the tube)

[ZOSO5150EVH]

Yeah I noticed that after I added it, sorry about that.

[RGM86RGMIII]

Yeah, that's 1981. The songs, clothing and Eddie's guitars are what give that away....

[ZOSO5150EVH]

The source I got it from said, it was the 1981 tour, and judging by the songs most from the album fair warning which was released in 1981.

[hemidemon]

This is not 1981. It's the 1984 your.

[diverdownup5150noho]

look at alexs drumset and the speakers, thats the 81 stage setup

[TheOgrelord]

Yup, that is definitely NOT from 1984. It is from the '81 Fair Warning tour. If you want verification, check out the live videos the band released during this time.