Van Halen: 4/7/1986

This concert is filed under the “Why the Hell Did I Pay to See Van Halen Again” category. This was like the fifth time I went to see them, and other than when they opened for Black Sabbath in 1978, I thought they sucked every time. (Note: Two of those five times they also opened for the Stones.) Anyway, I had hopes that with Sammy Hagar singing they would be less goofy than when David Lee Roth was the frontman, and they were, but still, I got bored pretty quickly. Honestly, having seen Sammy solo a few times, I thought he was better on his own than with Van Halen. Bottom line is I left early. I could not justify battling the horrific Sportatorium traffic to stay until the end of what, to me, was a mediocre show at best.

Anyway, here’s the setlist, courtesy of the internet.

Setlist:

• You Really Got Me
• There’s Only One Way to Rock
• Summer Nights
• Get Up
• Drum Solo
• Why Can’t This Be Love
• 5150
• Bass Solo
• Panama
• Best of Both Worlds
• Love Walks In
• Good Enough
• Guitar Solo (Eruption, Cathedral & Spanish Fly)
• I Can’t Drive 55
• Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love

Encore:

• Jump
• (Unknown)
• Rock and Roll

Black Sabbath and Van Halen: 11/5/1978

Since this concert was back in the 70’s, the details have become a little foggy. What I remember the most about this was the sheer excitement of seeing Black Sabbath in concert. I remember going to a yard sale with my mom as a young kid and looking through a bin of albums, then discovering Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” which I bought for a quarter and wore out on my turntable. I would sit with the album cover opened, staring at the black and white photo of the band inside, and thinking how cool they were. So getting to see Sabbath, as a young teenager, was a big deal for me.

Van Halen was the opening act. I would see Van Halen other times afterwards, and they were never as good as this time. I remember being impressed with their energy on stage. They were young, hot, and bursting with rock and roll vibrancy.

As far as Sabbath goes, I recall the eerie effects of the stage bathed in rich hues of lighting. I remember Ozzy, summoning the crowd with his vocals while Tony Iommi unleashed thunderous sounds on his SG. I also, sadly, remember someone falling from the rafters. At the Sporto, people would climb across the metal beams on the ceiling to attempt to get a better view. One unfortunate soul lost his grip that night.

I wish I could recall more details, but alas, all I have is the ticket stub and the deep feeling that I had a really great time at this concert. And hey, music is all about the feeling, right?

Rock on!

The Rolling Stones: 10/25/1981

This stub is from the second time I saw the Stones (click here to read about the first time). So in order to get tickets for this show, I had to mail away. I sent a check for $81.60 for four tickets. After a long wait, I got an envelope in the mail which included my returned check along with a note that said: “Incorrect payment, $81.75.” So for .15 cents they didn’t send me any tickets! I was devastated. Anyway, I found an ad in the paper to buy tickets from someone. I told the person my sob story. He took pity on me and sold them for just a little bit over face value.

This was a general admission show at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, so we went in early to get a spot up close on the field. We staked our space near the front, cramped in among the throngs of rock and roll crazies. As we patiently watched the Henry Paul Band and Van Halen perform, the temperature got hotter and hotter. It became dangerously hot and because there were so many people on the field, it was impossible to move or go to get a drink of water. People started passing out, so to stave off a disaster, hoses were given to the security in front of the stage. They began hosing the crowd to keep everyone cool. We all stood there with faces turned up and mouths open waiting for water.

Finally, the Stones hit the stage, opening with “Under My Thumb” (same as the previous day). Mick ran to the front of the stage and took one of the hoses from a security person and began spraying the crowd, and yes, he sprayed me. To this day, I can honestly tell people that I got hosed by Mick Jagger, and was still able to respect myself in the morning.

Rock on!

Setlist

• Under My Thumb
• When the Whip Comes Down
• Let’s Spend the Night Together
• Shattered
• Neighbours
• Black Limousine
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
• Twenty Flight Rock
• Let Me Go
• Time Is on My Side
• Beast of Burden
• Waiting on a Friend
• Let It Bleed
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Little T&A
• Tumbling Dice
• She’s So Cold
• All Down the Line
• Hang Fire
• Street Fighting Man
• Miss You
• Start Me Up
• Honky Tonk Women
• Brown Sugar
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Encore:

• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

The Rolling Stones: 10/24/1981

This stub was from the first time I saw the Rolling Stones. They were playing the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, FL, and I drove up from South Florida with some friends for the show. It was the Tattoo You tour, and I actually had tickets for the second night, but some of the people I went with did not have any tickets. So, we figured we would go to the stadium the day before and see if we could find tickets for the Sunday show for my friends. Lo and behold, there were scads of people scalping tickets outside the stadium, for the whopping cost of $5 for the Saturday show and $10 for Sunday. We bought four for Saturday and two for Sunday, figuring why not see the Stones twice. It warms my heart to know that I paid $5 to see the Rolling Stones.

Because we showed up late and it was general admission, we took the nose-bleed seats. The Henry Paul Band played first (he was from The Outlaws… very forgettable). After they played, we got a set from Van Halen. I was not very impressed. Honestly, they seemed like they were clowning around. It was really hard to take them seriously.

Finally, the Stones came out. They opened with “Under My Thumb” and I was pretty much blown away. For me, the Stones were icons of rock and roll, in the mythical realm of The Beatles. The show was incredible, Keith slinking around the stage with cigarette dangling from his mouth, while Mick pranced and danced and whipped everyone into a frenzy.

When the show was over, we were all psyched and looking forward to the following night. We decided we would get there early and get a spot up close on the field… but that’s another stub and another story.

Setlist

• Under My Thumb
• When the Whip Comes Down
• Let’s Spend the Night Together
• Shattered
• Neighbours
• Black Limousine
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
• Twenty Flight Rock
• Let Me Go
• Time Is on My Side
• Beast of Burden
• Waiting on a Friend
• Let It Bleed
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Little T&A
• Tumbling Dice
• She’s So Cold
• All Down the Line
• Hang Fire
• Star Star
• Miss You
• Start Me Up
• Honky Tonk Women
• Brown Sugar
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Encore:

• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction