| Concert Tour Name: | Van Halen 1978 World Tour |
| Artist: | Van Halen |
| Type: | Promotional |
| Album: | Van Halen |
| Number Of Legs: | 8 |
| This Tour: | Van Halen 1st World Tour (1978) |
| Next Tour: | World Vacation Tour (1979) |
The 1978 World Tour was the first concert tour by American hard rock band Van Halen. The world tour, which was in support of their debut album, covered mainly North America with 125 shows in the United States and two shows in Canada, 38 shows in Europe, and seven shows in Japan. At 172 shows total over a 10-month period, the tour was one of the band's most extensive overall. Throughout the tour Van Halen was mostly a supporting act for bands such as Black Sabbath and Journey, however, Van Halen headlined shows in Europe and Japan.
See also Infinity TourVan Halen started their first leg opening for acts Montrose and Journey. Herbie Herbert, the manager for Journey at the time, recalled bringing guitarist Neal Schon of Journey along with him to go see the band in New York to a sold out audience of 3,500 people.[1]
See also Never Say Die! Tour (Black Sabbath)
"We did 23 shows in 25 days," recalled Eddie Van Halen regarding the European leg. "I didn't know they had that many places! But to meet Tony Iommi when I was so into him was really incredible." David Lee Roth summed up the experience as "a real shot in the ass". The Liverpool Empire Theatre date was attended by future members of Apollo 440 – who, in 1997, issued an adaptation of Van Halen's 'Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love' as 'Ain't Talkin' 'bout Dub'.[2]
"We had a great time with the Sabbath guys…" recalled Alex Van Halen. "It was really special because Ed and I were big fans of the band. Every time they came to LA, I was out there in the audience, fighting tooth and nail to get to the front so I could get my eardrums destroyed. But I learned a lot from them about audience participation… One time, we were up near Leicester, about half an hour before showtime, and Ozzy and Bill Ward were out there on the front lawn with the punters, having a beer. I thought, 'Fuck me, none of this star-type shit.' I was really impressed."[3]
"Ozzy used to tell a funny story…" recalled onetime Osbourne sidekick Don Airey. "Sabbath had done a tour for a year [sic] with Kiss… and it nearly killed him because Kiss had been so good. And he said, 'We're never doing that again. Next tour, we just want a bar band from LA. That's all we want.' And then he got to the first gig. Ozzy said they walked in as 'Eruption' was going on. Ozzy said, 'We just went into the dressing room. We sat there going, That was incredible… and then it finished, and we were just too stunned to speak. Then there was a knock on the door and the best-looking man in the world walked in and said, Hello' – you know, David Lee Roth. I think they only lasted about two months on that tour. Then the record broke… I went to see them at the Rainbow when they supported Sabbath. By the time they played the Rainbow again a month later, they were headlining. Incredible!"
Of the North American leg of the tour, Ozzy Osbourne said: "Van Halen are so good they ought to be headlining the tour."[4]
Songs played overall
Encore
Typical set list
Encore
| Date[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] | City | Country | Venue | Support Act(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | ||||
| March 3, 1978 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom (Live premiere)[14] | Journey Montrose |
| March 4, 1978 | Springfield | Nelson Center | ||
| Indianapolis | Indiana Convention Center | |||
| March 7, 1978 | Madison | Shuffle Inn | ||
| March 9, 1978 | Milwaukee | Riverside Theater | ||
| March 10, 1978 | Detroit | Masonic Temple Theater | ||
| March 11, 1978 | Trotwood | Hara Arena | ||
| March 12, 1978 | Homestead | Leona Theater[15] [16] | ||
| Toronto | Canada | Massey Hall | ||
| March 15, 1978 | Cleveland | United States | Cleveland Music Hall | |
| March 16, 1978 | Columbus | Columbus Veterans Memorial Auditorium[17] | ||
| March 17, 1978 | Louisville | Louisville Gardens | ||
| March 18, 1978 | Evansville | Evansville Coliseum | ||
| March 19, 1978 | South Bend | Morris Civic Auditorium | ||
| March 20, 1978 | Schaumburg | B'Ginnings | ||
| March 22, 1978 | Albany | Palace Theatre | ||
| March 23, 1978 | Buffalo | New Century Theatre | ||
| March 24, 1978 | Upper Darby | Tower Theater[18] [19] | ||
| March 25, 1978 | New York City | Palladium[20] [21] | ||
| March 26, 1978 | Hempstead | Calderone Concert Hall | ||
| March 27, 1978 | Boston | Paradise Theater | ||
| March 29, 1978 | Duluth | Duluth Auditorium | ||
| March 30, 1978 | Saint Paul | St. Paul Civic Center Theater | ||
| March 31, 1978 | Kansas City | Memorial Hall | ||
| April 1, 1978 | St. Louis | Kiel Opera House | ||
| April 2, 1978 | Omaha | Omaha Music Hall | ||
| April 3, 1978 | Wichita | Pogo's | ||
| April 4, 1978 | Tulsa | Cain's Ballroom | ||
| April 5, 1978 | Indianapolis | Murat Temple Theater | ||
| April 6, 1978 | Flint | IMA Auditorium | ||
| April 7, 1978 | Nashville | War Memorial Auditorium | ||
| April 8, 1978 | Murray | MSU Field House | ||
| April 9, 1978 | Birmingham | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium | ||
| April 11, 1978 | Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum | ||
| April 12, 1978 | Austin | Austin Municipal Auditorium | ||
| April 13, 1978 | Shreveport | Shreveport Memorial Auditorium | ||
| April 14, 1978 | Fort Worth | Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium | ||
| April 15, 1978 | Houston | Houston Music Hall | ||
| April 16, 1978 | New Orleans | The Warehouse | ||
| April 18, 1978 | Memphis | Ellis Memorial Auditorium | ||
| April 20, 1978 | Tallahassee | Ruby Diamond Auditorium | ||
| April 21, 1978 | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood Sportatorium[22] | ||
| April 22, 1978 | Tampa | Curtis Hixon Hall | ||
| April 23, 1978 | Atlanta | Fox Theatre | ||
| April 25, 1978 | Virginia Beach | Rogues' Gallery | rowspan="4" | |
| April 26, 1978 | ||||
| April 27, 1978 | Norfolk | The Scope | ||
| April 28, 1978 | New York City | Palladium[23] | ||
| Europe | ||||
| May 4, 1978 | Poperinge | Belgium | Zaal Maeckeblijde | rowspan="7" |
| May 5, 1978 | Delft | Netherlands | De Stads Doelen | |
| May 6, 1978 | Amsterdam | Paradiso[24] | ||
| May 8, 1978 | Hamburg | West Germany | Markthalle Hamburg | |
| May 9, 1978 | ||||
| May 10, 1978 | ||||
| May 12, 1978 | Paris | France | Théâtre Mogador[25] [26] | |
| May 16, 1978 | Sheffield | England | Sheffield City Hall | Black Sabbath |
| May 17, 1978 | Southport | Southport Theatre | ||
| May 18, 1978 | Glasgow | Scotland | Glasgow Apollo[27] | |
| May 19, 1978 | Aberdeen | Capitol Theatre | ||
| May 21, 1978 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall[28] | |
| May 22, 1978 | Manchester | Manchester Apollo[29] [30] | ||
| May 23, 1978 | Stoke | Victoria Hall[31] | ||
| May 25, 1978 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall | ||
| May 26, 1978 | Bristol | Colston Hall[32] | ||
| May 27, 1978 | London | Lewisham Odeon[33] | ||
| May 28, 1978 | Ipswich | Ipswich Gaumont Theatre[34] [35] | ||
| May 30, 1978 | Coventry | Coventry Theatre | ||
| May 31, 1978 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| June 1, 1978 | London | Hammersmith Odeon[36] [37] | ||
| June 2, 1978 | Oxford | Apollo Theatre Oxford | ||
| June 3, 1978 | Southampton | Southampton Gaumont Theatre | ||
| June 5, 1978 | Birmingham | Birmingham Odeon | ||
| June 7, 1978 | Bradford | St George's Hall[38] | ||
| June 8, 1978 | Preston | Preston Guild Hall | ||
| June 10, 1978 | London | Hammersmith Odeon [39] | ||
| Asia | ||||
| June 17, 1978 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Cultural Hall[40] [41] | rowspan="7" |
| June 19, 1978 | ||||
| June 21, 1978 | Nakano Sun Plaza Hall[42] [43] [44] [45] | |||
| June 22, 1978 | ||||
| June 24, 1978 | Nagoya | Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall[46] [47] | ||
| June 25, 1978 | Osaka | Festival Hall | ||
| June 27, 1978 | Osaka Cultural Hall[48] [49] [50] [51] | |||
| North America | ||||
| July 1, 1978 | Dallas | United States | Cotton Bowl (Texxas Jam)[52] | rowspan="7" |
| July 2, 1978 | San Antonio | San Antonio Municipal Auditorium | ||
| July 3, 1978 | Austin | Armadillo World Headquarters | ||
| July 6, 1978 | Phoenix | Celebrity Theatre | ||
| July 7, 1978 | ||||
| July 8, 1978 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | ||
| July 9, 1978 | Long Beach | Long Beach Arena[53] [54] | ||
| July 13, 1978 | New Orleans | The Superdome | The Rolling Stones The Doobie Brothers | |
| July 15, 1978 | Kansas City | Royals Stadium (Summer Jam) | Kansas Steve Miller Band Eddie Money | |
| July 16, 1978 | Davenport | Credit Island Park (Mississippi River Jam)[55] [56] | The Doobie Brothers Atlanta Rhythm Section Journey | |
| July 17, 1978 | La Crosse | Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium | Journey[57] | |
| July 18, 1978 | Seymour | Seymour Speedway | ||
| Jackson | Carl Perkins Civic Auditorium | |||
| July 23, 1978 | Oakland | Oakland Coliseum (Day on the Green 1978 #3)[58] [59] [60] | Aerosmith Foreigner Pat Travers AC/DC | |
| July 24, 1978 | Redding | Redding Civic Center | rowspan="11" | |
| July 25, 1978 | Reno | Washoe County Fairgrounds | ||
| July 31, 1978 | Alexandria | Rapides Parish Coliseum | ||
| August 2, 1978 | Wichita Falls | Wichita Falls Memorial Auditorium | ||
| August 3, 1978 | Lubbock | Lubbock Municipal Auditorium | ||
| August 4, 1978 | Amarillo | Hollywood Bowl (West Texas Jam 1978)[61] [62] | ||
| August 5, 1978 | Great Bend | SRCA Raceway (Summer Jam) | ||
| August 6, 1978 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Grandstand (Oklahoma Jam 1978)[63] [64] [65] [66] | ||
| August 7, 1978 | Wichita | Pogo's | ||
| August 9, 1978 | Peoria | Second Chance | ||
| August 10, 1978 | Salem | Hooker Lake Inn[67] | ||
| August 12, 1978 | Landover | Capital Centre | Ted Nugent[68] [69] [70] | |
| August 13, 1978 | Binghamton | Broome County Arena | ||
| August 19, 1978 | Bay City | Engel Stadium (Summer Celebration) | Bob Seger Bandit | |
| August 22, 1978 | Milwaukee | MECCA Arena | Black Sabbath | |
| August 23, 1978 | Chicago | International Amphitheatre | ||
| August 24, 1978 | ||||
| August 25, 1978 | Terre Haute | Hulman Arena | ||
| August 27, 1978 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | ||
| August 28, 1978 | Uniondale NY | Nassau Coliseum | ||
| August 29, 1978 | Philadelphia | Spectrum[71] [72] | ||
| Poughkeepsie | Mid-Hudson Civic Center | |||
| August 31, 1978 | Erie | Erie County Field House | ||
| September 1, 1978 | Hampton | Hampton Coliseum | ||
| September 2, 1978 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | ||
| September 4, 1978 | South Yarmouth | Cape Cod Coliseum | ||
| September 5, 1978 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | ||
| September 7, 1978 | Utica | Utica Memorial Auditorium | ||
| September 8, 1978 | Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Convention Center[73] | ||
| September 9, 1978 | Baltimore | Baltimore Civic Center | ||
| September 10, 1978 | New Haven | New Haven Coliseum | ||
| September 12, 1978 | Indianapolis | Indianapolis Convention Center | ||
| September 14, 1978 | Detroit | Cobo Arena | ||
| September 15, 1978 | Richfield | Richfield Coliseum | ||
| September 16, 1978 | St. Louis | Checkerdome | ||
| September 17, 1978 | Kansas City | Kansas City Municipal Auditorium | ||
| September 18, 1978 | Tulsa | Tulsa Assembly Center | ||
| September 21, 1978 | Bakersfield | Bakersfield Civic Auditorium | ||
| September 22, 1978 | Fresno | Selland Arena[74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] | ||
| September 23, 1978 | Anaheim | Anaheim Stadium (Summerfest 1978)[81] [82] | ||
| Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | ||
| September 27, 1978 | Portland | United States | Portland Memorial Coliseum | |
| September 28, 1978 | Spokane | Spokane Coliseum | ||
| September 29, 1978 | Seattle | Seattle Center Arena | ||
| September 30, 1978 | ||||
| Europe | ||||
| October 9, 1978 | Hamburg | West Germany | Audimax Theatre | Black Sabbath |
| October 10, 1978 | Essen | Grugahalle | ||
| October 11, 1978 | Offenbach | Stadthalle Offenbach[83] | ||
| October 13, 1978 | Uhingen | Haldenberg Hall | ||
| October 14, 1978 | Ludwigshafen | Friedrich-Ebert-Halle | ||
| October 15, 1978 | Kuernach | Kuernach Hall | ||
| October 17, 1978 | Neunkirchen | Hemmerleinhalle | ||
| October 18, 1978 | Bad Rappenau | Bad Rappenau Sports Hall | ||
| October 20, 1978 | Cambrai | France | Grottos Palace | |
| October 22, 1978 | London | England | Rainbow Theatre[84] | rowspan="2" |
| October 27, 1978 | Koekelare | Belgium | Koekelare Sports Hall | |
| United States | ||||
| November 3, 1978 | St. Petersburg | United States | Bayfront Center | Black Sabbath |
| November 4, 1978 | Jacksonville | Jacksonville Coliseum | ||
| November 5, 1978 | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood Sportatorium | ||
| November 8, 1978 | Birmingham | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium | ||
| November 10, 1978 | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum | ||
| November 11, 1978 | Cincinnati | Riverfront Coliseum | ||
| November 12, 1978 | Nashville | Nashville Municipal Auditorium[85] [86] | ||
| November 13, 1978 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | ||
| November 14, 1978 | Mobile | Mobile Municipal Auditorium | ||
| November 15, 1978 | Huntsville | Von Braun Civic Center | ||
| November 17, 1978 | Austin | Austin Municipal Auditorium | ||
| November 18, 1978 | Midland | Chaparral Center | ||
| November 19, 1978 | Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum | ||
| November 20, 1978 | Oklahoma City | Myriad Convention Center | ||
| November 22, 1978 | Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum | ||
| November 23, 1978 | Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum | ||
| November 24, 1978 | San Antonio | San Antonio Convention Center | ||
| November 25, 1978 | Dallas | Dallas Convention Center | ||
| November 26, 1978 | ||||
| November 28, 1978 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | ||
| November 29, 1978 | Ogden | Dee Events Center | ||
| December 2, 1978 | Oakland | Oakland Arena | ||
| December 3, 1978 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | ||
| rowspan="6" | ||||
| City | Venue | Attendance | Gross | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 9 | Long Beach | Long Beach Arena | 8,614 | $51,652 | [87] |
| July 13 | New Orleans | The Superdome | 80,173 | $1,060,000 | [88] |
| July 15 | Kansas City | Royals Stadium | 34,541 | $423,904 | |
| August 19 | Bay City | Engel Stadium | 22,572 | $201,513 | [89] |
| September 4 | South Yarmouth | Cape Cod Coliseum | 7,100 | $53,888 | [90] |
| September 5 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | 7,744 | $57,606 | |
| September 8 | Niagara Falls | Convention Center | 8,186 | $62,267 | |
| September 9 | Baltimore | Civic Center | 9,253 | $65,887 | |
| September 10 | New Haven | Coliseum | 7,438 | $52,289 |
