Van Halen World Vacation Tour Explained

The World Vacation Tour was the second concert tour by American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their second studio album Van Halen II.

Background

The band began their first full headlining tour in Fresno on March 25, 1979. The band were performing in arenas throughout the United States, where they had performed previously as an opening act. The band was set to perform in Spokane on April 14,^[1] but had postponed their show to April 19 due to an illness from one of the band members.^[2] The tour was a financial success for the band, aside from the additional costs of having extra lighting and sound equipment. The band had also toured Europe for two weeks and Asia during this tour, playing to larger audiences than they previously had on their first tour.^[3] The tour concluded on October 7, 1979 with a performance at the Forum in Inglewood where Eddie and Alex lived.

Reception

Nelson George, a reviewer for the magazine Billboard, gave the performance in New York City on May 12, 1979 a positive review. He opened with the acknowledgement of a sold out young and dedicated crowd as well as recognizing the two studio albums released by the band having also achieved gold. He praised the usage of backlights and colored light combinations, stating that the show despite being in its frenzy was well choreographed and slick with the noting of Roth's energy on stage. However, he criticized the sound based on how Eddie and Michael were washing away the vocals of Roth with the buzzing of their cordless guitars.^[4]

Music critic Bob Ross from the St. Petersburg Times, had also gave the band's performance a positive review after attending the Lakeland show, opening with a headline that Van Halen was "irresistibly entertaining". He noted on the excitement from the audience that the band had generated from 6,000 fans. He praised the energy, enthusiasm and simplicity techniques. When talking about Eddie Van Halen, he noted him as interesting a lead guitarist, comparing him to many other rising guitarists from other band in the decade. Commenting on Eddie's abilities during the show, he said the feedback never faltered, and his performance was a reminder that great rock music is fun, super-tight and never pompous. Ross concluded his review, agreeing with bassist Michael Anthony that Van Halen shouldn't change the basic sound the band developed.^[5]

Posting his review in the Leader-Post, Mike McVean gave the Regina, Saskatchewan performance he attended a positive review, opening that the 5,750 euphoric fans in attendance weren't disappointed - which ranged from 12 to 18 year olds having compared them to being like cattle going to the slaughterhouse. He noted that the band had put on a "cranium-splitting show" which featured a minimum of definition and clarity of lyric and a maximum of energy throughout the performance, sticking to what the show was about as he cited: "heavy metal hard rock". He praised both the quality of Eddie Van Halen's guitar work and David Lee Roth's vocals, comparing them to being a Robert Plant-style presence but criticized that the guitar riffs and leaps were of much relevance stating that one brick does not make a wall of sound.^[6] Concert attendee Verna Mogk was very disappointed with McVean's review, stating that they did not feel like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse, and did not appreciate being referred to that way. They noted on the fantastic musical abilities of the band with evidence of the loud applause the audience gave to them, remarking that McVean should check with his family physician for migrane relief after his "cranium-splitting" comment, with hopes the band did not read the review he made, following an "excellent and entertaining show".^[7]

However, Ted Drozdowski from the Morning Record and Journal gave the New Haven performance a negative review, opening his review with stating the band was miserably poor in concert with the simple statement: "Van Halen stinks!" He stated that the band was very disorganized and immature with no sense of timing, featured a hate-inspired stage presence as well as noting on an ugly light show. Despite the stage show was he quoted as "sad", he stated that the band was nowhere near the quality and perfection of their studio recordings. He criticized that the band was trying to be a copy of Led Zeppelin, with the band's lack of intelligence preventing even a mediocre copy. Having noted on the various issues that the band members had, as well as Roth's performance, comparing him to a prancing fool who behaved like a headless chicken, he also referred to Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing, also accusing him of cheating to achieve his claim to fame. He concluded his review, stating it was a terrible performing band and a waste of the price on a concert ticket.^[8]

Setlist

1. "Light Up the Sky"
2. "Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
3. Alex Van Halen drum solo
4. "Runnin' with the Devil"
5. "Dance the Night Away"
6. "Beautiful Girls"
7. "On Fire"
8. Michael Anthony bass solo
9. "You're No Good"
10. "Jamie's Cryin'"
11. "Fools" (Intro) and "Feel Your Love Tonight"
12. "Outta Love Again"
13. "Ice Cream Man"
14. "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
15. Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, "Spanish Fly" and "Eruption"
16. "You Really Got Me"

Encore

17. "Bottoms Up!"
18. "Growth", "Atomic Punk"

Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country and venue

Date	City	Country	Venue
North America
March 25, 1979	Fresno	United States	Selland Arena
March 26, 1979	Redding		Redding Civic Auditorium
March 27, 1979	Central Point		Compton Arena
March 29, 1979	Missoula		Adams Field House
March 30, 1979	Caldwell		O'Connor Field House
March 31, 1979	Logan		Smith Spectrum
April 3, 1979	Tacoma		UPS Memorial Field House
April 5, 1979	San Rafael		Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium
April 6, 1979	San Jose		San Jose Performing Arts Theater
April 7, 1979
April 8, 1979	Los Angeles		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (California World Music Festival #2)[9]
April 10, 1979	Reno		Centennial Coliseum
April 12, 1979	Seattle		Seattle Center Arena
April 13, 1979
April 14, 1979	Spokane		Spokane Coliseum
April 16, 1979	Portland		Jantzen Beach Ice Arena
April 17, 1979
April 18, 1979	Vancouver	Canada	Pacific Coliseum
April 19, 1979	Spokane	United States	Spokane Coliseum
April 21, 1979	Boulder		Balch Fieldhouse
April 22, 1979
April 24, 1979	Kansas City		Kansas City Music Hall
April 26, 1979	Chicago		Aragon Ballroom
April 27, 1979
April 28, 1979	St. Louis		Checkerdome
April 29, 1979	Indianapolis		Market Square Arena
May 1, 1979	Detroit		Detroit Masonic Temple
May 2, 1979
May 3, 1979	Kalamazoo		Wings Stadium
May 5, 1979	Cincinnati		Riverfront Coliseum
May 6, 1979	Louisville		Louisville Gardens
May 7, 1979	Pittsburgh		Stanley Theatre
May 8, 1979	Toledo		Toledo Sports Arena
May 9, 1979	Buffalo		Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
May 11, 1979	Washington, D.C.		Warner Theatre
May 12, 1979	New York City		Palladium
May 13, 1979	Boston		Orpheum Theatre
May 15, 1979	Toronto	Canada	Maple Leaf Gardens
May 16, 1979	London		London Gardens
May 17, 1979	Syracuse	United States	Manley Field House
May 18, 1979	Rochester		Rochester Community War Memorial Arena ("Don Kirshner's Rock Concert")
May 19, 1979	Philadelphia		Spectrum
May 30, 1979	Atlanta		Fox Theatre
May 31, 1979	Charlotte		Charlotte Coliseum
June 1, 1979	Norfolk		Scope Arena
June 2, 1979	Raleigh		Carter–Finley Stadium (June Jam)
June 4, 1979	Knoxville		Knoxville Civic Coliseum
June 5, 1979	Birmingham		Boutwell Memorial Auditorium
June 7, 1979	Memphis		Mid-South Coliseum
June 8, 1979	Little Rock		Barton Coliseum
June 9, 1979	Dallas		Cotton Bowl (Texxas Jam)[10]
June 10, 1979	New Orleans		The Superdome (A Day of Rock 'N' Roll)
Europe
June 14, 1979	Brussels	Belgium	Forest National
June 15, 1979	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Jaap Edenhal
June 17, 1979	Düsseldorf	West Germany	Philips Hall
June 18, 1979	Offenbach		Stadthalle Offenbach
June 19, 1979	Munich		Circus Krone Building
June 21, 1979	Lyon	France	Palais des Sports de Gerland
June 22, 1979	Paris		Pavillon de Paris
June 25, 1979	Birmingham	England	Birmingham Odeon
June 26, 1979	Newcastle		Newcastle City Hall
June 27, 1979	Manchester		Manchester Apollo Theatre
June 28, 1979	London		Rainbow Theatre
June 29, 1979
North America
July 5, 1979	Jacksonville	United States	Jacksonville Exhibition Hall
July 6, 1979	West Palm Beach		West Palm Beach Auditorium
July 7, 1979	Miami		Miami Jai-Alai Fronton Arena
July 8, 1979	Lakeland		Lakeland Civic Center
July 10, 1979	Corpus Christi		Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum
July 11, 1979	Houston		Houston Music Hall
July 12, 1979
July 14, 1979	Amarillo		Amarillo Civic Center
July 15, 1979	Midland		Chaparral Center
July 16, 1979	Austin		Austin Municipal Auditorium
July 17, 1979	San Antonio		San Antonio Convention Center
July 19, 1979	Wichita		Century II Concert Hall
July 20, 1979	Tulsa		Tulsa Assembly Center
July 21, 1979	Oklahoma City		Gaylord Performing Arts Theater
July 22, 1979	Lincoln		Pershing Memorial Auditorium
July 24, 1979	Saint Paul		St. Paul Civic Auditorium
July 25, 1979
July 26, 1979	Dubuque		Five Flags Arena
July 27, 1979	Springfield		Illinois State Armory
July 28, 1979	Trotwood		Hara Arena
August 10, 1979	Portland		Cumberland County Civic Center
August 11, 1979	Asbury Park		Asbury Park Convention Hall
August 12, 1979	New Haven		New Haven Coliseum
August 14, 1979	Cleveland		Cleveland Music Hall
August 15, 1979
August 17, 1979	Springfield		Springfield Civic Center
August 18, 1979	South Yarmouth		Cape Cod Coliseum
August 20, 1979	Madison		Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum
August 21, 1979	Milwaukee		Milwaukee Auditorium
August 25, 1979	Oakland		Oakland Civic Auditorium
August 26, 1979
Japan
September 3, 1979	Kyoto	Japan	Kyoto Kaikan
September 5, 1979	Fukuoka		Fukuoka Kyuden Kinen Gymnasium
September 7, 1979	Nagoya		Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall
September 8, 1979	Kurashiki		Kurashiki Civic Cultural Hall
September 10, 1979	Osaka		Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
September 11, 1979
September 13, 1979	Tokyo		Nippon Budokan
North America
September 18, 1979	Edmonton	Canada	Northlands Coliseum
September 19, 1979	Calgary		Stampede Corral
September 22, 1979	Regina		Agridome
September 23, 1979	Winnipeg		Winnipeg Convention Centre
September 25, 1979	Duluth	United States	Duluth Arena
September 27, 1979	Bismarck		Bismarck Civic Center
September 28, 1979	Rapid City		Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
September 29, 1979	Billings		MetraPark Arena
October 2, 1979	Tucson		Tucson Community Center
October 3, 1979	Phoenix		Phoenix Exhibition Hall
October 6, 1979	San Diego		San Diego Sports Arena
October 7, 1979	Inglewood		The Forum

Box office score data

Date
(1979)! scope="col" style="width:13em;"

City	Venue	Attendance	Gross
April 3	Tacoma, United States	UPS Memorial Field House	4,200	$35,158	[11]
April 5	San Rafael, United States	Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium	2,028	$16,974
May 7	Pittsburgh, United States	Stanley Theatre	3,697	$30,058	[12]
May 13	Boston, United States	Orpheum Theatre	2,000	$28,729
July 10	Corpus Christi, United States	Memorial Coliseum	6,113	$45,985	[13]
July 15	Midland, United States	Chaparral Center	4,076	$33,581
August 11	Asbury Park, United States	Convention Hall	3,946	$35,652	[14]
August 12	New Haven, United States	Coliseum	7,400	$60,750
September 27	Bismarck, United States	Civic Center	6,119	$52,529	[15]
September 28	Rapid City, United States	Rushmore Plaza	6,831	$57,946
September 29	Billings, United States	MetraPark Arena	9,151	$77,516

Personnel

• Eddie Van Halen – guitar and background vocals
• David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar on "Ice Cream Man"
• Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
• Alex Van Halen – drums

References

General sources

• Book: Tolinski . Brad . Gill . Chris . Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen . 2021 . Hachette Books . New York, New York . 9780306826672 . First . en.
• Book: Christopher . Michael . Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock . 2021 . Backbeat . Lanham, Maryland . 9781493062102 . en.

Notes and References

1. News: Van Halen . March 10, 2022 . The Spokesman-Review . April 1, 1979 . Spokane, Washington . F3 . en . The rock group Van Halen, whose first LP sold more than 2 million copies, appear at the Spokane Coliseum at 8 p.m. April 14..
2. News: Van Halen on again . March 10, 2022 . The Spokesman-Review . April 17, 1979 . Spokane, Washington . 15 . en.
3. Book: Life: Van Halen . 2020 . Meredith Corporation . 9781547856466 . en.
4. George . Nelson . Talent in Action: Van Halen, Robert Fleishman & The Strangers . Billboard . May 26, 1979 . 91 . 20 . 42 . March 10, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.
5. News: Ross . Bob . Van Halen concert was irresistibly entertaining . March 10, 2022 . St. Petersburg Times . July 10, 1979 . St. Petersburg, Florida . 3D . en.
6. News: McVean . Mike . Van Halen didn't disappoint young fans at the Agridome . March 10, 2022 . The Leader-Post . September 24, 1979 . 12 . en.
7. News: Mogk . Verna . Disappointed . March 10, 2022 . The Leader-Post . October 5, 1979 . Regina, Saskatchewan . 7 . en.
8. News: Drozdowski . Ted . Frankly, Van Halen disappointed a bit . March 10, 2022 . The Morning Record and Journal . August 18, 1979 . Meriden, Connecticut . A-11 . en.
9. News: L.A. police endorse rock concert; warn no law enforcement change . March 10, 2022 . Lodi News-Sentinel . March 28, 1979 . Lodi, California . 20 . en.
10. News: What's happening!: Concerts . March 10, 2022 . Mid Cities Daily News . June 8, 1979 . 2 . en . Texas World Music Festival. Texxas Jam. Saturday at 1 p.m. Cotton Bowl, Dallas. Gates open at 11 a.m..
11. Top Box Office . Billboard . April 21, 1979 . 91 . 16 . 36 . March 10, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.
12. Top Box Office . Billboard . May 26, 1979 . 91 . 20 . 41 . March 10, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.
13. Top Box Office . Billboard . July 28, 1979 . 91 . 30 . 42 . March 10, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.
14. Top Box Office . Billboard . August 25, 1979 . 91 . 34 . 50 . February 6, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.
15. Top Box Office . Billboard . October 13, 1979 . 91 . 41 . 48 . February 6, 2022 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . 0006-2510.