Do you remember your first Van Halen concert?
I was 16 at the time and I remember mine like it was yesterday, if yesterday was Sunday, November 28th, 1982.
I grew up in a small town on the Gulf Coast, so the only way to get to a major venue capable of handling the bombastic sound and lights from the early 80’s touring rock acts was to travel.
Luckily I had a high school friend who owned his own car, and after some plotting and finagling on our part, we convinced our parents to let us go to the concert. It took at least six months of saving every dime I earned at the local arcade, before I had enough to get tickets and all the Merch. I was for sure going to buy. I had my Mom pick up tickets for all of us from Sears where she worked (yep – Sears sold concert tickets at one point!). I think the tickets were about $10 – $12 bucks general admission, oh yeah without the extra ticket fee. F-You Ticketmaster !!
The sound system in his car was so good, I remember it made the hour-long road trip to Mobile, Alabama fly by. We were on our way to see the Mighty VAN HALEN on their Diver Down Tour, dubbed by the band “The Hide Your Sheep Tour.”
This was a big deal because it was not only my first concert, but my first trip on my own without the parental units.The atmosphere in Mobile that night was awesome. Eight to nine thousand rock-and-rollers all there to have a good time. Booze, beautiful women, heavy smoke fog, laced with the scent of wacky tobaccy in the air, and ear-piercing hard rock music. What more could a 16 year old kid want?
The doors opened and my friend and I sprinted as fast as we could to the front. I staked out my space about 10 people deep from the barrier at the front of the stage, right between center stage and Edward Van Halen’s side of the stage. I still have a few pictures I took from that spot that evening. But what I remember most is that there is no better feeling in the world than the excitement that fills the air when the house light go off and the intro tape begins to play before the band hits the stage in a bath of lights. I don’t remember the intro, but I do remember a smear of instruments cranking up to an ear splitting level and a deep voice introducing very loudly and proudly the “Mighty VAN HALEN” and with that, spotlights hitting Eddie for the intro to “Romeo’s Delight” just as Diamond Dave pulled out one of his famous round house kicks – Freakin Killer!! And Loud.
The show was great as they played songs covering to that point all five albums. I remember they played a lot from Diver Down (“Hang Em High,” “Intruder,” “Secrets,” “Pretty Woman,” “Where Have All The Good Times Gone,” “Little Guitars,” “Full Bug,” “Cathedral”). I also remember wishing at the time, they would have played more from the older records, but all in all a great show. Dave, Michael, Alex and Eddie were all amazing that night and they left me with a memory that would last a lifetime, along with my ears ringing for an entire day after.
I bought a Tour Book (which I still have part of today), a t-shirt, and a VH necklace just like the ones Eddie and Alex wore. I’m pretty sure I bought other merch, but I can’t remember what and I don’t have any of it left today (oh, how I wish I did!).
Needless to say the following day at school, I sported my concert tee for all to see. I’m still not sure to this day how the hell we talked our parents into letting us go to that concert on a Sunday night, but I’m sure glad they did because obviously it’s had an impacting and lasting effect on me 35 years later.
Steven Michael
