The Van Halen Holy Grail: 1981 Oakland Footage
Mystery of the Fair Warning tour footage — Does a complete Oakland concert exist on film?
Anyone even remotely familiar with the third Indiana Jones film “The Last Crusade” is aware the film dealt with Dr. Jones pursuit of the Holy Grail. Through much intrigue, action and hardship, Jones finally had the Grail in his grasp…
A similar chase has been undertaken by die-hard Van Halen fans and bootleg collectors for nearly thirty years now: the Sacred Footage of Van Halen’s three night stand at the Oakland Coliseum, June 11-13, 1981, which in and of itself constitutes the Holy Grail in Van Halen mythology.
This footage was filmed during the incredible Fair Warning tour, to be aired on MTV, as well as such television programs as Don Kirshner Rock Concert, Entertainment Tonight, and American Bandstand. The band even hoped that Solid Gold would at least air the “So This Is Love” video, but the program director refused, saying they wouldn’t air it unless the band made an in-person appearance, which never came to pass.
The only three songs from this taping that have ever aired are “Unchained,” “Hear About it Later” and “So This Is Love,” which together make up some of the most cherished footage of early Van Halen. Some fans consider the Fair Warning tour as the pinnacle of Van Halen’s powers, based on what precious little footage has circulated from the David Lee Roth era.
Since only three videos have emerged from this taping, this begs two questions from the VH faithful: Were any or all of the three Oakland concerts filmed in their entirety? And, if so, then where the hell is the footage??
As with any object bordering on myth-like status, the answer depends solely upon what the seeker wishes to believe. In interviews with The Inside magazine several years ago, Mike Anthony’s longtime bass tech, Kevin Dugan, expressed doubt that the shows were filmed in their entirety, and that only the three songs presently circulating were captured. A second former VH roadie, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Inside staff the same thing. He said that the reason the band didn’t film a whole show was simply because filming was very expensive and they felt there was no reason to film a whole concert when they just wanted to put together some videos for MTV. And then last year, when Michael Anthony told the Van Halen News Desk that, unfortunately, he, too, believes the full shows weren’t filmed, many fans considered that to be the final nail in the coffin.
Yet in a video interview coinciding with the original video release to TV in 1981, David Lee Roth confided in Los Angeles DJ, Jim Ladd. Roth implied that the complete shows were indeed filmed, yet most of the footage turned out to be unusable — a “dismal disaster” in Roth’s words. This is borne out by a careful study of the three videos, which reveal several quick cuts that appear to be from other songs or portions of the evening.
So if footage of a complete Fair Warning concert does indeed exist, who has it, and when is Van Halen finally going to release it?
This is where things get nebulously speculative. The band has never been exactly forthcoming with what resides in its vaults. And even if a member of Van Halen, tells you that it does or doesn’t exist, how much trust could you put in their memory?
The VHND has recently learned that the footage was jointly financed by Warner Bros. Records and Van Halen, and that Warner Bros. may not stand in Van Halen’s way if they wanted to release the footage, as both parties would simply share the profits.
So the footage could be in a warehouse owned by Time/Warner, and/or gathering dust in some closet at 5150 studios. In a recent interview Edward Van Halen has mentioned that the band has a stockpile of footage that remains unreleased, including “things like me playing guitar at the 6th grade talent show. There’s all kinds of cool and funny shit we could put out.” If this footage does exist and happens to be in rough shape, the technology is available today to make it potentially viable for release, either as a complete show, or as the three songs used as supplementary material in a home viewing package, as in the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD.
For the fans that have been seeking this material for nearly three decades, let’s hope the wait isn’t much longer.
The three classic videos:
Hear About It Later:
So This Is Love:
Unchained:
Filed under: David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Van Halen
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March 19th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Ok that was NOT fair, when i saw the headline i thought to myself “HOLY CRAP THEY FOUND IT!!!……(reading down)…. awww @#!$%#&”
March 19th, 2009 at 3:56 am
Highly doubtful a video exists, oh well!
March 19th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Wow - even old stuff isn’t being released, let alone new stuff. Didn’t think VH could actually go backwards?
March 19th, 2009 at 5:29 am
VH1-Classic runs those videos. Unchained is the best. They have so much energy. Of course that would be awesome if that concert footage was ever found and released. Just like it would be awesome if their last tour was.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:38 am
ATTENTION: REPEAT ATTENTION:
Get on the phone with Peter Bogdanovich (Tom Petty- Runnin Down A Dream DVD)and make a 2HR Long Van Halen Retrospective from the very beginning.
Repeat: Get on the phone with Peter Bogdanovich and make a Full length Van Halen documentary from front to back.
They are the only successful Rock Band that has never had a “Behind the Music” or a serious Documentary done.
This guy is one of the best.
Can ya see it: Van Halen-Running With The Devil…in stores now.
Peter Bogdanovich is his name. Call him. Oh ya..and it included Eddie, Alex, Mikey, Sammy, Dave, Gary, Valerie, Ted Templeman, Gene Simmons, Bruce, Rudy, Andy, and everyone else ever associated with this True American Rock Band from California.
Call him.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Sorry forgot something..
As part of the 2 CD set..You will get a full length Concert from the 2007-2008 Van Halen Tour..
Thanxs.
Call him. I’ll write it. We can write it.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I would rather have DVD gems like this instead of another Best of….
March 19th, 2009 at 6:30 am
When Fair Warning was released, DLR and AVH did several interviews with Jim Ladd Promoting Fair Warning and the upcoming tour. Jim Ladd is known for hosting Rockline, but he was a local DJ at KMET 98.7(a cool rock station at the time) back then in Los Angeles. I remember every time Ladd asked DLR a question, he really never got any straight answers from him. There was so much laughing and goofing off during these interviews that I think DLR and AVH had a plan just to run Jim Ladd in circles. The interviews were a lot of fun though! So who really knows if what DLR said to Jim Ladd about the tour footage is true or not. I along with most of you hope the entire film footage is out there - somewhere.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:44 am
WE KNOW ED HAS THE FOOTAGE,JUST LIKE LAST YEARS TOUR,WHICH WE KNOW WAS FILMED…AAAH..BUT WHY GIVE THEM WHAT THEY ALREADY SAW..SAYS ED..I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON SITE ARE GETTING SO NEGATIVE..ED DOESNT HAVE A CLUE WHAT YHE FANS WANT,OR HE DOESNT CARE,EITHER WAY WE CONTINUE TO GET NOTHING..
March 19th, 2009 at 6:50 am
ED SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE FANS THEY HAVE LEFT..CMON ED WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR..??YOUNGER GENERATIONS WONT HAVE A CLUE WHO THE HELL VAN HALEN IS..THROW US A BONE..
March 19th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Excellent posts so far on this very frustrating topic. Eddie continues to send out mixed messages as usual. For example, on the one hand he always gives off the impression that he either needs money or is just really greedy, whether it be hawking the new guitar or auctioning off guitars on Ebay like he did in 2004. While on the other hand, if he really needs money or was that greedy, then why doesn’t he just release all this stuff from the vault. I mean let’s face it as frustrated as most of us all are, we would still snag all that unreleased stuff up as soon as it came out!
March 19th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Imho, this was allways the worst part about being a VH-fan. “Oh! We got this, that and the other-thing but that footage is just gonna gather dust. But we thought you’d like to know”.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Good and very interesting article. Thanks VHND!
I hope someone finds or EVH releases this footage.
I watch “Hear about it later” almost on a daily basis. The footage is just great and it sounds so live. What a band!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:28 am
IF VAN HALEN DOES NOT LET US HAVE IT WITH BOTH BARELLS THIS SUMMER ,I FOR ONE, WILL BE VERY DISSAPOINTED..I COULD SEE ED JUST RECORDING ONE OR MAYBE TWO NEW TUNES WITH ROTH AND THEN TOURING WITH ONE OR TWO NEW TUNES AND THE OLD STUFF THEY DIDNT PLAY LAST TIME..WE HAVENT HEARD FROM ROTH IN FOREVER!!WHERE ARE YOU DAVE..??
March 19th, 2009 at 8:43 am
unchained live in Oakland 1981: best live video ever!!!
March 19th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Danoosh…if you don’t find your damn CAPS LOCK key, then I will be “very dissapointed.”
March 19th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Cool videos. Seen these 3 a million times. Always sticks in
my head when Edward f’s up and comes in too soon with the first verse in “Unchained”. The rest of the band never misses a beat though and keeps him on track.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:53 am
“In a recent interview Edward Van Halen has mentioned that the band has a stockpile of footage that remains unreleased.”
Hmmm… where have we heard this one before? C’MON ED! Do something…anything!
March 19th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Yeah c’mon Ed give US a break! It’s like cracking the Van-Da Vinci-Halen code with those guys. They send mixed signals out there and bam! oh we’re not gonna do that.I’ve been a Halen fan since day 1 as much as everyone on here has at some point in time but in the later years it has just gotten weird and i have to say they have lost some of their luster with me.They always put me in a good mood when i hear them but the latest news of them has really been turning me off. Also why not give us what alot of us haven’t saw? Not all of us could afford tickets to your concerts in this economical and financially hard time when we really wanted to! So once again C’mon Ed, GIVE US A BREAK!
March 19th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
The energy was amazing. I miss Mikey!
This is my favorite-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzTFFuEOJj4
March 19th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Because of my age, I came into VH a little later. My first concert was 1983 at the Hollywood Sportatorium in South Florida. $10 for GREAT seats. It is, was, and forever will be the greatest show I’ve ever seen. I’d kill for a full length dvd of any of their concerts with Dave. They didn’t film the whole show because of expense? Huh? They used to brag about how many semi’s it took to drag their shit around. They are already filming parts of a show, how much could it cost to film the whole thing? That’s just stupid. If Ed snorted a little less coke, then maybe he could have afforded more film. If Dave bought a few less condoms…..LOVE YA DAVE!
March 19th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Edward, get off your as* or have Matt your tech go through that stuff and get it over with.
A. And if you dont know how to do it, you get your assitant to get it all transferred to video.
B. Take the time to sit and watch the stuff. Make three groups, 1. keeper 2. maybe 3. no
C. Take a break, then come back and work on putting together the keepers and maybes (maybes should be used as dvd extras), and get a video editor to get it all together.
If you’re too busy or lazy, hell Ill go through it for you.
And you hit the ground runnin’
David Alexander
Warner Bros,
Burbank, Ca
March 19th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
theREALchris,
GREAT POST!!!! The best so far!!!!!
March 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Just sending props out to ‘theRealchris’……Hey Danoosh…Not trying to attack you bud , But laying off the caps’ for a while would really be cool….anyways , Best live footage of Van Halen . Alex is on fire , Mikey is killing it on bass , Ed is playing the best Ive ever heard him live on this material and Roth…A frigging Running jumping scissor kick that’s about 9 feet high and singing pretty damn good at the same time ( well , in the same song ) This is the reason I got into music
March 19th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Ladies and Gentlemen, that was a f&*kin Rock Show!
I was so amped when I saw the headline to. Thought this was it. Can you imagine cracking an ice cold beer, cranking up the surround sound and watching this concert in full on DVD? Or how about even a bolder statement, the last tour on Blu Ray? From what Michael Anthony says, Alex’s poitn of view is “Would Led Zeppelin release stuff like that”. The answer sir is Yes. Hey VH, you want to rake in even more money? Release this stuff and I will fork out some serious jack. Come on Ed, its what us lifelong VH fans dream of.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
If they do release The Fair Warning 1991 Oakland Concert Vid , I’ll buy it but I also hope that they’ll release the 2007-2008 Tour as well. The Two Best of VH Roth Era’s Concert tours.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Think about it, how much would we be willing to pay for the full Oakland concert on DVD packed in a fancy box with some exclusive photo’s?
March 19th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I have a full concert on my computer from around this time. Romeo Delight starts off the show in San Bernadino and Dave forgets the “fn” words. There is only a small break in video during the time Dave is strumming his guitar and getting ready to sing Ice Cream Man. I don’t know if this is the same tour for sure but its over an hour and very intertaining!
March 19th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
We all be waiting just as long for new music as we have been for the release of the 1981 show. It aint gonna happen.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
notice how on youtube they just started taking down all the 78 promos. hopefully that might meen something. think of all the bootlegs sold. all the money they lost out on.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
That was the US” festival Pete…Not as good,not nearly as good as the 81 show
March 19th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Danoosh you’re 100% correct.
If the footage from 1981 wasn’t that great - that’s ok with us. The only people who are going to buy it are us. There aren’t going to be any new fans (to impress anymore, just us old die-hards.) All the kids these days are all pumped about what Van Halen is doing.. LOL.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Eddie is awesome, Van Halen is awesome, but they suck at the same time. So much drama and unnecessary aggravation. Iron Maiden is the real deal. They are Entertaining and they give their fans plenty. I am not sure what is up VH’s ass, but frankly tired of it. They have so much potential material to keep us entertained until something happens with an album. There is no business plan here. Eddie acts as if we are not worthy of their time. Van Halen is a great band, but without their fans, no need for a career. The garage door would be their biggest audience and perhaps the water heater as well. No need to gripe or whine about it. There is other bands who would love our attention.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
They should release a live album with DLR, I would prefer and old show like the 1981 Oakland show. Hell Sammy got a live album with VH it is only fair that we should get a DLR one too. Release it along with new material, a double album. I bet it would beat Metallica’s new album in terms of sales and definately beat GNR latest. The marketing aspect alone could be killer. Albums do not sell like they used too, you need a sweat angle. They have it…as long as they have master tapes of the old shows.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:28 am
I had the luck of being at all three 1981 Oakland concerts. I had graduated from high school in Sacramento just one week earlier and VH was a perfect way to start of my 18th summer.
The footage is from the third night’s show, according to an old DLR interview I once saw. He said the first night they didn’t play well (not true, they kicked ass!) and the second night the audio recording got botched up some how. But that everything worked for the third night’s efforts.
I remember all three shows being filming by a legit film crew, not one of Roth’s bogus crews he used to trick the crowd into getting all revved up. (He used to have a roadie come out with an empty camera and pretend to film the crowd for a concert movie they were supposedly making. Roth/VH has talked about this in a few interviews.) I know the film crew was legit because I could see them changing the film magazine on the side of the stage. (My uncle worked in the movie biz and I’ve watched him change film on his old 16mm camera several times.)
I also remember the film crew all over the place on the first night, but less so on the other nights. I definitely remember them filming Ed’s solo because I remember thinking the camera man was one lucky SOB to be on stage standing 10 feet away from Ed.
My guess is that there is more footage laying around somewhere because that film crew was there for more than just three songs. If you look at one of the three Oakland videos (I forget which one), the song starts off with the giant VH blinking light, then segues into a shot of Ed on stage. That huge blinking VH light was the overhead lighting truss. At the end of the show, the light truss lowered and swung 90 degrees to the front of the stage, and then started flashing the VH logo, which lit up the entire arena. It was a cool thing and caught everyone in the crowd by surprise (talk about leaving the crowd wanting more!).
So, if the film crew captured the very end of the show and mixed in that footage to one of the other videos released by Warner Bros, you know damn well they shot a lot of footage. In other words, if they only filmed those three songs that we all know, then explain why there is footage from the end of the show. They filmed a lot. That’s the answer.
I remember going out to eat at Denny’s after the third show. Me and my two friends had on our new VH concert shirts, and these two other guys, maybe 30 years old, said, “Oh fuck, VH was tonight?! Dude, we missed it!” I thought to myself, “How the fuck can you so lame to miss a VH show?! I was anticipating that show for the six weeks before the concert!”
On a side note, I saw VH play the very same Oakland Arena in December 2007. I hadn’t been there in 25 years. It seemed smaller than it looks in the 1981 footage, and the show was a little less energetic (not a criticism). The crowd was really into it though. But nothing matched the crowd of that 1981 show. That crowd was so loud that I could not hear what show VH was playing until the end of the first number. All three nights were like that. Those shows are near the top of my list of dates/places/people I’d want to revisit if I could. It was that magical. I still feel lucky to have been a part of it.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:27 am
check out 2Dorks.com… Joe Walsh is playing a EBMM EVH
March 20th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Erick I’d pay up to $200.00 for the Oakland dvd ! I’m a Van Halen Groupie!!!!
March 20th, 2009 at 6:51 am
If they can’t release the video, give us the concert on audio then. I wouldn’t mind that at all. I transferred the Live Without A Net DVD to mp3 format and listen to it all the time in my car and on my bike.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:01 am
ed goes on a 10 year high atus and then turns around,gets back together with dave,a pulls off a 93 million dollar tour.no other fans in the world would have stuck around a long as we have..ed is a thankless …we cant even have the dvd (because we already saw it)..thse guys had better do something soon or they will lose what fans they have left.ed has done everthing possible to kill his fan base..yet were still here.why?
March 20th, 2009 at 7:10 am
EDVH , never had a real job,has no financial concerns, never punched a time clock,its a good thing the rest of the world doesnt live at eds pace..he just doesnt get it..when were born,we only have so many heartbeats,i think mine are going to run out before ed wakes up….
March 20th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Danoosh!!!! Sweet Jesus, he found the key!
But I have to say….I myself would love to go on a “high atus.” It sounds like a fucking party, man! And that footage kicked a little old school ass just the way it should. Somebody mentioned how Ed comes in too early on Unchained (for the verse) and how cool it all worked out, and I totally agree. VH please release another Live Album!!!
March 20th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I’m sure most of the people who visit this site have a jillion bootlegs already. I have probably 50 audios and 10 videos from ‘84 and before. Don’t wait for Ed to release stuff. Find it yourself.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:03 am
This was the best tour. I have seen them over 20 times now since the Anahiem Ca show in 1978 with the fake parachute and with Sammy Hagar opening and black sabbath (with ozzy) and Boston headlining. I have incredible front row pictures (with a 110mm camera)
from the famed “home ground” night. The first show in LA 6/19/81 sports arena after the oakland show. We even made a “WELCOME HOME” banner that Dave held up during Mean streets. It was the pinnacle of VH Live. We did run into Cynthia Fox of the old KMET radio station (which was 94.7fm not 98.7).The opening of the show with “on Fire” set the pace and it never letup till the end. The best VH show period.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Thanks for the correction kauaisrfr. I was going off of a 28 year old memory fart. I’m surprised I didn’t say KLOS. Thanks again.
March 20th, 2009 at 11:46 am
ed knows he could fart into a microphone and we would buy it..they could tour 5 years from now just on the fair warning album and turn another 93 million.thats why he,s in no rush…dave repeatedly said before the last years tour that they were a new band…yeah right, there a new band that hasnt released a single friggin tune.
March 20th, 2009 at 11:48 am
scar,erick.,ben,all you diehards..how long can we hang on to the dream??
March 20th, 2009 at 11:50 am
dream another dream,the dream is over.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Wow, for a die hard Daver you cetainly picked an obscure Van Hagar tune to quote.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Easy Big C…
March 20th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Oh, I mean no harm. Just being annoying.
March 20th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I know….Just giving you grief…although what you said was friggin funny….But the votes are in…WE WANT NEW MUSIC…..sorry about the cap’s…heh.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
the dream is over is a very underated song.i think ed’s tank is empty or we would have had new stuff a long time ago.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:29 am
Great vids truly great love to have seen this tour .
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:06 am
CAN ANYONE TELL ME THE POINT IN THE NEWS DESK RELEASING 30 YEAR OLD VIDEOS, WHEN PROFESSIONAL FOOTAGE OF THE ENTIRE ‘07/’08 TOUR EXISTS?? EVERY TRUE HALEN FAN HAS ALREADY SEEN THIS, KNOWS THIS SHIT IS “DOPE”, THAT “FAIR WARNING” IS THE BEST ALBUM & THAT THIS IS THE BEST VERSION OF THE BAND. EDDIE, IF YOU READ THESE COMMENTS, YOU MUST THINK YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE FOREVER? WHY TELL THE FANS ABOUT A LIVE CD/DVD AND THEN SLAP US IN THE FACE, BY REFUSING TO RELEASE IT?? THE FANS SUPPORTED YOU AND YOUR SON, WITH THE HIGHEST GROSSING TOUR OF YOUR LIFE & YOU TREAT US LIKE THIS?
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:48 am
BTW… I saw the Fair Warning tour 4 times. Incredible.
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:21 am
caps button on the left.
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:58 am
I HAD THE HONOR OF BEING AT ONE OF THESE OAKLAND SHOWS. I WENT THE FIRST NIGHT ON 6-11. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CONCERT I HAVE EVER ATTENDED. THE BANDS ENERGY WAS UNREAL AND YES THEY WERE AT THEIR PEAK. I SAW THEM ON TWO TOURS BEFORE AND THE TWO AFTER AND THIS WAS THE BEST. I WAS STAGE RIGHT ABOUT 10 ROWS OFF THE FLOOR AND THE ENERGY AND SOUND MELTED MY FACE OFF. I VERY MUCH REMEMBER THE SHOW BEING FILMED. THERE WERE 3 LARGE CAMERAS IN THE PIT AND I REMEMBEROTH GYRATING HIS HIPS AND SINGING TO THE CAMERAS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. THE 3 VIDEOS WERE FILMED ON THE SECOND NIGHT BECAUSE I SAW SOME PICTURES OF THIS SHOW FROM FRIENDS THAT WENT THAT NIGHT. THE “OAKLAND SCARF” WAS WRAPPED AROUND EDDIES MICROPHONE IN THE PICTURE. SO IF THE FIRST NIGHT WAS FILMED ALSO, WERE IS IT NOW????? WOLFGANG… IF YOUR’E READING THIS, THEN TELL YOUR FATHER WE OLDER FANS ARE BEGGING FOR THIS RELEASE. WE DONT WANT TO BE IN OUR 60′S AND 70′S FINALLY HAVING THE CHANCE TO RELIVE THESE GREAT MOMENTS. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE SOUND AND POWER THAT HIT ME IN THE CHEST FROM THE OPENING OF ON FIRE TO THE CLOSING OF AINT TALKIN BOUT LOVE.
March 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
I think that if there were unearthed footage, it might be tough to release because any overdubs that need to be put in (a-la KISS Alive) might be hard to replicate (Dave’s voice has changed a bit, and Ed’s guitar tone is differed). There’s obvious overdubs on Hear about it Later, but that’s par for the course.
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
There’s got to be a lot more footage of the 3 shows at Oakland in 1981. If anyone would pay attention, during the “Unchained” video, at the 2:25 mark, you’ll notice that Ed’s guitar changes from the black/white model he’s using for 99.9% of the video, to the traditional red with black & white stripes Frankestein model that he made famous, and then back to the black/white model.
Surprised that nobody ever brings that up!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
This tour brings back sooo many memories !! Talk about cool it doesn’t get any better. I would love to have a DVD of this tour. My buddies and I tried to buy scalped tickets for this show in Buffalo and didn’t bring enough CASH !! AGH !
March 26th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I first saw the “Unchained” video on head bangers ball on mtv in 1988 when i was 13.
I could not believe what i was seeing and grabbed a tape recorder and recorded the audio off the tv.
I would listen to that tape for 6 years till i got a vhs tape with a bunch of rare VH footage and the 3 Oakland videos were on it.
Now you can just go to youtube are see all this classic stuff but back 10-20 years ago you had to pay $$$ for a vhs tape out of some magazine.
JB
March 27th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
The reason there has never been–and never will be–a concert DVD released with DLR is that he sucks live. He can’t sing the harmonies correctly let alone remember the words. It would be an utter embarrassment to everyone involved.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
If you wanna find something, find the video they shot for Fair Warning (dunno which song) with the dinosaurs.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
I agree with Dennis, someone has to find that video with the dinosaurs or at least let us know what video it was.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
If you won’t release any of your stuff, can you at least contact Delores Rhoads and have some Randy stuff put out.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
estos son unos de los mejopres videos de van halen de los 80’s
May 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
WHAT ABOUT THE 1979 TOUR? THREE SONGS WERE FILMED… BOTTOMS UP, YOU’RE NO GOOD AND DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY.
BOTTOMS UP HAS TO BE THE MOST ENERGETIC PERFORMANCE BY VH CAUGHT ON FILM. IT EVEN RIVALS UNCHAINED. I HOPE THIS STUFF GETS PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED UP AND RELEASED. THE TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
It’s a crime that all of the best video footage hasn’t been released by this time. At the very least, one would think that Eddie would want something as a testament to the band’s glorious past. Rare video concert footage and back stage footage is pricless, and I’m also one of those who has waited for ages for it to emerge.
I don’t know if a commercial home DVD release like this would be a diamond studded cash cow for the band, but you have to believe that it would move a lot of units. There are fans who have been onboard with this band since the beginning, and it’s time now for an extensove retrospective piece to be done. VH is one of our last truly legendary rock bands, and now is the time for Eddie & the gang to sit down and start going through the vaults.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Yes call Pete Bogdonovitch, what he did with Tom Petty’s movie/documentry was Incredible!!!