Van Halen’s tour kicked off July 5th in Seattle — and, as at every show, VIP ticket holders got to witness the soundcheck, which is the highlight of the exclusive experience. Luckily for us, one VIP made a stealth recording of it, which you can hear above.
The three Van Halen’s tore through instrumental versions of some of the rarely played gems from the 2015 setlist, including “ON FIRE,” a ballbuster from the debut album, which hasn’t been played live since the 1984 tour! After “On Fire,” Eddie clarified that the band wasn’t going to be playing that one tonight. At his req, Eddie entertained song suggestions from the fans. One fan asked what his favorite songs are to play, and Ed answered lightheartedly, “That would be like picking a favorite child!” After the last song of the soundcheck, Eddie laughed, “I fucked up the solo on that one.”
Van Halen July 5th Soundcheck:
On Fire
Light Up the Sky
Drop Dead Legs
Dirty Movies
Romeo Delight
Runnin With the Devil
Chinatown
I’ll Wait