Thirty years ago this week, Van Halen performed during a surprise snowstorm in Denver! Those who were there will never forget it.
To commemorate the occasion, Sammy Hagar has just uploaded a two-minute video teaser from the band’s own video recording of the show! (Watch it, embedded above).
Sammy Hagar posted this today on social media:
Sammy: “I’ll never forget looking out and it looked like we were playing for 18,000 snowmen. Eddie ended up playing half the show with gloves with the fingertips cut out if you could imagine! We had giant heaters on stage you name it we did the whole show the craziest thing ever”
Michael: “The place was packed and everybody looked like a Q-tip out there. It was no big deal for the audience.”
Thirty years ago (on Sept. 20, 1995) in Denver at the Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, an unseasonal blizzard dumped up to eight inches of wet snow on the area, knocking down power lines and damaging millions of trees. However, that didn’t stop Van Halen from playing their show as planned at the 18,000-capacity outdoor venue, where a crowd braved the weather and engaged in snowball fights.
Van Halen’s lighting man during the tour, Chris Stuba, described that crazy night as “one of the most unusual and most memorable outdoor shows the band has ever done.” From our interview with Chris (conducted in 1996 for the magazine we published, The Inside.)
Here’s what he said about this special night:
“I will never forget the snowstorm in Denver. It was outrageous. First, let me say that just a couple of days earlier, we were in some city where it was 106°. When we got to Denver, it was cold and rainy. By 9:00 AM, it started snowing. Nobody in their wildest dreams thought it would snow – it was September! But it kept coming down. Out in the crowd, [at Fiddlers Green], there was no cover over the pavilion area. We were very worried. There was a point, around 3:00, when we didn’t know if the show was going to happen. Equipment could get seriously damaged. It was miserable. Finally, the band said, ‘All these people have been out in the snow for three hours – we can do it!'”
“During the show, things got a little hairy. But we just had to laugh. We had snowball fights with the guys on the back-line. Even the band was getting into it, and it was packing snow. All you have to do is scrape it off your shoulders.
“We had to make the best of it. The band made it easy because they had a great time with it. Even the guys on the crew who have been around for ten or fifteen years said it was the most unusual and most memorable outdoor show they had ever done. We ended up with nine inches on the ground! Thankfully, nothing went wrong and nobody got hurt.
Was the crowd miserable?
“No! That was the best part about it. The crowd made the whole thing great. Nobody expected it and they certainly weren’t dressed for it. Wally, our merchandising guy, did slamming business – they were buying everything in sight. I have some friends who were out in the middle of it. They said it was the most incredible concert experience of their lives. The whole crowd bonded because they were all going through the same thing. Eddie’s guitar got drilled by a snowball, and he started firing them back. Sammy slipped on his ass. I’d love to see the band’s videotape of the show!”
Incidentally, there was something besides the weather that made this show unique. The young boy featured on the cover of Balance lived in Denver, and was brought on stage partway through the show and introduced to the crowd. (No, that’s not Wolfgang Van Halen on the cover, as the long-standing rumor says).
The New EVH ‘Super ’78’ Flannel by Dixxon
EVH and Dixxon Flannel Company (“Flannels That Don’t Suck!”) are thrilled to announce their second collaboration – the Eddie Van Halen SUPER ’78 Flannel!
Paying tribute to Eddie Van Halen’s first iconic version of the famous Frankenstein design, the Super ’78. A black-and-white pattern inspired by a guitar and sound that redefined rock.
This collab piece is custom-built for those who live loud and unapologetically bold. Tough enough to keep up with your every move, yet sharp enough to stand out, this limited release brings high-voltage energy to your everyday rotation.
Available in men’s, women’s & youth versions.
The Flannel is now available at VanHalenStore.com
