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OU812 Tour
1988–1989 concert tour by Van Halen
1988–1989 concert tour by Van Halen
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| concert_tour_name | OU812 Tour |
| artist | Van Halen |
| start_date | May 27, 1988 |
| end_date | February 4, 1989 |
| album | OU812 |
| location | |
| number_of_legs | 4 |
| number_of_shows | 76 |
| last_tour | 5150 Tour |
| (1986) | |
| this_tour | OU812 Tour |
| (1988–1989) | |
| next_tour | For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour |
| (1991–1992) |
(1986) (1988–1989) (1991–1992) The OU812 Tour was a concert tour by the American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their studio album OU812.
Background
Van Halen began their tour with a United States leg known as the "Monsters of Rock" tour through 23 cities alongside Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come which would feature a specially constructed stage with lights and state-of-the-art sound equipment. The tour originated when promoter Louis Messina had approached the band and suggested a five-band summer long tour, up to which the band didn't hesitate to sign. In the end, the leg itself was a financial failure, though it would be their most expensive tour. Some of the cities the band performed in during the "Monsters of Rock" tour had however shown some success while there was confusion from the promoters where the tour didn't do well, bringing up speculation that the album wasn't familiar with the audience yet, while others stated that the shows were on a weekday while school was going on. During the show in East Troy, Hagar fell during the opening song on the set, receiving a minor tailbone fracture. Despite his injury, he did finish the performance. Following the Monsters of Rock tour, the band did go on a brief hiatus before continuing the tour. On the second North American leg, Van Halen performed in smaller venues, wrapping up the tour with shows in Japan and Hawaii.
Reception
Mark Madden, a staff writer from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the performance at the Three Rivers Stadium a positive review. He acknowledged that more than 35,000 fans couldn't help but be struck when Eddie Van Halen's fleet fingers played through two hours of the band's biggest hits. Regarding Eddie's solo Madden added that the biggest technical sparkle was that he was successfully able to play within the context of his songs and did not play a bad solo that night. Including Hagar, Madden stated that he brought all the fun, with good vocals and songs - but didn't forget to add about Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen whom Madden stated were a quality foundation. During the conclusion of his review, Madden noted that the biggest strength for the band's performance was definitely their songs.
Jeff Bunch from the Spokesman Review gave the performance at the Albi Stadium a positive review. In his opening statement, Bunch stated that rock 'n' roll was alive and well in Spokane and that it was better than nothing. He noted on the music being "hot", bringing the crowd to decibel levels that matched the band's sound system which he cited as "powerful". He acknowledged the members' solos, with Eddie Van Halen's being cited as "magical" as he captivated the audience for nearly ten minutes with his lightning-quick fingers. Not forgetting Alex Van Halen or Hagar, he brought up their solos as well - referring to Hagar as a bundle of energy, adding that he is a consummate showman. Bunch concluded his review, stating that it was a great concert, and that people got their money's worth, though he did say that it would be hard to say if the band's show had lived up to its expectations.
Jerry Spangler from the Deseret News gave the Salt Palace performance he attended a mixed review. He stated that while the band had shown to be the best there is on the hard rock circuit, they still lacked the style that could one day make them one of the best bands of all time, referring to them as a good time to a near-capacity crowd they performed for. Spangler noted on one of the show's highlights when Hagar had taken center stage for an acoustic guitar solo, praising it as "warm" and "optimism". He cited that Hagar was the surprise for the show aside from the characteristic of Eddie Van Halen, but did criticize that confidence Hagar presented would translate into inanities.
"The first time I went to a 'big' concert was the Monsters of Rock in 1987 (sic), at a stadium in DC: Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions and Van Halen," recalled Dave Grohl. "Standing far enough from the stage that it was taking four seconds for the sound of the snare drum to hit me made no sense at all."
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1988 | East Troy | United States | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | ||||||||
| May 28, 1988 | |||||||||||
| May 29, 1988 | |||||||||||
| title=Entertainment events to remember | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vT5OAAAAIBAJ&dq=van+halen+monsters+of+rock&pg=PA14&article_id=3119,3832399 | access-date=April 9, 2022 | issue=184 | publisher=Lakeland Ledger | date=April 23, 1988 | location=Lakeland, Florida | page=3C | language=en}} | Miami | Orange Bowl | |
| June 5, 1988 | Tampa | Tampa Stadium | |||||||||
| June 10, 1988 | Washington, D.C. | RFK Stadium | |||||||||
| June 11, 1988 | Philadelphia | JFK Stadium | |||||||||
| June 12, 1988 | Foxborough | Sullivan Stadium | |||||||||
| June 15, 1988 | Pittsburgh | Three Rivers Stadium | |||||||||
| June 17, 1988 | Pontiac | Silverdome | |||||||||
| June 18, 1988 | |||||||||||
| June 19, 1988 | Buffalo | Rich Stadium | |||||||||
| title=Van Halen's 'Monsters of Rock' booked for Akron June 22-23 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8Y_AAAAIBAJ&dq=van+halen+monsters+of+rock&pg=PA14&article_id=2494,5833450 | access-date=April 9, 2022 | publisher=The Vindicator | date=May 13, 1988 | location=Youngstown, Ohio | page=23 | language=en}} | Akron | Rubber Bowl | ||
| June 23, 1988 | |||||||||||
| June 25, 1988 | Oxford | Oxford Plains Speedway | |||||||||
| June 26, 1988 | East Rutherford | Giants Stadium | |||||||||
| June 27, 1988 | |||||||||||
| July 2, 1988 | Houston | Rice Stadium | |||||||||
| July 3, 1988 | Dallas | Cotton Bowl | |||||||||
| July 6, 1988 | Indianapolis | Hoosier Dome | |||||||||
| July 9, 1988 | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | |||||||||
| July 10, 1988 | Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium | |||||||||
| July 13, 1988 | Minneapolis | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |||||||||
| July 17, 1988 | San Francisco | Candlestick Park | |||||||||
| July 20, 1988 | Spokane | Joe Albi Stadium | |||||||||
| July 24, 1988 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
| July 27, 1988 | Seattle | Kingdome | |||||||||
| July 30, 1988 | Denver | Mile High Stadium | |||||||||
| September 30, 1988 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | |||||||||
| October 1, 1988 | Cincinnati | Riverfront Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 3, 1988 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 4, 1988 | Antioch | Starwood Amphitheatre | |||||||||
| October 6, 1988 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 7, 1988 | Charlotte | Charlotte Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 8, 1988 | Knoxville | Thompson–Boling Arena | |||||||||
| October 11, 1988 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | |||||||||
| October 12, 1988 | Uniondale | Nassau Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 14, 1988 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | |||||||||
| October 15, 1988 | Syracuse | Carrier Dome | |||||||||
| October 17, 1988 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | |||||||||
| October 18, 1988 | Worcester | Centrum in Worcester | |||||||||
| October 20, 1988 | Richmond | Richmond Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 21, 1988 | Norfolk | Norfolk Scope | |||||||||
| October 22, 1988 | Philadelphia | Spectrum | |||||||||
| October 25, 1988 | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | |||||||||
| October 26, 1988 | Fort Wayne | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
| October 27, 1988 | |||||||||||
| October 28, 1988 | Milwaukee | Bradley Center | |||||||||
| October 30, 1988 | Notre Dame | Joyce Center | |||||||||
| October 31, 1988 | Cedar Rapids | Five Seasons Center | |||||||||
| November 1, 1988 | Ames | Hilton Coliseum | |||||||||
| November 4, 1988 | Valley Center | Kansas Coliseum | |||||||||
| November 5, 1988 | Lincoln | Bob Devaney Sports Center | |||||||||
| November 7, 1988 | Peoria | Peoria Civic Center | |||||||||
| November 8, 1988 | St. Louis | St. Louis Arena | |||||||||
| November 9, 1988 | |||||||||||
| November 11, 1988 | New Orleans | Lakefront Arena | |||||||||
| November 13, 1988 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | |||||||||
| November 15, 1988 | El Paso | UTEP Special Events Center | |||||||||
| November 16, 1988 | Tucson | Tucson Community Center | |||||||||
| November 17, 1988 | Phoenix | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
| November 19, 1988 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | |||||||||
| November 21, 1988 | Sacramento | ARCO Arena | |||||||||
| November 22, 1988 | Reno | Lawlor Events Center | |||||||||
| November 24, 1988 | Portland | Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||
| November 26, 1988 | Salt Lake City | Salt Palace |
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 19, 1989 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome |
| January 23, 1989 | Kyoto | Kyoto Pulse Plaza | |
| January 24, 1989 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall | |
| January 25, 1989 | |||
| January 27, 1989 | Hiroshima | Hiroshima Sun Plaza | |
| January 29, 1989 | Kyoto | Kyoto Pulse Plaza | |
| January 31, 1989 | Nagoya | Nagoya Rainbow Hall | |
| February 1, 1989 | Tokyo | Tokyo Dome | |
| February 2, 1989 | |||
| February 4, 1989 | Honolulu | United States | Neal S. Blaisdell Center |
| February 5, 1989 |
Personnel
- Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals, lead keyboards
- Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals, keyboards
- Alex Van Halen – drums
- Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, guitar
References
References
- (February 22, 1988). "Van Halen monster tour is sure to pack stadiums". Spokane Chronicle.
- (July 15, 1988). "Do you believe in Monsters? Summer tour has been struck by lightning - literally". The Spokesman-Review.
- (December 4, 2008). "Metallica Unbound: The Unofficial Biography". Hachette+ORM.
- (May 18, 2020). "Guitar Cultures". Routledge.
- (July 5, 1988). "Concert a monster loss for promoters". Observer-Reporter.
- (June 11, 1988). "Van Halen on tour for the fun of it". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- (June 21, 1988). "Heavy metal 'Monsters of Rock' tour right on track". Eugene Register-Guard.
- (July 29, 1988). "What's next for Monsters?". The Spokesman-Review.
- (June 16, 1988). "Eddie Van Halen's guitar work puts him among the greats". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- (July 20, 1988). "Some red-hot rock, but not monstrous". The Spokesman-Review.
- (November 29, 1988). "Van Halen has talent but lacks style". The Deseret News.
- Chick, Stevie. (July 2005). "The Mojo Interview".
- "Van Halen Tour Dates".
- (April 23, 1988). "Entertainment events to remember". Lakeland Ledger.
- (May 13, 1988). "Van Halen's 'Monsters of Rock' booked for Akron June 22-23". The Vindicator.
- (July 1988). "Music: Pop, Rock, Jazz, Etc.". Emmis Communications.
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