Expert: Andrea Murphy Date: 9/25/2005 Subject: Van Halen David Lee Roth Live videos
Question I am 29 and i have been a fan of David Lee Roth and of course of his amazing Van Halen days since the age of thirteen where i started to buy all Van Halen records and David solo records.
In all this time i have been really let down by the mediocre range of home video releases.I have always wanted to see a full live show of Van Halen of the early eighties with David Lee Roth.My qestion is have they ever been filmed live during the 1984 tour or previous tours?
Is it true that someone has a full version of the concert in 1981 where the videos of unchained, so this is love and hear about it later were picked?What prospects do we have for the future?Will the band one day ever release a DVD of an old live show?Does the band members or their label Warner Bros posess such material.The same question can be applied to David solo concerts.As far as you know is there live material of David of the eat'em and smile tour or the skycraper tour? Do you think that we can talk about lack of sensibility for the fans?.
Do you know any adress i can write to, to at least try to have some answers?
Thank you so much for your attention.
Paolo - Italy.
Answer Hi Paolo,
Good to hear from an overseas fan. The answer to your first question about filming 1984 and previous is yes...there are many audience recordings and a few professional. The US Festival in 1983, a Sao Paulo show in 1982, and a Largo,MD show come to mind as excellent examples. None have been commercially released.
In terms of the 1981 show, that is a big question. Van Halen has claimed in the past that most of the remaining footage of that show is damaged. I know fans and media have been in touch with VH about that show. It has never been released legally or as a bootleg. The band has also commented in the past that they only wish to move forward and not rerelease old footage. I have hopes of a boxed set of video perfomances, I know they taped a lot of shows.
There is also live content from DLR shows as well. Also, not commercially released. If you want to get in touch with someone affiliated with the band, try their webmaster at bradman@van-halen.com. I can tell you he has been asked these questions many times though.
If you really want to get your hands on some of these shows, your best option is vhtrading .com. If you are willing to trade blank media for shows, this is an excellent site to get a collection going. There may be some traders on the site from Italy as well. Just remember the main rule...do not offer to buy anything. The site has an excellent catalog of what is available, the traders on the site are great.
