The Balance Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

in support of their tenth studio album ''

Balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

''.

Background

The tour was dubbed the "Ambulance" Tour by Eddie Van Halen due to his hip injury caused by

avascular necrosis Avascular necrosis (AVN), also called osteonecrosis or bone infarction, is death of bone tissue due to interruption of the blood supply. Early on, there may be no symptoms. Gradually joint pain may develop which may limit the ability to move. C ...

, and his brother, drummer

Alex Van Halen Alexander Arthur Van Halen (; born May 8, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen. The band was formed in 1972 by Alex Van Halen, his younger brother Eddie, David Lee Roth, and Mark S ...

wearing a

neck brace A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support and immobilize a person's neck. It is also applied by emergency personnel to those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, and can be used to treat chronic m ...

for most of the tour, due to rupturing three vertebrae in his neck. Consequently, Eddie was a lot more static on stage. This would be the group's last tour with

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

on vocals until 2004. The opening night in Pensacola, and a combination of footage from the two Toronto shows were broadcast on Pay-Per-View. The band had not performed any shows as an opening act in over a decade, but on this tour they opened for veteran act Bon Jovi for several sold-out dates at stadiums due to Bon Jovi's huge appeal overseas.

Collective Soul Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of lead vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, drummer Johnny Rabb, and lead guitarist J ...

Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...

Our Lady Peace Our Lady Peace (sometimes shortened to OLP) is a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Led by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band currently also features Duncan Coutts on bass, Steve Mazur on guitars, and ...

, and

Brother Cane Brother Cane is an American rock band that released three albums in the 1990s. Formed in Alabama in 1990 by singer and guitarist Damon Johnson and bassist Glenn Maxey, the line-up was completed by guitarist Roman Glick and drummer Scott Collier ...

opened for Van Halen on the North American legs of the tour.

Reception

Joe Ehrbar, a correspondent from the ''Spokesman Review'', gave the performance he attended at The Gorge a positive review. He opened his review, talking about the state of the band with their injuries, suggesting that it be renamed "Van Handicapped", adding that Alex Van Halen didn't seem so enthusiastic about performing that night. After acknowledging the state of the band, he noted that the band gave an amazing performance with youthful energy and a steady stream of their hit songs, with the show getting better and more climactic. While he stated that the band was notorious over the years for delivering sloppy concerts, they had performed impeccably tight that night.

Setlists

North America #"Right Now" #"Big Fat Money" #"Why Can't This Be Love" #"Top Of The World" #"Not Enough" #"Bass Solo" #"The Seventh Seal" #"Amsterdam" #"Mine All Mine" #"Drum solo" #"Can't Stop Loving You" #"Feelin" #"I Can't Drive 55" #"Eagles Fly" #"Ain't Talkin Bout Love" #"Guitar Solo" #"You Really Got Me" #"Jump" #"There's Only One Way To Rock" #"Dreams" #"Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" #"Panama" Europe #"The Seventh Seal" #"Runaround" #"Best Of Both Worlds" #"Ain't Talkin Bout Love" #"When It's Love" #"Panama" #"Feelin" #"Guitar Solo" #"You Really Got Me" #"Dreams" #"Why Can't This Be Love" #"There's Only One Way To Rock" #"Jump" #"Right Now"

Tour dates

* The band opened for Bon Jovi at these shows.

Box office score data

Personnel

* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals * Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals, keyboards *

– drums *

– lead vocals, guitar Additional musician *

Alan Fitzgerald Francis Alan Fitzgerald (born July 16, 1949) is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the second bassist of Montrose and as keyboardist for Night Ranger. He has also performed with Gamma, and former Montrose bandmat ...

– keyboards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balance Ambulance Tour Van Halen concert tours 1995 concert tours