The Hide Your Sheep Tour was a
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
by
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 fifth studio album ''
Diver Down
''Diver Down'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Van Halen and was released on April 14, 1982. It spent 65 weeks on the album chart in the United States and had, by 1998, sold four million copies in the United States.
Background ...
''.
Background
When the North American leg for the tour had concluded, the band accepted an offer to perform in South America as they had never performed there. The South American leg was dubbed the "No Problems Tour" when they performed there for a month. After performing in South America, the band concluded the tour with a performance in San Bernardino, performing as a headliner for "Heavy Metal Day" on May 29, 1983 as part of the
US Festival
The US Festival (''US'' pronounced like the pronoun, not as initials) was the name of two early 1980s music and culture festivals in southern California, held east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino.
Background
Steve Wozniak, cofound ...
alongside headliners Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Triumph and Mötley Crüe. They were reportedly paid $1.5 million for their performance at the US Festival despite the disappointment of the festival's organizers. During this tour, Eddie Van Halen began to use Kramer guitars which had been endorsed in early 1982, notably with a custom double neck. Relations between the members of the band were beginning to hit an all-time low due to the constant partying, which resulted in the band arguing with one another, and creating grudges.
Reception
Pete Bishop from the ''Pittsburgh Press'' gave Van Halen's performance a mixed review. He opened by stating that the reader should forget the show for a moment, and note on the aspect of the show being David Lee Roth who Bishop wrote was giving an "obnoxious, disgusting exhibition" which the band did not need. He added about the fan response when they threw things on stage and jumped on stage only to get tossed back off while also noting on problems that happened before the show. When going to the show, he praised the entertainment and the lighting such as the strobe lights at the base of Alex Van Halen's drum platform. Adding to the term 'entertainment', Bishop stated that they were in the best physical rock 'n' roll tradition too - adding the praise to Roth's vocals. He however, criticized that the volume had ruled too often, drowning out Roth's vocals in a muddle of bass and drums, making it almost impossible to recognize songs.
Dave Stuckrath from the ''Lakeland Ledger'' gave the performance he attended in Lakeland a poor rating, opening his review by stating that the band was more spectacle than music. He criticized the set as being poorly paced and uneven - only to be saved by their pyrotechnic lighting effects. He also added about the deafening wall of sound which rendered the music and lyrics meaningless than their records. He noted that a Van Halen concert is flashy but was musically and emotionally empty, having to rely on gimmicks and Roth's usage of obscene words and gestures. According to Stuckrath, they did nothing but "degrade rock 'n' roll's past, including that there was nothing original about their music and behavior. He concluded his review, saying that the audience had missed the opening acts which he said were the most entertaining part of the evening. Following the posting of the review, Candy Blank, an attendee from the concert responded to Stuckrath's criticism, stating that the band was one of the best groups around and that the crowd loved every moment instead of being bored in which Stuckrath had claimed, adding that the music was fantastic. They ended their response, adding that the whole article needs a retraction and that Stuckrath should try basing his articles on fact and not prejudice and that he doesn't seem to know anything about good rock and what an audience likes.
Setlist
Songs played overall
#"
Romeo Delight"
#"
Unchained"
#
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 ...
drum solo
#"The Full Bug"
#"
Runnin' with the Devil
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a song by the American hard rock band Van Halen. Released as the second single from the band's 1978 eponymous debut album. The song lyrics were inspired by the funk band Ohio Players 1974 song "Runnin' from the De ...
"
#"Jamie's Cryin'"
#"
Little Guitars"
#"
Where Have All the Good Times Gone"
(
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
cover)
#
Michael Anthony bass solo
nd "1984"#"Hang 'Em High"
#"
Dancing in the Street
"Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...
"
(
Martha and the Vandellas cover)
#"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" (
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...
cover)
#"Little Dreamer"
#"Mean Street"
#"
So This Is Love?"
#"Cathedral" and "Secrets"
#"
Everybody Wants Some!!"
#"
Dance the Night Away"
#"Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
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Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
cover)]
#"Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran cover)
#"Ice Cream Man" (John Brim cover)
#"Heartbreak Hotel" (Elvis Presley cover)
#"Intruder" and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison cover)
#
"_and_"Eruption_(instrumental).html" "title="Spanish_Fly_(instrumental).html" "title="nd "Little Guitars" and "Mean Street" (Intros), "Spanish Fly (instrumental)">Spanish Fly