I like how Van Halen had a favored nation clause in their contract. When Bowie agreed to play the show for $1.5MM, VH received an extra $500K. Their lawyers/management were on top of their game.
I'm blessed to have been there. Loads of fun. The first day we did a lot of acid so it was really wierd. I enjoyed Oingo Boingo. I remember freaking out on the dude from Men at Works strange eyes. The Clash did seem agro but the sounded good. Heavy Metal day was hot as hell. These cute girls were trying to hook up we my friend and I but I was too much of a nerd and too high to seal the deal. What a dork I was! Anyway, Judas Priest blew my mind. Scorpions were awesome. Triumph was really good. Motley Crue sounded really off. Ozzy was okay. Quiet Riot was good and Van Halen was a Hot Mess!!! U2 was great on the last on the last day and Bono climbed hung up a big Irish flag and did Sunday Bloody Sunday. Terri Nunn was a wet dream, especially for a 14 year old boy. Yeah... US 83 was pretty killer. Thanks Woz! 😎
The problem with the Clash was the English Punk scene was dying out and the American Punk scene was absolutely out of its box and badass. You had so many great punk bands at that point; Black Flag, dead Kennedys, the Minute Men, meatpuppets ,Minor Threat, Dinosaur Jr, The Descendants the crass & Husker du..... so much great punk music was flowing through the United States and honestly that English punk machine turned mainstream. I'm mean The Clash or a perfect example of selling out. They were making videos & on MTV all the time. that's not what punk bands did they didn't prescribe to that b******* that's just not the way they did it and how they got popular they toured their ass off they didn't give a s*** about MTV. And most of them never really got that big or had serious exposure you didn't have the internet back then I mean Black Flag the Dead Kennedy's Bad Religion and Minor Threat were the big dogs and that wasn't saying much. It wasn't about exposure how many albums you sold. Just getting out there and busting your ass and tour all the local Dives of America. And then you had a rebirth of metal with even heavier music than Dio or Iron Maiden or Judas Priest and that was bands like Metallica Slayer Anthrax Exodus Nuclear assault ,SOD, Death, obituary, Metal Church, possessed, King Diamond ,Celtic Frost & DRI! I mean even Glam Rock was slowly dying out. And of course by the nineties you would merged metal and punk together to make that massive alternative scene of the early 90s.
In the documentary, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, David Lee Roth says about Joe " You don't have to take life so seriously, honey." If Joe had listened to David Lee Roth's advice, The Clash wouldn't have been as good as they were!
I saw my brother goto us festival and the way he came back I couldn’t envy going you come back looking like you were put through a clothes dryer with wud &straw clippings he wax a prisoner of war for3days 😩😩
To bad no footage exists of David Bowie's performance on the last night. I was there. The crowd had started burning their tattered blankets and battered chairs after three days of non stop partying. Several huge bonfires were roaring when he launched into "Let's Dance!" Spontaneously, masses of people started dancing around each bonfire. It was one of the most beautifully tribal experiences of my life.
I was there -2 days Metal day and Rock day. Roth was so wasted. You could see the headlights of all the people leaving the show on the horizon. Judas Priest and The Scorpions really took that show to another level. I had witnessed their first USA gig in my hometown of Cleveland at the ‘1979 World Series of Rock. I was at 2 of the greatest festivals ever next to Woodstock. Rock will never die!
the Clash where Fone'E as Fuck they where all upper middle class art school kids and British Onvoy's/Embas'E Kids... the We're of the People was just a Gimmic
The part where Roth “forgets the lyrics”, that’s all an act, he did that at numerous shows during “Romeo Delight”, it’s a “part”. Pretty funny since they reportedly received $1.5MM for that show
Correct. I believe DLR wrote about it in his book. He said one time he really forgot the words and the crowd ate it up. So, he started doing it on purpose.
@@boxychubbo6922 I know. I'm old enough to remember when rock n' roll was a viable force culturally and commercially. Unfortunately, in that regard it's dead. Hip hop and flashy diva bullshit has been winning the race to the bottom for 20+ years.
US Festival Heavy Metal day was THE concert, the one I dreamed of being at back in 83, wasnt even aware of it until Circus mag started covering it . That world back then & that environment ....... extremely different than todays world in almost every way. Its almost like that was heaven & this is hell.
When people bring up the US Festival, Van Halen is for the most part the only thing people remember. Dave and his drunk antics play a large part in that. He knew how to work the machine;)
@@RobertFithen That's not true. I spent a number of years interacting with Clash fans, the kind of devotees that have every bootleg recording in existence. Their performance at the US Festival always comes highly recommended from that crowd. In part it's because it was a soundboard recording, but that's not the only reason. It was Mick Jones's last show because Strummer and Simonon were fed up with his diva attitude. They were obviously all pissed off for various reasons. For a punk band like them it greatly worked to their advantage.
I was there at the US FESTIVAL...... serving in the Marines in the early 80s. Southern Cal was the place to be for concerts back then. And yes the MIGHTY VAN HALEN was a force of nature!!!! RIP EDWARD
I waZ there their for the Saturday and Sunday performances. What I have not seen in the comment section is that "MEN AT WORK" played from Australia, or Russia/USSR(forget which country) via satellite on the jumbo-tron(big screen above the stage) that is how Woz(co-founder of Apple/Mac Computers) wanted to showcase technology for that time period. During the CLASH performance on the screen or backdrop they were showing pictures of USA's Direct and INdirect intervention, involvement in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and Guatemala. If you ask how was the USA involved in those countries, there's their's a federal agency that has dedicated itself and is funded for these purposes. Also on Saturday morning LOS LOBOS were playing in one of the beer gardens, for me that was an UNexpected pleasurable surprise. Before the SCORPIONS took the stage some military jets flew over the crowd very low... not sure why? REgarding BOWIE, he had just released "LETS DANCE" album and Stevie Ray Vaughn played on 2 songs... And supposedly BOWIE had asked him to tour as his guitar player on this tour, to which SRV said only if Double Trouble(SRV's band) could be an opening act on few of the shows, to which BOWIE said no. So SRV and Double Trouble toured on there their own promoting there their first album "Couldn't Stand the Weather"(SRV knew about climate change??), and the rest is history, as the saying goes. Also for this historical musical event it was the LAST time that "WALL of VOODOO" performed live also. And the following weekend(first weekend of June) was Country Western. As Me and my friend were leaving after the first day back to our camp site, mind you its now Sunday morning about 1am, and the Heavy Metal fans are already lined up to enter when the gates open at 8/9AM. And boy did those Heavy Metal fans rip into the "NEW WAVE" fans with there their homophobic insults. In the campsite/parking lot I saw license plates from NY, Massachusetts, Florida, and even Canada. Also there their were a few marines that attended because 29 Palms is nearby, a Marine base.... it's all just tid bits of useless information... EYE agree VH definitely entertained.
Semper Fi Brother 🇺🇸 I was in 79-83, I was also at this concert, all three days, it was about one month before I EAS, my friends told me I had a great time ! ✌️🤪
Strummers was brilliant but also arrogant, and I suspect always weighed down by the burden of his own privilege, which he was generally a bit coy about. He didn’t exactly come from the wrong side of the tracks and anyone who knows the English regional dialects could tell you that he always spoke in a way that disguised a very posh accent with faux cockney. His politics tended to be a bit the same way. Whatever. His messages weren’t misguided so much as childishly delivered. The music itself was undeniable. The Clash were one of the three great punk bands (along with the Sex Pistols and the Damned) but they were purists in what was always a very narrow genre. The Sex Pistols and the Damned grew up and joined forces, and created Public Image Limited. Strummers never got over the hump. That said I happen to know that right up to his premature death Joe Strummers and John Lyndon were good friends, hanging together for major scrumpy and weed sessions in the barn of a certain Somerset dairy farm!
People don't realize how instrumental Berlin were in the formation of so many different types of music, one being electro, they were pioneers, and a genuinely good band, with fresh ideas, I sometimes don't think they get enough credit, so that's cool you gave them a shout out.
@@brianmcmanus4690 You just don't know WTF your talking about, you no music knowing. Wham! lovin troll, go listen to your Seals & Croft and let the adults who know what their talking about discuss musical history and the evolution of it, you obviously dont know it from a hole in the ground, cockroach
Roth is a big MC, party animal for a good times, party band. It’s Eddie’s showcase and David is just pumping it up out front and out very loud! He can get away with some of his antics because it’s a party band. All in the name of fun and badass music. That’s VAN HALEN in a nutshell.
The last of the good concerts by The Clash. Everything after Combat Rock was just sad. Mick went on to start up General Public with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger from The English Beat and then left right after their first album "All The Rage" and formed Big Audio Dynamite. Mick wanted The Clash to lean more towards funk and reggae and Joe wanted to go another direction, so Mick left.
@@WS102 what Rhodes did when taking over Cut the Crap has been debated to death so won't go into that but live recordings of the post-Jones lineup sound great. The new songs sound great on stage, too. Raw and aggressive, which is indeed where Joe wanted to go.
@@michaelshultz1590 Mick was right. Cut the Crap was almost universally laughed at in 1985 and Joe broke up the band (due to them sucking) in 1986. Mick forgave him and allowed Joe to help co-write most of the songs on Big Audio Dynamite's No. 10 Upping Street album. The Clash would have had continued success, but Joe blew it.
I was there, at the soundboard area taking pix. Wearing my WQFM Rock On Milwaukee shirt. Went to the Van Halen aftershow party. I have never seen so much Schlitz Malt Liquor in one spot. Huge buffet. I was playing a video game. Tapped on the shoulder. "hi, I,m Edward" He asked me if I was having a good time. I asked him where Valerie was. She went home already. That was a great time for an eighteen year old.
I saw VH 1984 & Fair Warning tours. Saw ol’ David Lee with his band on his Skyscraper tour also (Steve Vai and other hotshots in the band). Gunslingers all. Say what you want about David, he knows how to put on a great show. I was there.
Van Halen: One of THE greatest bands ever. The Clash: I've tried and I just can't enjoy any of their shit except for 1 original and 1 cover. Don't understand the allure.
London Calling has been my favourite album since I discovered it in 1981. I respect Van Helen and what they’ve achieved. The Clash have an advantage in that they weren’t around long enough to see what they would’ve become. I think I would have much preferred the Van Helen show at this festival. Joe Strummer was in his own world and this was not a great final performance. I did see the Clash in 83 and that show was great.
I actually dig both bands.... but this was VH basically at their peak VS the Clash at their low point, with a drummer who had 4 gigs experience st this point plus all the tension. The Clash in 79 through 81 were every bit as good at what they did as VH was at what they did. They were the literal Apple VS Orange argument. Both bands were revolutionary , nuff said.
Slight correction- i think the replacement drummer was Terry Chimes, who was actually the Clash’s original drummer before Topper. He was on their first album.
@@LetsGoMetsGo33 Chimes was out before the final 6 (??) Show tour that was to prep new drummer Pete(?) Howard for US Festival. Howard then continued on in clash MK 2.
Most people go to Van Halen to listen to high energy, masterfully crafted songs by exceptionally gifted musicians and see a show. You can see they absolutely loved performing music. The Clash, or Joe Strummer had a different outlook and audience. I agree with the problems Joe pointed out but he’s all over the place and that angst is not sustainable.
So many flawed geniuses were flaming out or starting to on that stage. Thank gawd VH still had enough life to push out one more legendary musical statement. I was old enough to be watching and waiting to see their "world premier video" drop and months of Friday Night Video Fights with friends, because the rest of my life really sucked in those years. Rush and VH more or less got me through it. All other age-defying music from then was either from the UK, and I didn't groove to most of it till the '90s (Police, Clash, Specials, Gabriel; going into Stone Roses, Shoe Gaze, etc.,) or it was over-cooked adults contemplating suicide but not even realizing it. Skinny-ass pansies trying to look tough and sell the notion that smoking cigs was some type of real rebellion. Imagine "rebelling" via themes nobody objected to and everyone's parents were still doing! The only (sort of) major act I can think of from the US at the time between DaVeH and Jane's/Soundgarden/Mother Love Bone that doesn't make me embarrassed for owning it was Bob Mould/Sugar.
Only problem with VH concert back in The Day was Dave was often to Drunk to put on any type of performance. When I saw 1984 Tour? He was passed out the whole show. It was basically a instrumental show. Tons of solos. Ha
They have a song called; “Im so bored with the USA” on their FIRST album. It’s pretty clear what you are going to get. Punk USED to be a movement of poor kids making their own scene. Bands like Green Day are not punk. No band that has a top 40 hit is punk anymore. They were out of place and also done by that point. Not a good fit for US fest clearly.
@@ToneTraveler When you drive by the local elementary school and the kids out front are walking around wearing Green Day shirts, you know they're mainstream, not punk.
Great show! I've been looking for footage of both years and really liked it! Time in a bottle for sure. So many great performances. Love the Clash & VH
I had seen Van Halen several times before the US Festival. I can honestly say Roth ruined that show!! We got so tired of hearing his BS and drunken antics that we along with many others walked out. Oh, and in the intro you forgot to mention the Scorpions, who made VH look like amateurs.
I was at US I and II They were great parties. The video sound taken straight off the mixing board sounds better then the live concert P.A. system🎼🎵🎶🎙🎹🎻🎸 You didn't mention the pre-concert news conference where the Clash said they would donate all their money yet gave away nothing The group of friends I went with to US II ran out of food and money. We had several cases of beer and had to trade beer and weed for food. Still it was a great Festival
@@thebasedgodmax1163 nobody wants to go to a concert to get lectured how bad they are. That's exactly what he did. Who the hell did he think he was? What a tool.
I was there only on Heavy Metal Day. Many including me left early in Van Halen. It was freezing that night in the desert. David was just too drunk. And they were very late. Had to be at least 90 minutes after The Scorpions left the stage along with some stupid computer presentation from Apple stuffed in between no one cared about. Disagree with you on Triumph although they are definitely prog rock. They were tight and incredible. The Scorpions were definitely. Way tighter than Van Halen. Smart enough not to be plastered.
People seem to be misunderstanding my take on Triumph so I most likely misrepresented myself. I just thought they looked out of place on metal day with all the flying v's and leather.
@@mikeblaz Van Halen was so disappointing that night. Waiting an hour for the stupid UFO pissed me off. I left early next morning and witnessed a guy hit someone with a crowbar he later died. I gave him water he poured it on his bloody head and I realized he was in real bad shape. The media blamed it on Roth for saying F the police and inciting a riot
@@thereisatimeforwar7223 That sucks. I'm 52 and witness VH breaking out in the late 70s and really like their tunes (radio/cassette). But every time seeing them live I was turned off, mostly Roth but Eddie and Alex were no saints. My conclusion, Michael Anthony was the only cool one in the band.
@@ohBwGuy Keith has clearly never listened to any women and children first or Fair Warning. Those albums have some of the hardest and most authentic rock and roll ever recorded
No band can beat the attitude and swagger of Van Halen. I saw the '84 tour in Vegas, Dave said the only people that put ice tea in whiskey bottles is Quiet Riot.
I remember seeing VH in, I think 84, and it was the second night of a 2 night stint, and my buddy that was with me had been there the previous night, and said that the "stage act" was identical. While VH's stage act may not have been formally scripted, it was just that, an act. That's not a put-down, it's actually quite professional, but most bands are not nearly as spontaneously crazy as they'd like us to believe.
Saw VH in 1979 and there was nothing better than their first tour. As time went on DLR started talking too much in the middle of songs but the band still rocked. I loved the Clash too, not sure why he dissed them, they were the real deal. Nothing close to VH music but their lyrics were a lot more meaningful.
no they weren't "woke". They were trying to make a difference in the realm of music. keep your millennial trend slang out of legit revolutionary efforts. Anyone using that bullshit is a hypocrite with no business trying to take credit for real change. "woke"... yeah you're real aware...
Wow! Great work assembling all this footage. I was at the first day. Hot and dusty. You could cut the smog with a knife: it was in a valley and there was an orange cloud sitting over the top of everything. I was way way at the back so it's great to see the closeup video. I had come for the Clash. They made us wait so long badmouthed the laser light show and the optimism, but in the age of Reagan, a cheerful Clash would have been a letdown ;-)
Joe Strummer was flipping out at this time period, and he admitted it later. Topper Headon was undermining the band with his addictions, everyone were sick of each other but they were still wildly suceesful, and had just had their biggest record ever. The Clash were such a big international act and what Strummer wanted was NEVER going to happen, as we all have learned since. The audience was on his side, all they had to do was FUCKING PLAY MUSIC! Strummer was upset though that his rock revolution was not going to happen.
I attended both US Festivals during high school. My high school coach got a few of us on the Cross Country team to work concessions through his college friend. It was one of the biggest highlights for me as a teenager to see all those bands while walking through the crowd selling soft drinks. So, as for the Clash and Van Halen... remember both shoes vividly. in middle school, Van Halen was my band, but by the time I got into high school I had all that teenage angst and The Clash had become my band. Joe was angry and got the whole crowd going... A giant mosh pit!!! Insane! As for Van Halen, from the get go David was smashed. Even before he came on stage, there was video footage of someone going back stage and opening a door and there is David apparently getting it on with a girl. Of course, the crowd is loving it, but when he came out on stage and is just started slurring and not remembering lines was disappointing. Yet, I did have a good time! So, I gotta go with The Clash because overall they were tight. Van Halen was entertaining, but sloppy.
... Yeah but...in the grand scheme of things. Van Halen sold way more records and inspired and entertained alot more people than The Clash ever did. And I really like When Ivan Meets G.I Joe..
My 2 all time favs are Vh and The Clash, both opposites Raw rage angst vs Technical metal party power you need both 🤘 to fuel the Fn 80s R&R train...greatest music of all time.
I am a huge Clash fan, but in 1983 they were just a shell of their former glory. Until 81 they were one of the best bands on the planet but after that it was just downhill. They developed an identity crisis. On one hand Strummer wanted to be in a peoples band that is accessible on the other hand they fill huge venues. You cant have both. The youth was also shifting away from Punk (if the Clash were ever really a punk band is up to you). They just wanna have a good time and not just hear music that is about the bleak reality. Basically the same story that happened in the transition from the 60s to the 70s when the hippie movement collapsed and the people favored glam rock like bowie and t rex over other bands.
The Clash is my favorite band of all time. I did not know this happened. I saw Joe play at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC tight after 9/11. Awesome show. Cheers 🍻
Nice video but I have to take exception with your diss of Triumph; I was there 2 of the 4 days and I can tell you they were the best band of the festival, with no one else even coming close. They ARE a rock band. I have seen many great VH shows; this was not one of them. Dave made a fool of himself (making fun of the Clash is OK though!).
Thanks! My comment was more about how their look didn't fit with the other metal bands with the leather, etc. and not so much about their musical abilities. I've heard nothing but good things about their performance since I made the video.
The particular lineup of the Clash for this gig was in fact the last show, but The Clash continued on well into late '85 so....at little inaccurate account on your part, but thanks for posting the video. As far as Strummer's rants during their set, I think he hit some proverbial nails on the head where the organizers and sponsors perhaps didn't want to hear or admit to in regards as to the motivation and intents of the festival itself. David Lee Roth got press for saying that Joe and the Clash "Can't take life so goddamn seriously, honey...", and while I do like Van Halen and understand his statement from the other side of the scenario, I equally understand Strummer's point of view from their own appearance at the gig. It's a double-edged sword and as much as artists and musicians feel manipulated, jaded or used by the very industry that they bought into, at a certain point, one side of the faction feels frustration, while the other side basks in the adulation. Both groups were polar opposites in this respect and ultimately, I feel that the Clash shouldn't have been there in the first place. Their manager used that as a ruse of manipulation and seeking press from the other end giving an impression that the group were these modern day mercenaries of integrity and preservation of the punk aesthetic, when in fact, the said manager was really seeking exploitation at his client's expense to line his own pockets and not theirs.
Clash is trash. Imagine being all "screw the oppressors" but having NO perception of therapeutic value of rocking out at a fest before having to get back to the grind.
Yup. I remember The Clash when the phrase "the only band that matters" was current. My reaction was, "so no other band matters, and if I happen to like a bunch of those bands then I guess by extension I don't matter, either. Got it. Thanks. As if I didn't get that message often enough from other quarters.
Went to that concert and the mighty VH was amazing! Scorpions also brought the house down as did every band on Heavy Metal day. Thought Missing Persons did a kick ass show along with the Divinyls and U2 on the other days. Bowie was boring. Sat down in his directors chair and sang.
I was at 82 and 83. I hitch hiked from Santa Barbara in 83, took three hitches to get there and the last ride dropped me off at the gate next to the helipad. I used an MTV pass from 82 to get in with no issue. I had $20 and a backpack full of camera gear and lots of film. Crue did in fact suck, Priest impressed, and Bowie was OK. I seem to remember a camera crew looking for DLR before they took stage and finding him in a closet getting a BJ, projected on the big screen. If anyone remembers that, I would appreciate the confirmation. Things are fuzzy after 40 years. I still have hundreds of images in my archive. Someday, I'll print them and show them to my grandkids.
Triumph opened the day on Saturday so it was a soft opening if you will. But they were great musicians and always sounded far better than Crue or Quiet Riot.
I'm guessing this guy didn't like The Clash, huh. They were easily the best band on this whole bill...although, admittedly, they were crippled here. Topper was gone, Joe and Mick barely speaking, Paul out to lunch. Even them on a bad day, though...I mean, don't get me wrong, I like to get drunk and stoned and yell "woo!" Along to Roth doing scissor kicks as much as the next man from time to time, but The Clash were on a totally different level from Van Halen, not to mention doing something NEW, rather than just doing something (boogie/good time hard rock) that had been done countless times before, but just doing it extremely well. Although Eddie did push some boundaries on the guitar in his best work
Van Halen sucked. Seen the first tour. 3 years later drunk and was out his mind with the fame that swallowed them all. It's a shame they were paid 1 million. Stray Cats rocked. JP killed it. Scorpions opened for DefLeppard and Nugent in 1980 wango tango tour. Blew them both away in 20 minute s
The clash always annoyed me. Punk was turned into the new bubble gum pop back then. Now they're remembered for one song, which I loved when I was 10, but I would never put forth any effort to listen to that song today. It's astonishing they got 500k and we're not happy. 500k. For.the.clash.?.
i was there and they VH made us wait 2 1/2 hours after Scorpions set before they came out.Scorps played from 6-8 VH came out at 10:30-meanwhile the buses going back to our communities left at 11 pm so we only got to see them for 1/2 hour and they were all totally drunk-what a let down.
So Steve Wozniak wanted to showcase tech with music... and there is no official concert video. A few bootlegs of a few artists. Does anybody find this ironic?
What a total jerk the lead singer of the Clash is. They needed to be good off , obviously think's he's better than everyone else when they don't even come close to Van Halen.
Thanks for posting! If you have a second, we posted a cover of Van Halen. As fellow music lovers, we'd love if you'd take a listen. It's on our channel. Don't be too tough on us :)
I like how Van Halen had a favored nation clause in their contract. When Bowie agreed to play the show for $1.5MM, VH received an extra $500K. Their lawyers/management were on top of their game.
I'm blessed to have been there. Loads of fun. The first day we did a lot of acid so it was really wierd. I enjoyed Oingo Boingo. I remember freaking out on the dude from Men at Works strange eyes. The Clash did seem agro but the sounded good. Heavy Metal day was hot as hell. These cute girls were trying to hook up we my friend and I but I was too much of a nerd and too high to seal the deal. What a dork I was! Anyway, Judas Priest blew my mind. Scorpions were awesome. Triumph was really good. Motley Crue sounded really off. Ozzy was okay. Quiet Riot was good and Van Halen was a Hot Mess!!! U2 was great on the last on the last day and Bono climbed hung up a big Irish flag and did Sunday Bloody Sunday. Terri Nunn was a wet dream, especially for a 14 year old boy. Yeah... US 83 was pretty killer. Thanks Woz! 😎
Really enjoyed this...thanks
This was great! I liked your commentary. And nice music room too!
I was 15 and just missed it LOL. Robert you have a great style I'm subbing
Thanks! I appreciate that.
these are the kind of stories I love
I was at all the days 82 and 83, even country western day,
The problem with the Clash was the English Punk scene was dying out and the American Punk scene was absolutely out of its box and badass. You had so many great punk bands at that point; Black Flag, dead Kennedys, the Minute Men, meatpuppets ,Minor Threat, Dinosaur Jr, The Descendants the crass & Husker du..... so much great punk music was flowing through the United States and honestly that English punk machine turned mainstream. I'm mean The Clash or a perfect example of selling out. They were making videos & on MTV all the time. that's not what punk bands did they didn't prescribe to that b******* that's just not the way they did it and how they got popular they toured their ass off they didn't give a s*** about MTV. And most of them never really got that big or had serious exposure you didn't have the internet back then I mean Black Flag the Dead Kennedy's Bad Religion and Minor Threat were the big dogs and that wasn't saying much. It wasn't about exposure how many albums you sold. Just getting out there and busting your ass and tour all the local Dives of America. And then you had a rebirth of metal with even heavier music than Dio or Iron Maiden or Judas Priest and that was bands like Metallica Slayer Anthrax Exodus Nuclear assault ,SOD, Death, obituary, Metal Church, possessed, King Diamond ,Celtic Frost & DRI! I mean even Glam Rock was slowly dying out. And of course by the nineties you would merged metal and punk together to make that massive alternative scene of the early 90s.
How did the Clash get a massive protest banner so quick?!🤣😆🤪
In the documentary, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, David Lee Roth says about Joe " You don't have to take life so seriously, honey." If Joe had listened to David Lee Roth's advice, The Clash wouldn't have been as good as they were!
Just in case u didnt watch this entire show, Triumph was the hottest group at that show. Thusvfrim a life long Van Halen fan
I saw my brother goto us festival and the way he came back I couldn’t envy going you come back looking like you were put through a clothes dryer with wud &straw clippings he wax a prisoner of war for3days 😩😩
Strummer had more to say than the rest of those bands could ever dream of .
To bad no footage exists of David Bowie's performance on the last night. I was there. The crowd had started burning their tattered blankets and battered chairs after three days of non stop partying. Several huge bonfires were roaring when he launched into "Let's Dance!" Spontaneously, masses of people started dancing around each bonfire. It was one of the most beautifully tribal experiences of my life.
I was there -2 days
Metal day and Rock day.
Roth was so wasted.
You could see the headlights of all the people leaving the show on the horizon. Judas Priest and The Scorpions really took that show to another level. I had witnessed their first USA gig in my hometown of Cleveland at the ‘1979 World Series of Rock. I was at 2 of the greatest festivals ever next to Woodstock. Rock will never die!
Man that cymbal should press charges! She whooped the shit out of it
the Clash where Fone'E as Fuck they where all upper middle class art school kids and British Onvoy's/Embas'E Kids... the We're of the People was just a Gimmic
The part where Roth “forgets the lyrics”, that’s all an act, he did that at numerous shows during “Romeo Delight”, it’s a “part”. Pretty funny since they reportedly received $1.5MM for that show
ahhh.. the dayys before the interrnet, when every show was brilliant n spontanious
He was still doing it on the last two tours.
Correct. I believe DLR wrote about it in his book. He said one time he really forgot the words and the crowd ate it up. So, he started doing it on purpose.
@@boxychubbo6922 Yeah, but stage spontaneity isn't always an act, and when it appears so it's far lamer than if the band just played it straight.
@@boxychubbo6922 I know. I'm old enough to remember when rock n' roll was a viable force culturally and commercially. Unfortunately, in that regard it's dead. Hip hop and flashy diva bullshit has been winning the race to the bottom for 20+ years.
US Festival Heavy Metal day was THE concert, the one I dreamed of being at back in 83, wasnt even aware of it until Circus mag started covering it . That world back then & that environment ....... extremely different than todays world in almost every way. Its almost like that was heaven & this is hell.
Bono Can't sing. a big "L" ooser
Lol speak for yourself
Almost?! Most definitely the case! Music isn't even music anymore.
I used to work for Circus. But not till a couple yrs after this show. I did shoot this for Music mag out of Florida.
@@lockandloadlikehell Im pretty sure he was
RIP Joe Strummer and Eddie Van Halen.
When people bring up the US Festival, Van Halen is for the most part the only thing people remember. Dave and his drunk antics play a large part in that. He knew how to work the machine;)
actually, the only legit new wave band was Wall of Voodoo
A consummate showman. I think people remember The Clash, too, but not because of a great show.
Isn't Wall of Voodoo new wave?
@@RobertFithen yes, probably the most unique band that played. No punk day 🤠?
@@RobertFithen That's not true. I spent a number of years interacting with Clash fans, the kind of devotees that have every bootleg recording in existence. Their performance at the US Festival always comes highly recommended from that crowd. In part it's because it was a soundboard recording, but that's not the only reason. It was Mick Jones's last show because Strummer and Simonon were fed up with his diva attitude. They were obviously all pissed off for various reasons. For a punk band like them it greatly worked to their advantage.
I was there at the US FESTIVAL...... serving in the Marines in the early 80s. Southern Cal was the place to be for concerts back then. And yes the MIGHTY VAN HALEN was a force of nature!!!! RIP EDWARD
I waZ there their for the Saturday and Sunday performances. What I have not seen in the comment section is that "MEN AT WORK" played from Australia, or Russia/USSR(forget which country) via satellite on the jumbo-tron(big screen above the stage) that is how Woz(co-founder of Apple/Mac Computers) wanted to showcase technology for that time period. During the CLASH performance on the screen or backdrop they were showing pictures of USA's Direct and INdirect intervention, involvement in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and Guatemala. If you ask how was the USA involved in those countries, there's their's a federal agency that has dedicated itself and is funded for these purposes. Also on Saturday morning LOS LOBOS were playing in one of the beer gardens, for me that was an UNexpected pleasurable surprise. Before the SCORPIONS took the stage some military jets flew over the crowd very low... not sure why? REgarding BOWIE, he had just released "LETS DANCE" album and Stevie Ray Vaughn played on 2 songs... And supposedly BOWIE had asked him to tour as his guitar player on this tour, to which SRV said only if Double Trouble(SRV's band) could be an opening act on few of the shows, to which BOWIE said no. So SRV and Double Trouble toured on there their own promoting there their first album "Couldn't Stand the Weather"(SRV knew about climate change??), and the rest is history, as the saying goes. Also for this historical musical event it was the LAST time that "WALL of VOODOO" performed live also. And the following weekend(first weekend of June) was Country Western. As Me and my friend were leaving after the first day back to our camp site, mind you its now Sunday morning about 1am, and the Heavy Metal fans are already lined up to enter when the gates open at 8/9AM. And boy did those Heavy Metal fans rip into the "NEW WAVE" fans with there their homophobic insults. In the campsite/parking lot I saw license plates from NY, Massachusetts, Florida, and even Canada. Also there their were a few marines that attended because 29 Palms is nearby, a Marine base.... it's all just tid bits of useless information... EYE agree VH definitely entertained.
Thank you for your service! It is appreciated.
Semper Fi Brother 🇺🇸 I was in 79-83, I was also at this concert, all three days, it was about one month before I EAS, my friends told me I had a great time ! ✌️🤪
Yea, I was stationed at 29 Palms at the time, but missed this show.
Where does one find a legit scene like this today on Earth?
Strummers was brilliant but also arrogant, and I suspect always weighed down by the burden of his own privilege, which he was generally a bit coy about. He didn’t exactly come from the wrong side of the tracks and anyone who knows the English regional dialects could tell you that he always spoke in a way that disguised a very posh accent with faux cockney. His politics tended to be a bit the same way. Whatever. His messages weren’t misguided so much as childishly delivered. The music itself was undeniable. The Clash were one of the three great punk bands (along with the Sex Pistols and the Damned) but they were purists in what was always a very narrow genre. The Sex Pistols and the Damned grew up and joined forces, and created Public Image Limited. Strummers never got over the hump. That said I happen to know that right up to his premature death Joe Strummers and John Lyndon were good friends, hanging together for major scrumpy and weed sessions in the barn of a certain Somerset dairy farm!
13:10 Joe Strummer's rant is bizarre as shit, just makes me think of one of Rik Mayall's tirades, except Joe's serious.
People don't realize how instrumental Berlin were in the formation of so many different types of music, one being electro, they were pioneers, and a genuinely good band, with fresh ideas, I sometimes don't think they get enough credit, so that's cool you gave them a shout out.
Berlin is still an amazing band and Teri Nunn is still touring. I've seen them 3 times over the last 20 years and every time was fantastic.
@@WS102 I wish I could see her, or them, I also loved The Big F, thought that debut disc was awesome.
Uh....no, Berlin are not pioneers of anything, sorry.
@@brianmcmanus4690 You just don't know WTF your talking about, you no music knowing. Wham! lovin troll, go listen to your Seals & Croft and let the adults who know what their talking about discuss musical history and the evolution of it, you obviously dont know it from a hole in the ground, cockroach
Diamond Dave is the greatest frontman who ever lived! He's a fucking LEGEND!!
Wow....that footage of Berlin makes Madonna look like a Disney character 🤔 Lead singer still looks smoking hot today 😍😍😍😍
I've always wished that the US Festival of 1983 was on DVD in its entirety! Not just 2 or 3 songs a piece, the whole event.
check tu bi. It's on there.
@@nitedreamer23 huh?
SERIOUSLY great job STEVE!
Roth is a big MC, party animal for a good times, party band. It’s Eddie’s showcase and David is just pumping it up out front and out very loud! He can get away with some of his antics because it’s a party band. All in the name of fun and badass music. That’s VAN HALEN in a nutshell.
That wasn't The Clash's last concert. That was the last concert with Mick Jones
The last of the good concerts by The Clash. Everything after Combat Rock was just sad. Mick went on to start up General Public with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger from The English Beat and then left right after their first album "All The Rage" and formed Big Audio Dynamite. Mick wanted The Clash to lean more towards funk and reggae and Joe wanted to go another direction, so Mick left.
@@WS102 Mick was wrong.
@@WS102 what Rhodes did when taking over Cut the Crap has been debated to death so won't go into that but live recordings of the post-Jones lineup sound great. The new songs sound great on stage, too. Raw and aggressive, which is indeed where Joe wanted to go.
Shhh....lets just forget Cut the Crap, or rather, The Crap. Not a good time.
@@michaelshultz1590 Mick was right. Cut the Crap was almost universally laughed at in 1985 and Joe broke up the band (due to them sucking) in 1986. Mick forgave him and allowed Joe to help co-write most of the songs on Big Audio Dynamite's No. 10 Upping Street album. The Clash would have had continued success, but Joe blew it.
I was there, at the soundboard area taking pix. Wearing my WQFM Rock On Milwaukee shirt. Went to the Van Halen aftershow party. I have never seen so much Schlitz Malt Liquor in one spot. Huge buffet. I was playing a video game. Tapped on the shoulder. "hi, I,m Edward" He asked me if I was having a good time. I asked him where Valerie was. She went home already. That was a great time for an eighteen year old.
I saw VH 1984 & Fair Warning tours. Saw ol’ David Lee with his band on his Skyscraper tour also (Steve Vai and other hotshots in the band). Gunslingers all.
Say what you want about David, he knows how to put on a great show. I was there.
Van Halen: One of THE greatest bands ever.
The Clash: I've tried and I just can't enjoy any of their shit except for 1 original and 1 cover. Don't understand the allure.
I love the Clash and although I like some of Van Halen’s music I think a lot of it is boring. Go figure, it’s just personal preference.
London Calling has been my favourite album since I discovered it in 1981. I respect Van Helen and what they’ve achieved. The Clash have an advantage in that they weren’t around long enough to see what they would’ve become. I think I would have much preferred the Van Helen show at this festival. Joe Strummer was in his own world and this was not a great final performance. I did see the Clash in 83 and that show was great.
Agree.
Clash has always sucked.
@@ericandrews1661 they were called the most important band in the world and Van Halen was called, well a band.
I was there Van Halen truly sucked that night
How could Woz fail at getting the best video documentary on high deed for the era?
Neither! TRIUMPH was the ruler of the US Festival!
I totally agree they nailed it.
I actually dig both bands.... but this was VH basically at their peak VS the Clash at their low point, with a drummer who had 4 gigs experience st this point plus all the tension. The Clash in 79 through 81 were every bit as good at what they did as VH was at what they did. They were the literal Apple VS Orange argument. Both bands were revolutionary , nuff said.
It's more like apples and hand grenades than apples and oranges
Perfectly stated for this gig. Saw both bands in 82’ and 84’. Both amazing gigs.X
Slight correction- i think the replacement drummer was Terry Chimes, who was actually the Clash’s original drummer before Topper. He was on their first album.
@@LetsGoMetsGo33 Chimes was out before the final 6 (??) Show tour that was to prep new drummer Pete(?) Howard for US Festival. Howard then continued on in clash MK 2.
@@andrewsteele6287 i stand corrected. I had a sort of Mandela Effect there, thought I remembered TC was on up to and including Cut the Crap.
1983 when people had fun and didn't get offended all the time.
Most people go to Van Halen to listen to high energy, masterfully crafted songs by exceptionally gifted musicians and see a show. You can see they absolutely loved performing music. The Clash, or Joe Strummer had a different outlook and audience. I agree with the problems Joe pointed out but he’s all over the place and that angst is not sustainable.
So many flawed geniuses were flaming out or starting to on that stage. Thank gawd VH still had enough life to push out one more legendary musical statement. I was old enough to be watching and waiting to see their "world premier video" drop and months of Friday Night Video Fights with friends, because the rest of my life really sucked in those years. Rush and VH more or less got me through it. All other age-defying music from then was either from the UK, and I didn't groove to most of it till the '90s (Police, Clash, Specials, Gabriel; going into Stone Roses, Shoe Gaze, etc.,) or it was over-cooked adults contemplating suicide but not even realizing it. Skinny-ass pansies trying to look tough and sell the notion that smoking cigs was some type of real rebellion. Imagine "rebelling" via themes nobody objected to and everyone's parents were still doing! The only (sort of) major act I can think of from the US at the time between DaVeH and Jane's/Soundgarden/Mother Love Bone that doesn't make me embarrassed for owning it was Bob Mould/Sugar.
Sad but true, that's the problem with people who keep insisting on being human....
Only problem with VH concert back in The Day was Dave was often to Drunk to put on any type of performance. When I saw 1984 Tour? He was passed out the whole show. It was basically a instrumental show. Tons of solos. Ha
They have a song called; “Im so bored with the USA” on their FIRST album. It’s pretty clear what you are going to get. Punk USED to be a movement of poor kids making their own scene. Bands like Green Day are not punk. No band that has a top 40 hit is punk anymore. They were out of place and also done by that point. Not a good fit for US fest clearly.
@@ToneTraveler When you drive by the local elementary school and the kids out front are walking around wearing Green Day shirts, you know they're mainstream, not punk.
Great show! I've been looking for footage of both years and really liked it! Time in a bottle for sure. So many great performances. Love the Clash & VH
Thanks! Glad you liked it!!
Strummer probably was the only who had anything to say (and he was right - East LA, etc), but damn, that routine gets old REALLY quick
U2 were brilliant live for a few years after that.
I had seen Van Halen several times before the US Festival. I can honestly say Roth ruined that show!! We got so tired of hearing his BS and drunken antics that we along with many others walked out. Oh, and in the intro you forgot to mention the Scorpions, who made VH look like amateurs.
Actually he did mention the Scorpions at 3:24.
Hard to beat that 82-83 VH set-list. What I would do to go back to 1980-89. Ozzy, Judas Priest, QR, Motley Crue and the Scorpions etc etc etc.
U2 played Monday at the U.S. festival and then that next Sunday at red rocks … iconic
Dave is awesome. It's all part of the act.
I was at US I and II
They were great parties.
The video sound taken straight off the mixing board sounds better then the live concert P.A. system🎼🎵🎶🎙🎹🎻🎸
You didn't mention the pre-concert news conference where the Clash said they would donate all their money yet gave away nothing
The group of friends I went with to US II ran out of food and money. We had several cases of beer and had to trade beer and weed for food.
Still it was a great Festival
Two of the greatest rock bands ever. Diametrically different, but amazing both.
The Clash is as much fun as a root canal.
@@MagicRoosterBluesBand They were anti-establishment, but their music is friggin’ awesome, and fun.
@@carl_anderson9315 Yea... he looks like a barrel of laughs...
@@MagicRoosterBluesBand music doesn't need to be fun unless your taste is just cock rock.
@@thebasedgodmax1163 nobody wants to go to a concert to get lectured how bad they are. That's exactly what he did. Who the hell did he think he was? What a tool.
I was there only on Heavy Metal Day. Many including me left early in Van Halen. It was freezing that night in the desert. David was just too drunk. And they were very late. Had to be at least 90 minutes after The Scorpions left the stage along with some stupid computer presentation from Apple stuffed in between no one cared about. Disagree with you on Triumph although they are definitely prog rock. They were tight and incredible. The Scorpions were definitely. Way tighter than Van Halen. Smart enough not to be plastered.
People seem to be misunderstanding my take on Triumph so I most likely misrepresented myself. I just thought they looked out of place on metal day with all the flying v's and leather.
Oh ya it was a UFO. It was stupid.
@@RobertFithen Triumph was the tightest band who played w/o stupid drunken dumb antics but I agree they are not metal. VH sucked IMO...
@@mikeblaz Van Halen was so disappointing that night. Waiting an hour for the stupid UFO pissed me off. I left early next morning and witnessed a guy hit someone with a crowbar he later died. I gave him water he poured it on his bloody head and I realized he was in real bad shape. The media blamed it on Roth for saying F the police and inciting a riot
@@thereisatimeforwar7223 That sucks. I'm 52 and witness VH breaking out in the late 70s and really like their tunes (radio/cassette). But every time seeing them live I was turned off, mostly Roth but Eddie and Alex were no saints. My conclusion, Michael Anthony was the only cool one in the band.
The Clash focused on serious lyrical content and Van Halen focused on fun sound.
@Billy Blaze Blazejowski yeah, that was The Clash! "London Calling" is a better album than the whole Van Halen discography.
@@keithkoenig5320 that is pure ignorance. You’re comparing apples and oranges
@@keithkoenig5320 yeah dumb comment there...... let's just be thankful that was the clash's last show.... n for good reason too
@@franksaldana6570Cowardice masquerading as rationality. Fuck apples, I’ll take the oranges.
@@ohBwGuy Keith has clearly never listened to any women and children first or Fair Warning. Those albums have some of the hardest and most authentic rock and roll ever recorded
I subscribed when you hit those high notes showcasing Triumph 🎙
Saw The Clash in 1982 in Grand Rapids, MI. Still one of the best concerts I've ever been to.
Wow. GR is my home town & I was 18 in '82. Somehow I missed them but saw the Dead play the civic in 1980. Life changing.
No band can beat the attitude and swagger of Van Halen. I saw the '84 tour in Vegas, Dave said the only people that put ice tea in whiskey bottles is Quiet Riot.
I remember seeing VH in, I think 84, and it was the second night of a 2 night stint, and my buddy that was with me had been there the previous night, and said that the "stage act" was identical. While VH's stage act may not have been formally scripted, it was just that, an act. That's not a put-down, it's actually quite professional, but most bands are not nearly as spontaneously crazy as they'd like us to believe.
Am I remembering correctly that at some point Michael Anthony revealed his JD bottle schtick had been iced tea all along?
This is true…I have a bootleg album of VH’s 84 tour show at MSG in NY. He says that same quote about Quiet Riot
Saw VH in 1979 and there was nothing better than their first tour. As time went on DLR started talking too much in the middle of songs but the band still rocked. I loved the Clash too, not sure why he dissed them, they were the real deal. Nothing close to VH music but their lyrics were a lot more meaningful.
At least we got another great guitarist from quiet riot. Randy Rhoades. EVH is favorite but RR is definitely my 2nd fav
"You make, you buy, you die" VS "Clash put ice tea in their whiskey bottles YEEEEAAAAHBAAABYYYYY".
Yo this guy is a star. He has IT. Hes a perfect host
The Clash the only band that mattered
Finding out Joe Strummer was just another rich kid playing punk rock years ago, always helps the eyes get rolling when he’d start his ranting
IKR? "Capitalism sucks, but buy my record!"
The Clash were too woke for the festival. The crowd wasn't having it. They just wanted to have a good time.
That's pretty much it.
no they weren't "woke". They were trying to make a difference in the realm of music. keep your millennial trend slang out of legit revolutionary efforts. Anyone using that bullshit is a hypocrite with no business trying to take credit for real change. "woke"... yeah you're real aware...
Yeah. To hell with them.
Too woke for California is as good a compliment any punk band could hope to have!
@@ericandrews1661 Go straight to hell boys.
I saw The Clash twice in 1982. One was opening for The Who in a big stadium. I still love them.
In Philly with The Who and Santana same year Clash got booed of stage
Same here. LA Who show and Santa Barbara show tlwith English Beat
I saw them once in 1982 or 83 in Nashville.
Yup….the Colosseum show …l was at the US fest. Both years. And the Who show. You , me , and at least a quarter million other fans.😎
Wow! Great work assembling all this footage. I was at the first day. Hot and dusty. You could cut the smog with a knife: it was in a valley and there was an orange cloud sitting over the top of everything. I was way way at the back so it's great to see the closeup video. I had come for the Clash. They made us wait so long badmouthed the laser light show and the optimism, but in the age of Reagan, a cheerful Clash would have been a letdown ;-)
Thanks for the info! Legendary!
Joe Strummer was flipping out at this time period, and he admitted it later. Topper Headon was undermining the band with his addictions, everyone were sick of each other but they were still wildly suceesful, and had just had their biggest record ever. The Clash were such a big international act and what Strummer wanted was NEVER going to happen, as we all have learned since. The audience was on his side, all they had to do was FUCKING PLAY MUSIC! Strummer was upset though that his rock revolution was not going to happen.
I attended both US Festivals during high school. My high school coach got a few of us on the Cross Country team to work concessions through his college friend. It was one of the biggest highlights for me as a teenager to see all those bands while walking through the crowd selling soft drinks. So, as for the Clash and Van Halen... remember both shoes vividly. in middle school, Van Halen was my band, but by the time I got into high school I had all that teenage angst and The Clash had become my band. Joe was angry and got the whole crowd going... A giant mosh pit!!! Insane! As for Van Halen, from the get go David was smashed. Even before he came on stage, there was video footage of someone going back stage and opening a door and there is David apparently getting it on with a girl. Of course, the crowd is loving it, but when he came out on stage and is just started slurring and not remembering lines was disappointing. Yet, I did have a good time! So, I gotta go with The Clash because overall they were tight. Van Halen was entertaining, but sloppy.
...
Yeah but...in the grand scheme of things.
Van Halen sold way more records and inspired and entertained alot more people than The Clash ever did.
And I really like When Ivan Meets G.I
Joe..
My 2 all time favs are Vh and The Clash, both opposites Raw rage angst vs Technical metal party power you need both 🤘 to fuel the Fn 80s R&R train...greatest music of all time.
I am a huge Clash fan, but in 1983 they were just a shell of their former glory. Until 81 they were one of the best bands on the planet but after that it was just downhill. They developed an identity crisis. On one hand Strummer wanted to be in a peoples band that is accessible on the other hand they fill huge venues. You cant have both.
The youth was also shifting away from Punk (if the Clash were ever really a punk band is up to you). They just wanna have a good time and not just hear music that is about the bleak reality. Basically the same story that happened in the transition from the 60s to the 70s when the hippie movement collapsed and the people favored glam rock like bowie and t rex over other bands.
The Clash started to go sharply downhill the moment Topper Headon was fired.
Triumph played an awesome show that day.
The clash were a mess at this point this was the last show with mick Jones and there manager caused drama so it was more of the clash holding on
The Clash is my favorite band of all time. I did not know this happened. I saw Joe play at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC tight after 9/11. Awesome show. Cheers 🍻
The only band HOPE7747, the only band.
Nice video but I have to take exception with your diss of Triumph; I was there 2 of the 4 days and I can tell you they were the best band of the festival, with no one else even coming close. They ARE a rock band. I have seen many great VH shows; this was not one of them. Dave made a fool of himself (making fun of the Clash is OK though!).
Thanks! My comment was more about how their look didn't fit with the other metal bands with the leather, etc. and not so much about their musical abilities. I've heard nothing but good things about their performance since I made the video.
The Clash were the only good band there that day, the rest were dinosaurs on their way out
The particular lineup of the Clash for this gig was in fact the last show, but The Clash continued on well into late '85 so....at little inaccurate account on your part, but thanks for posting the video. As far as Strummer's rants during their set, I think he hit some proverbial nails on the head where the organizers and sponsors perhaps didn't want to hear or admit to in regards as to the motivation and intents of the festival itself. David Lee Roth got press for saying that Joe and the Clash "Can't take life so goddamn seriously, honey...", and while I do like Van Halen and understand his statement from the other side of the scenario, I equally understand Strummer's point of view from their own appearance at the gig. It's a double-edged sword and as much as artists and musicians feel manipulated, jaded or used by the very industry that they bought into, at a certain point, one side of the faction feels frustration, while the other side basks in the adulation. Both groups were polar opposites in this respect and ultimately, I feel that the Clash shouldn't have been there in the first place. Their manager used that as a ruse of manipulation and seeking press from the other end giving an impression that the group were these modern day mercenaries of integrity and preservation of the punk aesthetic, when in fact, the said manager was really seeking exploitation at his client's expense to line his own pockets and not theirs.
Missing Persons!?
Yeah, right?
Clash is trash. Imagine being all "screw the oppressors" but having NO perception of therapeutic value of rocking out at a fest before having to get back to the grind.
Yup. I remember The Clash when the phrase "the only band that matters" was current. My reaction was, "so no other band matters, and if I happen to like a bunch of those bands then I guess by extension I don't matter, either. Got it. Thanks. As if I didn't get that message often enough from other quarters.
BROOOOOOO...TRIUMPH??? Hard enough for metal day!!!
Went to that concert and the mighty VH was amazing! Scorpions also brought the house down as did every band on Heavy Metal day. Thought Missing Persons did a kick ass show along with the Divinyls and U2 on the other days. Bowie was boring. Sat down in his directors chair and sang.
Joe Strummer wasn't wrong!
God Bless Joe Strummer!
Saw VH in 1983 and 1984. Great shows and wonderful memories.
I was at 82 and 83. I hitch hiked from Santa Barbara in 83, took three hitches to get there and the last ride dropped me off at the gate next to the helipad. I used an MTV pass from 82 to get in with no issue. I had $20 and a backpack full of camera gear and lots of film. Crue did in fact suck, Priest impressed, and Bowie was OK. I seem to remember a camera crew looking for DLR before they took stage and finding him in a closet getting a BJ, projected on the big screen. If anyone remembers that, I would appreciate the confirmation. Things are fuzzy after 40 years. I still have hundreds of images in my archive. Someday, I'll print them and show them to my grandkids.
Even on David Lee Roth's most drunken stupor night, it's Van Halen by a Landslide. 👊
Triumph opened the day on Saturday so it was a soft opening if you will. But they were great musicians and always sounded far better than Crue or Quiet Riot.
Triumph: great band from the late 70's from Canada, if my memory serves. My older brother had one or two of their albums.
@@sgt.thundercok4704 Have all of their albums and went to 3 shows back in the day. Triumph and Rush...2 best bands from Canada.
@@mikeblaz What about April Wine and Mahogany Rush?
I'm guessing this guy didn't like The Clash, huh. They were easily the best band on this whole bill...although, admittedly, they were crippled here. Topper was gone, Joe and Mick barely speaking, Paul out to lunch. Even them on a bad day, though...I mean, don't get me wrong, I like to get drunk and stoned and yell "woo!" Along to Roth doing scissor kicks as much as the next man from time to time, but The Clash were on a totally different level from Van Halen, not to mention doing something NEW, rather than just doing something (boogie/good time hard rock) that had been done countless times before, but just doing it extremely well. Although Eddie did push some boundaries on the guitar in his best work
Van Halen sucked.
Seen the first tour.
3 years later drunk and was out his mind with the fame that swallowed them all.
It's a shame they were paid 1 million. Stray Cats rocked. JP killed it.
Scorpions opened for DefLeppard and Nugent in 1980 wango tango tour. Blew them both away in 20 minute s
Ha , to think .in four years from this performance U2 would be tne biggest band in the world .
The clash always annoyed me. Punk was turned into the new bubble gum pop back then. Now they're remembered for one song, which I loved when I was 10, but I would never put forth any effort to listen to that song today. It's astonishing they got 500k and we're not happy. 500k. For.the.clash.?.
I remember calling into work to watch the US fest which was live on Cable.
i was there and they VH made us wait 2 1/2 hours after Scorpions set before they came out.Scorps played from 6-8 VH came out at 10:30-meanwhile the buses going back to our communities left at 11 pm so we only got to see them for 1/2 hour and they were all totally drunk-what a let down.
was there and between scorps and vh a ufo hovered over the crowd and up on 3 screens they broadcast an alien onto talking to us.
I was there and I was so incredibly baked, that to this day, I STILL feel it.
CLASH the real deal, time proved it all Joe’s predictions came true - communication ends here.
Went to Both US Festivals, 6 of the Best days of my life..... Scorpion's smoked VH on metal Sunday !!!
I wish there was more footage available of the Scorpions set.
So Steve Wozniak wanted to showcase tech with music... and there is no official concert video. A few bootlegs of a few artists. Does anybody find this ironic?
What a total jerk the lead singer of the Clash is. They needed to be good off , obviously think's he's better than everyone else when they don't even come close to Van Halen.
I like The Clash,great band.But that was the wrong time and wrong place to be going off. California didn't appreciate it at all.
New wave/ or Post punk originally in the UK is the Best musical genre that ever happened to mankind
Yes, one of the better sounds was coming out of the New Wave early 80's.
Have to love champagne socialists asking that ticket price be 17 bucks while asking half a mil to play.
Dave was the master of ceremonies for the immoral majority back then. My heyday. Loved everything about that drunken VH show. 🤘🤘🤘
He wasn't.
@@Lil.black.dress84 Of course he was. Idk what you were paying attention to back then.
Wow, we drink a lot of whiskey, we must rock! 🤣
Great upload.. Much needed right now! Thanks from London, England
Thanks!!
bono has always been an ultimate pacsle.
There is footage of Bono scaling that big ass scaffold.
Thanks for posting! If you have a second, we posted a cover of Van Halen. As fellow music lovers, we'd love if you'd take a listen. It's on our channel. Don't be too tough on us :)