Start Date: Mar 19, 1980 – End Date: Nov 15, 1980
Locations: North America, Europe
The tour for Women and Children First, 1980 World Invasion Tour was dubbed “Party ’til You Die Tour” by the band. This tour would see keyboards on stage for the first time. Michael Anthony would play the keyboard parts for “And the Cradle Will Rock…”
Note: Dates below in red are links to content posted on this site (bootlegs, videos, photos, interviews). Just click to view a specific date. Or you can view all posts from 1980 here.
| Date | City | Country | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America (1st Leg) | ||||
| March 19, 1980 | Victoria, BC | Canada | Victoria Memorial Arena | |
| March 21, 1980 | Central Point, OR | United States | Compton Arena | |
| March 22, 1980 | Eugene, OR | McArthur Court | ||
| March 24, 1980 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Coliseum | ||
| March 25, 1980 | Great Falls, MO | Four Seasons Arena | ||
| March 26, 1980 | Missoula, MO | Adams Field House | ||
| March 27, 1980 | Pocatello, ID | Mini-Dome | ||
| March 29, 1980 | Fort Collins, CO | Moby Gym | ||
| March 30, 1980 | Pueblo, CO | Massari Gym (University of Southern Colorado) | ||
| April 2, 1980 | Vancouver, BC | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | |
| April 3, 1980 | Portland, OR | United States | Portland Memorial Coliseum | |
| April 4, 1980 | Seattle, WA | Seattle Center Coliseum | ||
| April 5, 1980 | ||||
| April 7, 1980 | Calgary, AB | Canada | Stampede Corral | |
| April 7, 1980 | Calgary, AB | Stampede Corral | ||
| April 8, 1980 | Edmonton, AB | Northlands Coliseum | ||
| April 11, 1980 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Winnipeg Arena | ||
| April 13, 1980 | Saint Paul, MN | United States | St. Paul Civic Center | |
| April 14, 1980 | Milwaukee, WI | MECCA Arena | ||
| April 15, 1980 | Madison, WI | Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||
| April 24, 1980 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverfront Coliseum | ||
| April 25, 1980 | Chicago, IL | International Amphitheatre | ||
| April 26, 1980 | Detroit, MI | Cobo Arena | ||
| April 27, 1980 | ||||
| April 29, 1980 | Richfield, OH | Richfield Coliseum | ||
| April 30, 1980 | Pittsburgh, PA | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | ||
| May 1, 1980 | Landover, MD | Capital Centre | ||
| May 2, 1980 | Binghamton, NY | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena | ||
| May 3, 1980 | South Yarmouth, MA | Cape Cod Coliseum | ||
| May 5, 1980 | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | ||
| May 6, 1980 | Rochester | Rochester Community War Memorial Arena | ||
| May 7, 1980 | Philadelphia | Spectrum | ||
| May 8, 1980 | New Haven | New Haven Coliseum | ||
| May 9, 1980 | Philadelphia, PA | The Spectrum | ||
| Europe | ||||
| May 21, 1980 | Rome | Italy | The Piper Club (TV taping) | |
| May 26, 1980 | Geleen | Netherlands | Burgemeester Damen Sportpark (Pinkpop Festival) | |
| May 27, 1980 | Ludwigshafen | Germany | Friedrich-Ebert-Halle | |
| May 29, 1980 | Essen | Grugahalle | ||
| May 30, 1980 | Hamburg | Ernst-Merck-Halle | ||
| May 31, 1980 | Cambrai | France | Grottos Palace | |
| June 1, 1980 | Caen | Caen Expo Hall | ||
| June 3, 1980 | Paris | Palais des Sports | ||
| June 4, 1980 | Lyon | Palais des Sports de Gerland | ||
| June 6, 1980 | Reims | Reims Sports Palace | ||
| June 7, 1980 | Würzburg | Germany | Carl Diem Hall | |
| June 8, 1980 | Neunkirchen | Hemmerleinhalle | ||
| June 10, 1980 | Düsseldorf | Philips Hall | ||
| June 11, 1980 | Sindelfingen | Messehalle | ||
| June 14, 1980 | Munich | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle | ||
| June 17, 1980 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall | |
| June 18, 1980 | Glasgow | Scotland | The Apollo | |
| June 19, 1980 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo | |
| June 20, 1980 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | ||
| June 21, 1980 | Germany | ZDF Rockpop | ||
| June 22, 1980 | Birmingham | Birmingham Odeon | ||
| June 23, 1980 | London | Rainbow Theatre | ||
| June 24, 1980 | ||||
| North America (2nd leg) | ||||
| July 10, 1980 | Kalamazoo | United States | Wings Stadium | |
| July 11, 1980 | Toledo | Toledo Sports Arena | ||
| July 12, 1980 | Fort Wayne | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | ||
| July 13, 1980 | Huntington | Huntington Civic Center | ||
| July 15, 1980 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum | |
| July 16, 1980 | Ottawa | Ottawa Civic Center | ||
| July 17, 1980 | London | London Gardens | ||
| July 18, 1980 | Toronto | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||
| July 20, 1980 | Richmond, VA | United States | Richmond Coliseum | |
| July 21, 1980 | Hampton | Hampton Coliseum | ||
| July 22, 1980 | Baltimore | Baltimore Civic Center | ||
| July 24, 1980 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | ||
| July 25, 1980 | Boston | Boston Garden | ||
| July 26, 1980 | Uniondale, NY | Nassau Coliseum | ||
| July 27, 1980 | ||||
| July 28, 1980 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | ||
| July 29, 1980 | Chicago | International Amphitheatre | ||
| July 30, 1980 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | ||
| July 31, 1980 | St. Louis | Checkerdome | ||
| August 1, 1980 | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum | ||
| August 2, 1980 | Little Rock | Barton Coliseum | ||
| August 4, 1980 | Birmingham | Jefferson Civic Center | ||
| August 5, 1980 | Nashville | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | ||
| August 6, 1980 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | ||
| August 8, 1980 | Ft. Myers, FL | Lee County Arena | ||
| August 9, 1980 | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood Sportatorium | ||
| August 22, 1980 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena | |
| August 23, 1980 | Omaha | Omaha Civic Auditorium | ||
| August 24, 1980 | Salina | Bicentennial Center | ||
| August 26, 1980 | Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum | ||
| August 27, 1980 | San Antonio | San Antonio Convention Center | ||
| August 28, 1980 | Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum | ||
| August 29, 1980 | Shreveport | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum | ||
| August 30, 1980 | Baton Rouge | Riverside Centroplex | ||
| September 1, 1980 | Mobile | Mobile Municipal Auditorium | ||
| September 2, 1980 | Jackson | Mississippi Coliseum | ||
| September 3, 1980 | Beaumont | Fair Park Coliseum | ||
| September 4, 1980 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | ||
| September 6, 1980 | Norman | Owen Field (Roklahoma) | ||
| September 7, 1980 | Amarillo | Amarillo Civic Center | ||
| September 8, 1980 | Lubbock | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | ||
| September 9, 1980 | El Paso, TX | El Paso Civic Center | ||
| September 10, 1980 | Albuquerque | University of New Mexico Arena | ||
| September 12, 1980 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | ||
| September 15, 1980 | Phoenix | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||
| September 16, 1980 | Tucson | Tucson Community Center | ||
| September 18, 1980 | Fresno | Selland Arena | ||
| September 19, 1980 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Sports Arena | ||
| September 20, 1980 | ||||
| October 3, 1980 | Rapid City | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center | ||
| October 4, 1980 | Bismarck | Bismarck Civic Center | ||
| October 6, 1980 | Salt Lake City | Salt Palace | ||
| October 9, 1980 | Oakland | Oakland Arena | ||
| October 10, 1980 | ||||
| October 12, 1980 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | ||
| October 15, 1980 | Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls Arena | ||
| October 16, 1980 | Des Moines | Des Moines Veterans Memorial Auditorium | ||
| October 17, 1980 | Lincoln | Pershing Memorial Auditorium | ||
| October 19, 1980 | Macomb | Western Hall | ||
| October 21, 1980 | Terre Haute | Hulman Arena | ||
| October 22, 1980 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | ||
| October 24, 1980 | Knoxville | Knoxville Civic Coliseum | ||
| October 25, 1980 | Johnson City | Freedom Hall | ||
| October 31, 1980 | Macon | Macon Coliseum | ||
| November 1, 1980 | Augusta | Augusta Civic Center | ||
| November 2, 1980 | Asheville | Asheville Civic Center | ||
| November 5, 1980 | Champaign | Assembly Hall | ||
| November 6, 1980 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame Athletics and Convocation Center | ||
| November 7, 1980 | Evansville | Roberts Municipal Stadium | ||
| November 8, 1980 | Huntsville | Von Braun Civic Center | ||
| November 11, 1980 | Winston-Salem | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum | ||
| November 12, 1980 | Savannah | Savannah Civic Center | ||
| November 14, 1980 | St. Petersburg | Bayfront Center | ||
| November 15, 1980 | Lakeland | Lakeland Civic Center | ||
| November 16, 1980 | Jacksonville, FL | Jacksonville Coliseum | ||
This is the year I became a VH fan. The very next day after hearing about their show in Vancouver April 2 1980.
No idea as to how I was so late to the party. I had been a fan of KISS since I was a youngster and saw them live in 1979. I was really into Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick and numerous others at the time. How I missed the boat on VH until 1980 is beyond me. I really should of known about them sooner and saw them on this tour. One of my favorite era’s for sure.
All Hell Yeah !!!
I still have very vivid crystal clear memories from most of those ’81, ’82, & ’84 shows.
Something really special about seeing VH the first time. It seems to stick with me all these years. Each time I went to a show after that I always wish it was VH. Even if it was The Stones or someone really good. Nothing ever seemed to match the feeling of seeing & hearing VH live in person to this day.
The volume and lighting were absolutly intense. Starting out with On Fire blew my mind. I really didnt expect that one, as of course we didnt know the setlist beforehand back then. The VH lighting rig logo at the end of the show was killer.
The lights were so brightly shined into the audience during the chorus of RWTD, you could see the entire audience up on their feet fistpumping and going apeshit.
At that time, I dont recall any other band that pumped the crowd up so much. ( Later on I could see from AC/DC dvd’s that they too have some enthusiastic audiences, as well as Metallica and some of the other Heavy Metal acts. )
But for me they were, and still are my #1 favorite of all time.
I too, used to plaster my walls with VH posters and magazine pinups. Still have quite a few of them, and have been collecting more and replacing ones from EBay this past year. I still have the ’81 program, and tour shirt from the show. It is super thin and tattered though. I’ve only worn it twice in the past 30 years, at the VH 2007 show, and the 1994 DLR show.
You’re right. It is good to look at the bright side that we got to see them in their magnificent glory. It is amazing how something as simple as a rock band can become a life long pleasure to enjoy being a fan of. I still get the same thrill from finding VH memorbilia, magazines and bootlegs as I did back then. The internet has become the new Creem, Circus, and record store. A day without VH, is like a day without sunshine. Gotta love it.
I was at that show, too. My first VH show. Saw Rush 5 days earlier. Front row for the Diver Down tour. Got EVH’s pick.
A bit too young to attend the Invasion tour unfortunately…My parents did manage to buy me the album that year though i still have it.
I was at the July 21, 1980 show in Hampton. I remember this young girl screaming “Eddie!” “David!” in my ear…I think I was deaf for a day or so after that.
My very first rock album, that I bought with my own money, was Van Halen II. The second? Van Halen I.
Nice!
Does anyone know who opened for Van Halen on Nov.11, 1980 at the coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC? I was there but can’t remember who opened…
Talas (with Billy Sheehan) opened for VH the day after (Nov. 12). So it could’ve been them.
it was Talas
Saw the April 4th, 1980 Seattle show! Was 15 at the time. Never forget it, my friend and I stood in line all day and got the best seats in the place.
Saw them in KC 1980 tour ,we jumped up and down on the Kemper seats tell they broke.The band got out the video camera said they were recording the crowd went wild .I saw while back they did that all the time just to get the crowd going , they never recording any thing what a laugh!!
What does the red letters on the tour dates mean? I’m new, love V.H.
1980 best show of all ive seen probly cause it wAs my first the overall show roth was drunk in salt lake ed wore no shirt and played a once in history type guitar i had pictures of the show but gave em up for redhair marijuana i believe a little more than an8th of weed hhaaaa have not smoked weed since those times i had the program to but some older kids bullied me for it i was 12 at the time and also alexs drums were a 1lifetime cause that night he had half of the set those bad ass clear ones with the numbers and half the tube type on fair warn they had been touring so hard they used salt lake as a who cares type city roth actually was drunk they also couldnt do the skit where someone tosses the joint on stage and roth asks alex wtf is this and alex and roth hit it in part due to the lds mormon religion then there much mellower now allowing cigarettes and is for weed legal that is y im not in the church but i do party not cigs and weed now like then so when i heard what they actually said on these concerts yall were nice enuff to load i was like holy batmans cock !
i no theres gotta be more concerts from 80 i love this site but its been forever since u updated hell u guys no ed tell him we aint pressureing on get back tour etc just bust out some of the sound boards from 79 80 when i think they were at there top.. they played weber state78 when roth got decked utah state 79 and salt palace 80 and salt palace in 84 which i believe was the quickest sell out in the history of concerts at time 14,000 in 15 minutes i had a bunch of peoples money from skool i had to give money back and just say sorry man they actually had a set up procedure for people camping out 3 days before they released them we came in 2days before and they only played utah the one nite they wood sold out5 im sure in fact they threatend to shut ticket sales off cause there mass butting in line but that didnt matter if u had the camping band on wrist but then of course fake bands soon popped up and when they sold out in 15 minutes and found out only 1 show the malls and outlets were trashed bad plants etc tables even some looting was headlines on news here if any body has any stories similar i like to hear
haha ! my now brother in law hacked me 40.00 each for 2 tickets in ’84 at the salt palace – I still give him shit about it.. that was alot of cash for lower bowl.
remember ‘the velcros’ opened for them?
Hey guys,
something to add to your archive from this tour
I was at a show not listed above, the March 27th gig in Pocatello, Idaho. They played in the Minidome (now called the Holt Arena). No opening act, just Van Halen. That was the day after Women and Children First was released. I could write a pretty entertaining essay on the events that found me there! Memorable for so many reasons. My big take aways were that, obviously, Eddie was just a monster guitar player and that Michael Anthony’s background vocals were killer. They were, without a doubt, the tightest band I had ever seen. All for less than $10 a ticket!
Steve
I gotta call bullshit on whole Idaho thing and understand at that age making it up but I live by there and there was no secret show or whatever guaranteed and if there was how did u get tickets I no the answer
the Pocatello show wasn’t listed here until awhile back – I had wondered the same thing – it was a short notice impromptu show – we got tickets at a record store on Broadway Ave in Boise and the show was like 3 or 4 days later – we had to improvise so we hitchhiked (on the day of the show) and everything worked out as if we had planned it – even the girls 😉
Oh hell yes – I was there – ‘Rail’ opened for them – it was a sunny warm afternoon hanging out at the dome with the crowd. Me and a friend hitched down from Boise with about 20.00, tickets and weed.
VH tore the place apart !
22nd June 1980 at Birmingham Odeon UK – Brilliant show, never forget it
Sooo….
If I have a ticket stud stating that VH played Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock on Sept 8 1980…
you are correct – 9/8/80 was Lubbock I’ll have to update this page! thanks.
49ermike – Solid words of wisdom.
September 19th 1980 Los Angeles Sports Arena. Was on the left side facing the stage about mid way up the side looking down. A homecoming for our Los Angeles hero’s. The “space ship” drum set, the bomb casings as key boards — the show was an ass kicker. Anthony’s bass was a Jack Daniels bottle, and Roth had an acoustic guitar in the shape of a fudgesickle for ice cream man. I got a ticket from a buddy of mine who said his girlfriend was not into that scene/music. I got the not out of the bullpen and got a freebee. They played all the big hits, and did dance the night away, but the killer one for me was light up the sky. During light up the sky, the whole arena was amassed with bic lighters “lighting up the sky.” The music was so clean sounding that it was like someone was in the back playing a record — it was that accurate sounding. One poster below said that the joint was thrown on the stage, and Roth said “what the F#$ck is this” and did the pass around. I do remember that. I forgot about it until I read the guy below, thanks for the refresher man, good memories and you pulled one out for me. Got the tee shirt and wore it proud for a few years. When I wore the tee at high school people would compliment me on the shirt. I’d like to get a replica, maybe ebay to the rescue. I was 15, just about to turn 16 and felt special to see them play. To the guy that got bullied and lost his tour album — I got sucker punched by a football player in front of all the “in crowd” at high school and cried. I dropped out of high school for being humiliated, and went to concerts and lived in my car. I had more fun going to concerts and being with rockers than the school people. Tough times, but I had some special times. Saw Ratt at UCLA Madi gras $3 and got to air guitar to Warren D’Martini as he played all the set. Even talked to the band for a brief few seconds just before the show. US Festival 83′ San Bernardino Metal Sunday too. Van Halen at the sports arena is top of the list of over 250 shows. I’m sober in AA 31 years, so yes you can go to shows and party sober if you want to.
Come on i saw them in November where is the rest of the tour dates!
They did NOT play McArthur Court on the Eugene OR show. They played the Lane County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall. I was 17 years old and was at that show!
This is the first time I’ve seen the accurate date listed for the postponed Jax, FL show. I was at that concert. A friend got me backstage. Then I ended up at the Hilton after the show. I got Edward’s autograph, met Valerie (she told me she was taking him home for Thanksgiving to meet her family), and then ended up in DLR’s suite with a bunch of other people. Pretty heady experience for a 21 year-old.
Seen this tour in Oakland on October 10th , Bought the tickets the day they were released. Was the best show i seen that year, And was allot better then the show they did in june 81 . Both shows i was 15 yrs old.
Now if you could find out who the opening acts, that would be great, July 11, 1980 in Toledo opener was Cats, but have no idea who opened for them on may 8, 1979 in Toledo
I was in charge of security for the Pueblo show. Got all my friends at shirt if they worked. I have witnesses still alive. The M n M stuff was in the student center. Connie was in charge of making sure they were happy. David was really rude and Connie said to hell with taking out the brown M n M’s. The rest is history.
My First VH Gig 11-16-80 Jax Fla.. I think they had this big ass bottle of Champane , they were spraying all over the place after the last song… Last show of the tour!? also saw them 82-84 in Jax …..AWESOME