# Fair Warning Tour

The Fair Warning Tour was a concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen in support of their fourth studio album Fair Warning.

## Background

The tour began with two to three night performances with the band being focused on performing only in North America. The June 11, 12 and 13 shows in Oakland were filmed, creating music videos for "Unchained", "So This is Love?" and "Hear About It Later", though Roth stated in an interview that the two nights of filming were a disaster and the footage from the third show had to be scrapped as a result. The band concluded their tour as an opening act for two shows with the Rolling Stones at Tangerine Bowl on October 24 and 25.

## Reception

Don Adair from The Spokesman-Review gave the performance he attended in Spokane a positive review. He began his review, stating that Van Halen was music to be enjoyed on the most elemental levels, citing it as flashy, showy, brazen hormone rock and that it was pointless to pass judgement on Van Halen. He acknowledged the stage design, adding that there was follow-spots lighting the band from the rear of the stage with others from out front and around the drum stand - noting it as the drum kit lit up like an encounter from the third kind. He continued on the speakers hanging from the coliseum's ceiling and front wall of the building adjacent to the stage with amplifiers behind the band, comparing it to a mountain range in aluminum. He would criticize the acoustics though as it did muddle Eddie Van Halen's playing. He praised David Lee Roth as still having the moves and hitting home with unerring accuracy, but had criticized his voice as being only average, stating his trademark squeal should have been forgotten long ago. He concluded his review, stating that the sold out audience got what they paid for.
Jim Bruce from The Windsor Star who attended the Cobo Arena show in Detroit, opening his review, noting on how all three of the shows that had sold out had translated to 50,000 fans aged between 15 and 25, with tremendous amounts of emotion given when the band had arrived on stage to which he described their entrance as if they appeared in a blaze of flashing light, adding that he thought Armageddon had arrived. He praised all four of the members in the band, citing them as proven master musicians - also referring to Eddie Van Halen as exceptionally fine lead guitarist. He concluded his review, stating that the audience at the conclusion of the show left with smiles on their faces instead of chips on their shoulders.
Jennifer Towell from The Montreal Gazette opened her review, noting on how the band showed everything in agreement to a banner fans made which declared: "Disco Sucks". She added that the noise level wasn't no accident as the band had brought more than 100 speakers to produce the sound that in comparison, had outblasted any record banned on the regular family stereo. She praised Eddie and Alex's musical accompaniment, saying it was the perfect complement to Roth's "sexually immodest gyrations".

## Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country and venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| North America ||||
| May 12, 1981 | Halifax | Canada | Halifax Metro Centre |
| May 15, 1981 | Providence | United States | Providence Civic Center |
| May 16, 1981 | Portland | United States | Cumberland County Civic Center |
| May 17, 1981 | Glens Falls | United States | Glens Falls Civic Center |
| May 18, 1981 | Rochester | United States | Rochester Community War Memorial Arena |
| May 20, 1981 | Charleston | United States | Charleston Civic Center |
| May 22, 1981 | Louisville | United States | Freedom Hall |
| May 23, 1981 | Dayton | United States | Hara Arena |
| May 24, 1981 | Kalamazoo | United States | Wings Stadium |
| May 27, 1981 | Edmonton | Canada | Northlands Coliseum |
| May 28, 1981 | Calgary | Canada | Stampede Corral |
| May 31, 1981 | Spokane | United States | Spokane Coliseum |
| June 2, 1981 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum |
| June 4, 1981 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Coliseum |
| June 5, 1981 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Coliseum |
| June 8, 1981 | Portland | United States | Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| June 9, 1981 | Portland | United States | Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| June 11, 1981 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Arena |
| June 12, 1981 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Arena |
| June 13, 1981 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Arena |
| June 16, 1981 | Las Vegas | United States | Aladdin Theatre |
| June 18, 1981 | Fresno | United States | Selland Arena |
| June 19, 1981 | Los Angeles | United States | Los Angeles Sports Arena |
| June 20, 1981 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| June 21, 1981 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| July 2, 1981 | Milwaukee | United States | MECCA Arena |
| July 3, 1981 | Detroit | United States | Cobo Arena |
| July 4, 1981 | Detroit | United States | Cobo Arena |
| July 5, 1981 | Detroit | United States | Cobo Arena |
| July 7, 1981 | Saint Paul | United States | St. Paul Civic Center |
| July 9, 1981 | Indianapolis | United States | Market Square Arena |
| July 10, 1981 | Chicago | United States | International Amphitheatre |
| July 11, 1981 | Chicago | United States | International Amphitheatre |
| July 12, 1981 | Madison | United States | Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| July 14, 1981 | Pittsburgh | United States | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| July 16, 1981 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum |
| July 17, 1981 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| July 18, 1981 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Coliseum |
| July 20, 1981 | Philadelphia | United States | Spectrum |
| July 21, 1981 | Philadelphia | United States | Spectrum |
| July 22, 1981 | Philadelphia | United States | Spectrum |
| July 24, 1981 | Boston | United States | Boston Garden |
| July 25, 1981 | Boston | United States | Boston Garden |
| July 27, 1981 | Roanoke | United States | Roanoke Civic Center |
| July 28, 1981 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre |
| July 29, 1981 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre |
| July 31, 1981 | Buffalo | United States | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
| August 2, 1981 | Richfield | United States | Richfield Coliseum |
| August 3, 1981 | Richfield | United States | Richfield Coliseum |
| August 4, 1981 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| August 5, 1981 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum |
| August 18, 1981 | Pembroke Pines | United States | Hollywood Sportatorium |
| August 19, 1981 | Lakeland | United States | Lakeland Civic Center |
| August 22, 1981 | Atlanta | United States | Omni Coliseum |
| August 23, 1981 | Knoxville | United States | Knoxville Civic Coliseum |
| August 24, 1981 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| August 25, 1981 | Greensboro | United States | Greensboro Coliseum |
| August 27, 1981 | Hampton | United States | Hampton Coliseum |
| August 29, 1981 | Cincinnati | United States | Riverfront Coliseum |
| August 30, 1981 | Nashville | United States | Nashville Municipal Auditorium |
| August 31, 1981 | Birmingham | United States | Jefferson Civic Center |
| September 1, 1981 | Memphis | United States | Mid-South Coliseum |
| September 3, 1981 | Huntsville | United States | Von Braun Civic Center |
| September 4, 1981 | Jackson | United States | Mississippi Coliseum |
| September 5, 1981 | Biloxi | United States | Mississippi Coast Coliseum |
| September 6, 1981 | Baton Rouge | United States | Riverside Centroplex |
| September 8, 1981 | Shreveport | United States | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum |
| September 10, 1981 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| September 11, 1981 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| September 12, 1981 | Houston | United States | Sam Houston Coliseum |
| September 13, 1981 | Houston | United States | Sam Houston Coliseum |
| September 28, 1981 | Phoenix | United States | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| September 29, 1981 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena |
| October 2, 1981 | Austin | United States | Frank Erwin Center |
| October 3, 1981 | Norman | United States | Lloyd Noble Center |
| October 6, 1981 | Albuquerque | United States | Tingley Coliseum |
| October 7, 1981 | El Paso | United States | El Paso County Coliseum |
| October 9, 1981 | San Antonio | United States | San Antonio Convention Center |
| October 15, 1981 | Tulsa | United States | Tulsa Assembly Center |
| October 16, 1981 | Valley Center | United States | Kansas Coliseum |
| October 17, 1981 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena |
| October 18, 1981 | St. Louis | United States | Checkerdome |
| October 20, 1981 | Omaha | United States | Omaha Civic Auditorium |
| October 21, 1981 | Cedar Rapids | United States | Five Seasons Arena |
| October 24, 1981 | Orlando | United States | Tangerine Bowl |
| October 25, 1981 | Orlando | United States | Tangerine Bowl |

### Box office score data

List of box office score data with date, city, venue, attendance, gross, references :
| Date (1981) | City | Venue | Attendance | Gross |
| July 12 | Madison, United States | Coliseum | 8,346 | $71,886 |
| July 14 | Pittsburgh, United States | Civic Arena | 13,374 | $129,052 |
| July 16 | New Haven, United States | Coliseum | 9,832 | $92,640 |
| July 20–22 | Philadelphia, United States | Spectrum | 36,339 | $355,380 |
| July 24–25 | Boston, United States | Garden | 24,200 | $249,946 |
| July 28 | Indianapolis, United States | Market Square Arena | 15,500 | $126,250 |
| August 19 | Lakeland, United States | Civic Center | 10,000 | $95,000 |
| August 29 | Cincinnati, United States | Coliseum | 9,897 | $98,679 |
| August 30 | Nashville, United States | Municipal Auditorium | 9,055 | $80,603 |
| August 31 | Birmingham, United States | Civic Center | 9,542 | $82,978 |
| September 1 | Memphis, United States | Coliseum | 10,369 | $98,506 |
| September 4 | Jackson, United States | Coliseum | 8,297 | $78,822 |
| October 2 | Austin, United States | Frank Erwin Center | 17,617 | $104,734 |
| October 15 | Tulsa, United States | Assembly Center | 7,157 | $67,458 |
| October 18 | St. Louis, United States | Checkerdome | 14,082 | $127,395 |

## Personnel

* Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
* David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
* Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals, keyboards
* Alex Van Halen – drums