# Van Halen World Vacation Tour

The World Vacation Tour was the second concert tour by American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their second studio album Van Halen II.

## Background

The band began their first full headlining tour in Fresno on March 25, 1979. The band were performing in arenas throughout the United States, where they had performed previously as an opening act. The band was set to perform in Spokane on April 14, but had postponed their show to April 19 due to an illness from one of the band members. The tour was a financial success for the band, aside from the additional costs of having extra lighting and sound equipment. The band had also toured Europe for two weeks and Asia during this tour, playing to larger audiences than they previously had on their first tour. The tour concluded on October 7, 1979 with a performance at the Forum in Inglewood where Eddie and Alex lived.

## Reception

Nelson George, a reviewer for the magazine Billboard, gave the performance in New York City on May 12, 1979 a positive review. He opened with the acknowledgement of a sold out young and dedicated crowd as well as recognizing the two studio albums released by the band having also achieved gold. He praised the usage of backlights and colored light combinations, stating that the show despite being in its frenzy was well choreographed and slick with the noting of Roth's energy on stage. However, he criticized the sound based on how Eddie and Michael were washing away the vocals of Roth with the buzzing of their cordless guitars.
Music critic Bob Ross from the St. Petersburg Times, had also gave the band's performance a positive review after attending the Lakeland show, opening with a headline that Van Halen was "irresistibly entertaining". He noted on the excitement from the audience that the band had generated from 6,000 fans. He praised the energy, enthusiasm and simplicity techniques. When talking about Eddie Van Halen, he noted him as interesting a lead guitarist, comparing him to many other rising guitarists from other band in the decade. Commenting on Eddie's abilities during the show, he said the feedback never faltered, and his performance was a reminder that great rock music is fun, super-tight and never pompous. Ross concluded his review, agreeing with bassist Michael Anthony that Van Halen shouldn't change the basic sound the band developed.
Posting his review in the Leader-Post, Mike McVean gave the Regina, Saskatchewan performance he attended a positive review, opening that the 5,750 euphoric fans in attendance weren't disappointed - which ranged from 12 to 18 year olds having compared them to being like cattle going to the slaughterhouse. He noted that the band had put on a "cranium-splitting show" which featured a minimum of definition and clarity of lyric and a maximum of energy throughout the performance, sticking to what the show was about as he cited: "heavy metal hard rock". He praised both the quality of Eddie Van Halen's guitar work and David Lee Roth's vocals, comparing them to being a Robert Plant-style presence but criticized that the guitar riffs and leaps were of much relevance stating that one brick does not make a wall of sound. Concert attendee Verna Mogk was very disappointed with McVean's review, stating that they did not feel like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse, and did not appreciate being referred to that way. They noted on the fantastic musical abilities of the band with evidence of the loud applause the audience gave to them, remarking that McVean should check with his family physician for migrane relief after his "cranium-splitting" comment, with hopes the band did not read the review he made, following an "excellent and entertaining show".
However, Ted Drozdowski from the Morning Record and Journal gave the New Haven performance a negative review, opening his review with stating the band was miserably poor in concert with the simple statement: "Van Halen stinks!" He stated that the band was very disorganized and immature with no sense of timing, featured a hate-inspired stage presence as well as noting on an ugly light show. Despite the stage show was he quoted as "sad", he stated that the band was nowhere near the quality and perfection of their studio recordings. He criticized that the band was trying to be a copy of Led Zeppelin, with the band's lack of intelligence preventing even a mediocre copy. Having noted on the various issues that the band members had, as well as Roth's performance, comparing him to a prancing fool who behaved like a headless chicken, he also referred to Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing, also accusing him of cheating to achieve his claim to fame. He concluded his review, stating it was a terrible performing band and a waste of the price on a concert ticket.

## Setlist

* "Light Up the Sky"
* "Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
* Alex Van Halen drum solo
* "Runnin' with the Devil"
* "Dance the Night Away"
* "Beautiful Girls"
* "On Fire"
* Michael Anthony bass solo
* "You're No Good"
* "Jamie's Cryin'"
* "Fools" (Intro) and "Feel Your Love Tonight"
* "Outta Love Again"
* "Ice Cream Man"
* "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
* Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, "Spanish Fly" and "Eruption"
* "You Really Got Me"
Encore
* "Bottoms Up!"
* "Growth", "Atomic Punk"

## Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country and venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| North America ||||
| March 25, 1979 | Fresno | United States | Selland Arena |
| March 26, 1979 | Redding | United States | Redding Civic Auditorium |
| March 27, 1979 | Central Point | United States | Compton Arena |
| March 29, 1979 | Missoula | United States | Adams Field House |
| March 30, 1979 | Caldwell | United States | O'Connor Field House |
| March 31, 1979 | Logan | United States | Smith Spectrum |
| April 3, 1979 | Tacoma | United States | UPS Memorial Field House |
| April 5, 1979 | San Rafael | United States | Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium |
| April 6, 1979 | San Jose | United States | San Jose Performing Arts Theater |
| April 7, 1979 | San Jose | United States | San Jose Performing Arts Theater |
| April 8, 1979 | Los Angeles | United States | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (California World Music Festival #2) |
| April 10, 1979 | Reno | United States | Centennial Coliseum |
| April 12, 1979 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Arena |
| April 13, 1979 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Arena |
| April 14, 1979 | Spokane | United States | Spokane Coliseum |
| April 16, 1979 | Portland | United States | Jantzen Beach Ice Arena |
| April 17, 1979 | Portland | United States | Jantzen Beach Ice Arena |
| April 18, 1979 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum |
| April 19, 1979 | Spokane | United States | Spokane Coliseum |
| April 21, 1979 | Boulder | United States | Balch Fieldhouse |
| April 22, 1979 | Boulder | United States | Balch Fieldhouse |
| April 24, 1979 | Kansas City | United States | Kansas City Music Hall |
| April 26, 1979 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom |
| April 27, 1979 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom |
| April 28, 1979 | St. Louis | United States | Checkerdome |
| April 29, 1979 | Indianapolis | United States | Market Square Arena |
| May 1, 1979 | Detroit | United States | Detroit Masonic Temple |
| May 2, 1979 | Detroit | United States | Detroit Masonic Temple |
| May 3, 1979 | Kalamazoo | United States | Wings Stadium |
| May 5, 1979 | Cincinnati | United States | Riverfront Coliseum |
| May 6, 1979 | Louisville | United States | Louisville Gardens |
| May 7, 1979 | Pittsburgh | United States | Stanley Theatre |
| May 8, 1979 | Toledo | United States | Toledo Sports Arena |
| May 9, 1979 | Buffalo | United States | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
| May 11, 1979 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Warner Theatre |
| May 12, 1979 | New York City | United States | Palladium |
| May 13, 1979 | Boston | United States | Orpheum Theatre |
| May 15, 1979 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| May 16, 1979 | London | Canada | London Gardens |
| May 17, 1979 | Syracuse | United States | Manley Field House |
| May 18, 1979 | Rochester | United States | Rochester Community War Memorial Arena ("Don Kirshner's Rock Concert") |
| May 19, 1979 | Philadelphia | United States | Spectrum |
| May 30, 1979 | Atlanta | United States | Fox Theatre |
| May 31, 1979 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| June 1, 1979 | Norfolk | United States | Scope Arena |
| June 2, 1979 | Raleigh | United States | Carter–Finley Stadium (June Jam) |
| June 4, 1979 | Knoxville | United States | Knoxville Civic Coliseum |
| June 5, 1979 | Birmingham | United States | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium |
| June 7, 1979 | Memphis | United States | Mid-South Coliseum |
| June 8, 1979 | Little Rock | United States | Barton Coliseum |
| June 9, 1979 | Dallas | United States | Cotton Bowl (Texxas Jam) |
| June 10, 1979 | New Orleans | United States | The Superdome (A Day of Rock 'N' Roll) |
| Europe ||||
| June 14, 1979 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National |
| June 15, 1979 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Jaap Edenhal |
| June 17, 1979 | Düsseldorf | West Germany | Philips Hall |
| June 18, 1979 | Offenbach | West Germany | Stadthalle Offenbach |
| June 19, 1979 | Munich | West Germany | Circus Krone Building |
| June 21, 1979 | Lyon | France | Palais des Sports de Gerland |
| June 22, 1979 | Paris | France | Pavillon de Paris |
| June 25, 1979 | Birmingham | England | Birmingham Odeon |
| June 26, 1979 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall |
| June 27, 1979 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo Theatre |
| June 28, 1979 | London | England | Rainbow Theatre |
| June 29, 1979 | London | England | Rainbow Theatre |
| North America ||||
| July 5, 1979 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Exhibition Hall |
| July 6, 1979 | West Palm Beach | United States | West Palm Beach Auditorium |
| July 7, 1979 | Miami | United States | Miami Jai-Alai Fronton Arena |
| July 8, 1979 | Lakeland | United States | Lakeland Civic Center |
| July 10, 1979 | Corpus Christi | United States | Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum |
| July 11, 1979 | Houston | United States | Houston Music Hall |
| July 12, 1979 | Houston | United States | Houston Music Hall |
| July 14, 1979 | Amarillo | United States | Amarillo Civic Center |
| July 15, 1979 | Midland | United States | Chaparral Center |
| July 16, 1979 | Austin | United States | Austin Municipal Auditorium |
| July 17, 1979 | San Antonio | United States | San Antonio Convention Center |
| July 19, 1979 | Wichita | United States | Century II Concert Hall |
| July 20, 1979 | Tulsa | United States | Tulsa Assembly Center |
| July 21, 1979 | Oklahoma City | United States | Gaylord Performing Arts Theater |
| July 22, 1979 | Lincoln | United States | Pershing Memorial Auditorium |
| July 24, 1979 | Saint Paul | United States | St. Paul Civic Auditorium |
| July 25, 1979 | Saint Paul | United States | St. Paul Civic Auditorium |
| July 26, 1979 | Dubuque | United States | Five Flags Arena |
| July 27, 1979 | Springfield | United States | Illinois State Armory |
| July 28, 1979 | Trotwood | United States | Hara Arena |
| August 10, 1979 | Portland | United States | Cumberland County Civic Center |
| August 11, 1979 | Asbury Park | United States | Asbury Park Convention Hall |
| August 12, 1979 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum |
| August 14, 1979 | Cleveland | United States | Cleveland Music Hall |
| August 15, 1979 | Cleveland | United States | Cleveland Music Hall |
| August 17, 1979 | Springfield | United States | Springfield Civic Center |
| August 18, 1979 | South Yarmouth | United States | Cape Cod Coliseum |
| August 20, 1979 | Madison | United States | Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| August 21, 1979 | Milwaukee | United States | Milwaukee Auditorium |
| August 25, 1979 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Civic Auditorium |
| August 26, 1979 | Oakland | United States | Oakland Civic Auditorium |
| Japan ||||
| September 3, 1979 | Kyoto | Japan | Kyoto Kaikan |
| September 5, 1979 | Fukuoka | Japan | Fukuoka Kyuden Kinen Gymnasium |
| September 7, 1979 | Nagoya | Japan | Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall |
| September 8, 1979 | Kurashiki | Japan | Kurashiki Civic Cultural Hall |
| September 10, 1979 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium |
| September 11, 1979 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium |
| September 13, 1979 | Tokyo | Japan | Nippon Budokan |
| North America ||||
| September 18, 1979 | Edmonton | Canada | Northlands Coliseum |
| September 19, 1979 | Calgary | Canada | Stampede Corral |
| September 22, 1979 | Regina | Canada | Agridome |
| September 23, 1979 | Winnipeg | Canada | Winnipeg Convention Centre |
| September 25, 1979 | Duluth | United States | Duluth Arena |
| September 27, 1979 | Bismarck | United States | Bismarck Civic Center |
| September 28, 1979 | Rapid City | United States | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center |
| September 29, 1979 | Billings | United States | MetraPark Arena |
| October 2, 1979 | Tucson | United States | Tucson Community Center |
| October 3, 1979 | Phoenix | United States | Phoenix Exhibition Hall |
| October 6, 1979 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena |
| October 7, 1979 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |

### Box office score data

List of box office score data with date, city, venue, attendance, gross, references :
| Date (1979) | City | Venue | Attendance | Gross |
| April 3 | Tacoma, United States | UPS Memorial Field House | 4,200 | $35,158 |
| April 5 | San Rafael, United States | Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium | 2,028 | $16,974 |
| May 7 | Pittsburgh, United States | Stanley Theatre | 3,697 | $30,058 |
| May 13 | Boston, United States | Orpheum Theatre | 2,000 | $28,729 |
| July 10 | Corpus Christi, United States | Memorial Coliseum | 6,113 | $45,985 |
| July 15 | Midland, United States | Chaparral Center | 4,076 | $33,581 |
| August 11 | Asbury Park, United States | Convention Hall | 3,946 | $35,652 |
| August 12 | New Haven, United States | Coliseum | 7,400 | $60,750 |
| September 27 | Bismarck, United States | Civic Center | 6,119 | $52,529 |
| September 28 | Rapid City, United States | Rushmore Plaza | 6,831 | $57,946 |
| September 29 | Billings, United States | MetraPark Arena | 9,151 | $77,516 |

## Personnel

* Eddie Van Halen – guitar and background vocals
* David Lee Roth – lead vocals, acoustic guitar on "Ice Cream Man"
* Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums