Van Halen Summer Tour 2004

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Van Halen Summer Tour 2004"


image_caption =
artist = Van Halen
start_date = 11 June, 2004
end_date = 19 November, 2004
number_of_legs = 3
number_of_shows = 80 played
last_tour = III Tour
(1998)
this_tour = Van Halen Summer Tour 2004
(2004)
next_tour = Van Halen 2007-2008 Tour
(2007)The Van Halen Summer Tour 2004 was a North American concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen. It was the band's first tour since 1998, and saw the return of Sammy Hagar who left in 1996. Bassist Michael Anthony officially left Van Halen at this point, though nothing was announced until his replacement in 2006 by Wolfgang Van Halen.

History

In 2004, Van Halen reunited with Sammy Hagar, their vocalist from 1985-1996. They decided to release a new compilation double album featuring three new songs on it as their first move. This was followed by a reunion tour, featuring these new songs among others on the set list. The new songs were "It's About Time", "Up For Breakfast", and "Learning to See". Initially 28 dates were announced, but this was extended to 80 across 5 months - all of which were performed.

The tour included many controversies, and ultimately afterwards Hagar decided to leave Van Halen. Michael Anthony, long time bassist for the band (performing with them until 2000 when they went on hiatus, but still officially a member of the band in 2004) was hired as a touring musician but not a 'real' band member, being paid a reduced commission. Initially the Van Halen brothers didn't want him on the tour at all, but Hagar insisted. Hagar also accused Eddie Van Halen of drinking far too much on the tour, despite Eddie's denials.

The tour grossed almost $55 million, and Pollstar listed Van Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004. However, "Rolling Stone" revealed that promoters did not actually profit from the tour, losing money. This was largely attributed to overpriced tickets of up to $250 slowing down ticket sales. Concerts were met with (usually) positive reviews from critics and fans, though some did notice Eddie's alcohol abuse. Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's young son, would join the band for rhythm guitar during the instrumental "316". In 2006 Wolfgang joined Van Halen properly, replacing Anthony on bass.

Increasingly as the tour went on, reports of Eddie's alcohol abuse cropped up in reviews. In the band's first Chicago show, Eddie tripped over his guitar cable multiple times. Eighteen times it actually became unplugged, and a guitar tech had to chase Eddie around the stage keeping things together. Eddie later stopped in the middle of a guitar solo, lying down and simply saying "I'm sorry folks, I done run outta gas". Eddie did however, recover and finish the solo. The other major event occurred on the final date of the tour, when Eddie finished the set by smashing his guitar and running off stage.

The tour was made up of three legs, with the first two being in the United States (with the exception of a single date in the first leg in Toronto), and the third was a mixture of American and Canadian dates. By playing a date in Puerto Rico, Van Halen became the first rock act to ever play at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, one week after the venue's inauguration.

The tour was extended repeatedly, leading to a "Summer" tour lasting until late November. This was not originally planned.

2004 Tour Dates

[http://www.redrocker.com/old_site/vhtour2004.html Accessed on 30 August 2007]

First North American leg (USA)

*flagicon|USA June 11, 2004: Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
*flagicon|USA June 13, 2004: Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
*flagicon|USA June 14, 2004: Buffalo, NY - HSBC Arena
*flagicon|USA June 16, 2004: Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
*flagicon|USA June 17, 2004: Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
*flagicon|USA June 19, 2004: Worcester, MA - Worcester Centrum
*flagicon|USA June 20, 2004: Worcester, MA - Worcester Centrum
*flagicon|USA June 22, 2004: East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
*flagicon|USA June 23, 2004: East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
*flagicon|USA June 25, 2004: Washington D.C. - MCI Center
*flagicon|USA June 26, 2004: Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
*flagicon|USA June 28, 2004: Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center
*flagicon|USA June 29, 2004: Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
*flagicon|USA July 01, 2004: Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
*flagicon|USA July 02, 2004: Cleveland, OH - Gund Arena
*flagicon|Canada July 03, 2004: Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
*flagicon|USA July 06, 2004: Louisville, KY - Freedom Hall
*flagicon|USA July 07, 2004: Columbus, OH - Value City Arena
*flagicon|USA July 09, 2004: Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
*flagicon|USA July 10, 2004: Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
*flagicon|USA July 11, 2004: Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
*flagicon|USA July 19, 2004: Chicago, IL - United Center
*flagicon|USA July 20, 2004: Chicago, IL - United Center
*flagicon|USA July 22, 2004: St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
*flagicon|USA July 23, 2004: Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
*flagicon|USA July 25, 2004: Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
*flagicon|USA July 26, 2004: Kansas City, MO - Kemper Arena
*flagicon|USA July 28, 2004: St. Louis, MO - Savvis Center
*flagicon|USA July 29, 2004: St. Louis, MO - Savvis Center
*flagicon|USA July 31, 2004: Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
*flagicon|USA August 01, 2004: Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
*flagicon|USA August 03, 2004: Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center
*flagicon|USA August 05, 2004: Phoenix, AZ - America West Arena
*flagicon|USA August 06, 2004: Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
*flagicon|USA August 07, 2004: Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
*flagicon|USA August 10, 2004: San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
*flagicon|USA August 11, 2004: Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
*flagicon|USA August 13, 2004: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
*flagicon|USA August 14, 2004: Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
*flagicon|USA August 16, 2004: Anaheim, CA - Arrowhead Pond
*flagicon|USA August 17, 2004: San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheater
*flagicon|USA August 19, 2004: Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
*flagicon|USA August 20, 2004: Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center

Second North American leg (USA)

*flagicon|USA September 03, 2004: Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Events Center
*flagicon|USA September 05, 2004: Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum
*flagicon|USA September 09, 2004: Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
*flagicon|USA September 11, 2004: Fort Lauderdale, FL - Office Depot Center
*flagicon|Puerto Rico September 13, 2004: San Juan, PR - José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum (first rock band ever at the new facility)
*flagicon|USA September 16, 2004: Jacksonville, FL - Veterans Memorial Arena
*flagicon|USA September 17, 2004: Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
*flagicon|USA September 18, 2004: Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
*flagicon|USA September 20, 2004: Moline, IL - MARK of the Quad Cities
*flagicon|USA September 21, 2004: Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall
*flagicon|USA September 23, 2004: Houston, TX - Toyota Center
*flagicon|USA September 24, 2004: Little Rock, AR - Alltel Arena
*flagicon|USA September 25, 2004: Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
*flagicon|USA September 28, 2004: San Antonio, TX - SBC Center
*flagicon|USA September 29, 2004: Lubbock, TX - United Spirit Arena
*flagicon|USA October 01, 2004: Las Vegas, NV - Orleans Arena
*flagicon|USA October 02, 2004: Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion

= Third North American leg (USA/Canada) =
*flagicon|USA October 19, 2004: Portland, OR - Rose Garden Arena
*flagicon|USA October 20, 2004: Spokane WA - Spokane Arena
*flagicon|USA October 22, 2004: Seattle, WA - KeyArena
*flagicon|Canada October 23, 2004: Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
*flagicon|Canada October 25, 2004: Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
*flagicon|Canada October 26, 2004: Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
*flagicon|Canada October 28, 2004: Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
*flagicon|Canada October 30, 2004: Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Arena
*flagicon|USA October 31, 2004: Fargo, ND - Fargodome
*flagicon|USA November 03, 2004: Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
*flagicon|USA November 04, 2004: Ames, IA - Hilton Coliseum
*flagicon|USA November 06, 2004: Wichita, KS - Kansas Coliseum
*flagicon|Canada November 09, 2004: Montreal, QU - Bell Centre
*flagicon|Canada November 10, 2004: Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
*flagicon|USA November 11, 2004: Ft. Wayne, IN - War Memorial Coliseum
*flagicon|USA November 13, 2004: Rapid City, SD - Don Barnett Arena
*flagicon|USA November 14, 2004: Bozeman, MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
*flagicon|USA November 16, 2004: Boise, ID - Idaho Center
*flagicon|USA November 18, 2004: Tucson, AZ - AVA Amphitheater
*flagicon|USA November 19, 2004: Tucson, AZ - AVA Amphitheater

References

External links

* [http://www.van-halen.com/ Van-Halen.com] - The official Van Halen website
* [http://vhnd.com Van Halen NewsDesk]