** UPDATE 0412-14
The Van Halen footage originally used for this story has been removed from YouTube by the source, so it is no longer available. Due to the high demand by hennemusic readers to see vintage live VH, we have accessed additional footage to present here. Unfortunately, the 2010 upgrade of the 1978 show and the 2012 upgrade of the 1979 show is of a lower quality than the 2014 upgrade, but of historical significance, nonetheless.
** UPDATE 0115-15
Some of the upgraded footage resurfaced recently and has been re-added to the story - including "Eruption" from the 1978 show and "Light Up The Sky" from the 1979 concert
Upgraded, vintage concert footage of Van Halen live in Fresno, California over two shows in 1978 and 1979 has surfaced online.
According to the source, the material from the Selland Arena concerts on the band’s first two world tours has been remastered frame by frame in uncompressed HD “from my original Fuji single-8 films.”
The September 22, 1978 footage features clips of set-opener “On Fire” from the band’s self-titled debut, and the encore of “Bottoms Up” – 6 months before it would appear on the band’s second album.
The March 25, 1979 concert was the opening night of the group’s world tour in support of the newly-released “Van Halen II” album, including clips of show-opener “Light Up The Sky” and mid-set tune, “On Fire.”
Partial clips of all material include images and audio from the concerts.
The footage has been available online for years; an upgraded version was posted in 2010, but the latest videos are the highest-quality, direct-from-source material to surface to date.
The source filmed about 25 minutes of each concert, so as fans wait for footage of full songs to appear, it’s worth noting that the complete sets from either show won’t be available via this source.
See also:
Van Halen mark 35th anniversary of Van Halen II
PHOTO: Wolfgang Van Halen celebrates 23rd birthday with parents
VIDEO: David Lee Roth releases new episode of The Roth Show
Controversy over Eddie Van Halen asking to join KISS continues
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
