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 1979 show is of a lower quality than the 2014 upgrade, but of historical significance, nonetheless.
Vintage concert footage of Van Halen performing “D.O.A” at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California in 1979 on the opening night of their second world tour has surfaced.
The full performance of the “Van Halen II” track follows recently-posted clips from Fresno shows in 1978 and 1979 that were remastered frame by frame in uncompressed HD “from my original Fuji single-8 films”, according to the source.
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 – check them out here.
The release of “Van Halen II” recently marked its 35th anniversary; the follow-up to the group’s groundbreaking 1978 debut was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood less than a week after the end of the band’s first world tour.
“Van Halen II” was certified gold (500,000 copies) in the US just 10 days after its release, and platinum (1 million) a month later. The project eventually reached No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and went on to sell more than 5 million copies in the States alone.
Van Halen kicked off their “World Vacation Tour” in Fresno two days after the sophomore album's release; the band went on to play 97 shows by the time the trek wrapped up October 7, 1979 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
See also:
VIDEO: Eddie Van Halen at Six Flags Magic Mountain
PHOTOS: Eddie Van Halen spotted at Los Angeles Kings game
VIDEO: Van Halen – Upgraded 1978 and 1979 live footage surfaces
Van Halen mark 35th anniversary of Van Halen II
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
