Van Halen Monsters of Rock 1988

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As summer is ending here in 2010, it's a great time to remember the Monsters of Rock Tour from the summer of 1988. Monsters of Rock tours were very popular in the USA and worldwide back in the 1980s. Some of the best rock and metal bands played together on tour. In the summer of 1988, you could see 20,000 fans in Akron, Ohio withstanding the 100 degree plus heat just to see Van Halen headline the Monsters Tour at the "Rubber Bowl". Check out the cities and tour dates listed below. Van Halen had just released their "OUO812" album, which is a good album in the post David Lee Roth - Van Halen era. The Monsters Tour was a great warm up to Van Halen's "OU812" tour that followed. There were also other great bands like Dokken, The Scorpions, and Metallica on the Monsters Tour '88. Dokken was hitting the road even before Monsters of Rock that same year like with concerts in Buffalo, New York playing their newest and biggest hit "Dream Warriors".

I was at the Orange Bowl with friends in Miami, Florida that summer in June, 1988 going to the Monsters Tour where I saw Van Halen for the second time. It was loud, packed, and one giant party while the bands jammed and got the crowd off their seats screaming! It was difficult to find any professional videos of the 1988 Monsters of Rock Tour. I did find on YouTube a couple of cool commercials, and one amateur poor quality audio/video of Van Halen in San Francisco performing "Summer Nights" as their first song opening the Monsters of Rock concert. Please share your memories of Monster Tours you have attended. When I went tt wasn't a big expensive event like you may see today, however it was a memorable experience listening to big named bands with great raw metal music and lots of fun sharing with friends. - Kenny Leibow

1988 (year with most Monsters of Rock events - including a touring one in the USA)
Bands included Kingdom Come, Dokken, Metallica, Scorpions and Van Halen
• United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Spain
• USA (toured - played several dates in several states)


Monsters of Rock Cities and Dates in the USA 1988
Pre-tour warmup gigs
• 23 May 1988: Los Angeles, California - The Troubadour (Metallica only)
• 24 May 1988: Los Angeles, California - The Troubadour (Metallica only)

Tour
• 27 May 1988: East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theater
• 28 May 1988: East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theater
• 29 May 1988: East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theater
• 4 June 1988: Miami, FL - Orange Bowl
• 5 June 1988: Tampa, FL - Tampa Stadium
• 10 June 1988: Washington DC - RFK Stadium
• 11 June 1988: Philadelphia, PA - JFK Stadium
• 12 June 1988: Foxboro, MA - Sullivan Stadium
• 15 June 1988: Pittsburgh, PA - Three Rivers Stadium
• 17 June 1988: Pontiac, MI - Pontiac Silverdome
• 18 June 1988: Pontiac, MI - Pontiac Silverdome
• 19 June 1988: Orchard Park, NY - Rich Stadium
• 22 June 1988: Akron, OH - Rubber Bowl
• 23 June 1988: Akron, OH - Rubber Bowl
• 24 June 1988: Oxford, ME - Oxford Plains Speedway CANCELLED
• 25 June 1988: Oxford, ME - Oxford Plains Speedway
• 26 June 1988: East Rutherford, NJ - Giants Stadium
• 27 June 1988: East Rutherford, NJ - Giants Stadium CANCELLED
• 2 July 1988: Houston, TX - Rice Stadium
• 3 July 1988: Dallas, TX - Cotton Bowl
• 6 July 1988: Indianapolis, IN - Hoosier Dome
• 8 July 1988: Memphis, TN - Liberty Bowl CANCELLED
• 9 July 1988: Memphis, TN - Liberty Bowl
• 10 July 1988: Kansas City, MO - Arrowhead Stadium
• 13 July 1988: Minneapolis, MN - The Metrodome
• 16 July 1988: San Francisco, CA - Candlestick Park
• 17 July 1988: San Francisco, CA - Candlestick Park CANCELLED
• 20 July 1988: Spokane, WA - Joe Albi Stadium
• 23 July 1988: Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum CANCELLED
• 24 July 1988: Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
• 27 July 1988: Seattle, WA - Seattle Kingdome
• 30 July 1988: Denver, CO - Mile High Stadium



Original Monsters Of Rock Commercial – 1988





Van Halen - Summer Nights (live 1988) San Francisco
(Monsters of Rock Tour)





1988 Monsters Of Rock

Rock Concerts - Then and Now

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Through-out the 1980's there were incredible line-ups of Hard Rock and Heavymetal bands playing in medium towns and large cities all over the USA. From sports arenas like Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri with a seating capacity of about 9,000 to RFK Stadium in Philadelphia which attracted 100,000 concert fans. Many of the arenas and stadiums from the 1980's don't exist today. I remember seeing the Rolling Stones in 1981 at RFK Stadium. It was more than just a concert, it was a party and an incredible experience that would be difficult to describe in a brief blog entry. Van Halen on tour with Iron Maiden or the Rolling Stones on tour with Journey, Bon Jovi headlining in Europe in 1987 with the Scorpions; this made the concert experience exciting from beginning to end. Concerts were more live with less technology and more imperfection.

The concert experience today is like going to a major Broadway show in New York. You save up your money to attend this one big event. It is very organized, choreographed to perfection, incredible stage, sound and light effects with the latest technology. A spectacle and experience of being overwhelmed like being in an IMAX theater. The band line-ups in many cases are sub-par compared to the headliner as you wait with anticipation. The security is tight, you proceed to your assigned seating as the event unfolds. The economics for this multi-million dollar performance costs you an evening of several hundred dollars sometimes just for the tickets alone. This type of event is great in its own right.

For those who really enjoy rock music, having the ability to see several rock concerts during the year; going with your friends and being mesmerized by a Neil Peart drum solo of "WorkingMan" or a Jimmy Page guitar solo; Angus Young of AC/DC playing his guitar artfully non-stop with the legendary losing of 5 pounds of weight for each performance; and the unexpected fan participating by being pulled on stage with complete improvisation - this is the experience you remember forever with the music you wanted to listen to without all the studio and technology mixed in. You see real talent by the band and appreciate the music even more. Today's cookie cutter, boiler plate, blue-printed stage production does not produce the same type of experience as a band getting up there and playing their guts out to the audience.

Disclaimer: I know my description of today's concert is not true of all bands or all concert events however there is certainly a lot more of it today especially for the big name bands and artists.

Below is an example of Iron Maiden Tickets in 1987-1988 for about $15; and the concert for Metallica in 2009 for $200-$800 a ticket. This is not just about economics; it is about the whole experience of attending a Rock Concert back in the 1980's compared to today (then and now). I welcome feedback on your concert experiences.




Metallica w/ The Sword
Sat, Jan 31 - 2009 7:00 PM
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
Machine Head
Tickets $200 - $800 each