When was your first Van Halen concert?

[Little Intruder]

AC/DC were the loudest concerts I attended but when I got into thrash metal my ears never recovered.

[Dave's Dreidel]

Oct, 9th 1982 Syracuse Carrier Dome!! We even sang Happy Birthday to Dave while the band smashed a cake in his face....

They probably looked forward to his birthday more than he did, just to be able to do that to him.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

They probably looked forward to his birthday more than he did, just to be able to do that to him.

Lol. Then again, the opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference.

[Dont disturb my Paradise]

Melbourne and Sydney ‘98. I think they were 3 days apart.
Both awesome shows. Gary didn’t have the right look, but the set list was great, and he sang his arse off.
Sammy and the Wabos were here a month later. The Palace show in Melbourne is one of the greatest gigs I’ve ever seen.
In 2004 I flew to the states for 8 weeks solo to see the St Louis and Chicago shows.
I went to Sammy’s bday bash last year and saw all 3 shows.

[Simon Ribeiro]

It's funny, a lot of people say how painfully loud Motorhead was but the 6 times (1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 2003 and 2008) I saw them, from clubs to small indoor sheds to arenas and stadiums, they never seemed *that* excessive. Now a band that lived up to their name was Japanese metal band Loudness. I saw them on what I think was the US debut doing a showcase gig at the Country Club in Reseda in 1985. They brought their entire arena scaled PA sound system to this club and it was comically loud. Industry suit n' tie guys were leaving in droves and those that stuck it out were shoving drink napkins in their ears. Another band that you wouldn't think would be an ear bleeder was U2 during their 2015 arena tour. They hung much of the PA system on the arena ceiling pointing straight down and as the Forum floor is bare concrete, it was piercingly loud. Fortunately I had pro ear plugs because I fuckin' needed 'em.

And to keep this sorta on track, the loudest Van Halen shows I can think of were 1980, 1981 and 1995 all LA Forum shows. The band was loud as fuck, but the audience was also super loud and engaged at these particular shows. Van Halen, Joshua Tree tour U2 and '81-'88 era Springsteen had by far the most intensely vocal audiences.

Nice!!

I saw Motörhead live here in my hometown. They were the open act for Whitesnake. 10 years ago.

I remember getting myself some ear protection for the gig, but strangely it wasn't THAT loud. Sound was ok, really.

[Mariner]

1986 at the Meadowlands.

I have seen every tour since (all the way to 2015) and saw the Sam and Dave tour, the two Chickenfoot tours, and the BOAW tour this year.

I was just a tad too young to see them on the 1984 tour (I was 14). I have regretted it ever since.