Balance Tour Kicked Off 30 Years Ago Today In Pensacola

**Al Van Bundy** · 03.11.25, 01:02 PM

My favorite VH tour when it comes to Ed's live sound and live playing.

Albeit with a hip injury & not being able to move around much in the first leg, his playing was never more accurate and the wet-dry-wet setup a half step down is still my favorite tone ever.

If you went to this tour, please share a story.

**Bugs Meanie** · 03.11.25, 01:55 PM

I saw them twice on this tour. This is my favorite live Ed sound too but I thought the tour itself was a little lacking.

This was about the time in my VH fandom I wanted them to shakeup the setlist a bit from previous tours and either include more DLR songs or more songs from 5150. Al's neckbrace, Sammy showing up overweight, Ed's limited movement... it just wasn't as much fun as the previous shows. Throw in a more mature-sounding album like Balance and it just started to feel off to me.

I still had fun at both Michigan shows. I waited them out in front of their hotel and met Sammy and Mike. Both we're approachable and friendly per usual.

I'm glad for our friends across the pond that finally got an extended tour out of VH. From the shows I've seen online, those... to me... seem better than the American ones.

**Bad to the Bone** · 03.11.25, 02:08 PM

saw them twice. first show was in April (I think) it was ok but things seemed off to me.

second time was on the summer leg of the tour. Sam and Ed walked out together Sam had his arm around his shoulder and they kicked off the show with Big Fat Money, it was such a awesome way (for me) to see Sam and ED getting along (at least that's how I perceived it) the show was great. one of the reasons I loved the Sam era so much is they played almost everything they recorded together live. I respected that about them. it was an incredible show. didn't know it was the last time I'd see them for years. had a chance to go to the Toronto show where they recorded the PPV but I skipped it, I'll catch them next time around.....bad decision

**edwardv** · 03.11.25, 02:14 PM

Great tour, everything sounded and felt perfect but Als neck.

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**I Coulda Hada VH** · 03.11.25, 02:32 PM

I saw them twice on the Balance tour.

30 years ago. Where have all the good times gone?

**EJC** · 03.11.25, 02:41 PM

A good friend of mine was a Tech for Skid Row on that tour. Nothing but great things to say about VH and I saw some really cool pics of Ed's rig..

**CatchAsCatch** · 03.11.25, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by Bugs Meanie

Al's neckbrace, Sammy showing up overweight, Ed's limited movement...

Let’s not forget the most unforgivable faux pas; Mikey’s mullet

**I Coulda Hada VH** · 03.11.25, 02:54 PM

The last time I ever saw Van Halen with Sammy. We had seats in the 5th row that only cost us $100 each ...

**Dave's Dreidel** · 03.11.25, 04:16 PM

Told this on here before, but leaving the Balance show I saw, my friend Rob in the parking lot goes "they're breaking up, they fucking hate each other."

At the time I was like "WTF are you talking about?"

Should have asked him for a stock tip.

**danielleesale** · 03.11.25, 04:46 PM

Saw them here in Jacksonville, which I think was after Pensacola. They didn't move around much, but the sound and playing was as you said, about as perfect as they were ever capable of.

A little while after the concert, I went to the local bootleg CD shop, and told them to get it if was ever released. It was, and I bought it. Now I think the whole thing is on YouTube, lol. I sold all my bootleg CDs to buy a Wolfgang Special in 1998.

Van Halen 1, 5150 and Balance stand out to me as my favorite albums by them, and I think I'd prefer to listen to Balance now more than any of them. Some albums are like that to me, they never lose that sound of being fresh to my ears. As a guitarist, I wish I knew how to capture that in a bottle.

**Little Dreamer** · 03.11.25, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Dave's Dreidel

Told this on here before, but leaving the Balance show I saw, my friend Rob in the parking lot goes "they're breaking up, they fucking hate each other."

At the time I was like "WTF are you talking about?"

Should have asked him for a stock tip.

Dude, isn't it a case of a broken clock being right twice a day?

Coz with VH, if you took a De Lorean to a random year in the VH timeline and guessed "they hate each other" - you'd be right most of the time!!!

**Raldo** · 03.12.25, 01:27 AM

Saw them 4 times on this tour.
At the Mansfield, MA show, I made a banner and threw it on stage after the encore. Alex and Sammy held it up.
It said, “Great Woods Survived the Aftershock”.

**ZORBA5150** · 03.12.25, 02:51 AM

I saw them at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. We tailgated for hours before the show; I remember it being difficult to catch a buzz because it was so hot outside (over 100 degrees and humid). The show was great, band was tight with a lot of energy. No clue what was really going on with them at the time; no evidence of it on stage.

**Simon Ribeiro** · 03.12.25, 03:59 AM

I like Balance, the record and the tour, though I never saw the band live. It was the 1st time we didn't have a ((VH)) vynil released here back then.

I remember buying the CD as soon as it was released - Discoteca 2001 (Conjunto Nacional Brasília Mall). I bought it and got a poster that WB Brasil was promoting at the time of the album's release. And then I cut my hair, which was big, just to look like EVH. I even grew a goatee.

**rvk5150** · 03.12.25, 04:37 AM

I remember recording the MTV special with my VCR, going to both Michigan shows as well, getting an up close picture of Edward during an album release in Royal Oak, and finally paying for the Toronto PPV with my brother and having a bunch of friends and his over to watch and jam the show.