Van Halen - 21 May 1983 - US Festival Rehearsal, Los Angeles, California performing "Secrets"
[HI-FI SOUNDBOARD]
Front of House soundboard recording, capturing a private Van Halen show in front of a small audience during their rehearsals for the 1983 US Festival.
additional info: "Jungle Studs"
Jungle Studs ties directly to David Lee Roth. After the Diver Down tour ended, while the rest of the band headed home, Roth stayed in South America (including Brazil/Amazon adventures) with his self-formed adventure group called the Jungle Studs—a crew of friends (lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc.) who went on extreme trips like trekking jungles, kayaking, and exploring remote areas (e.g., Amazon River expeditions, later Himalayas or New Guinea).
Roth has referenced this in interviews and even a mini-documentary he shared about the US Festival era, starting with stories of the Jungle Studs before diving into the gig. It highlights his adventurous, larger-than-life persona outside the band—think of it as his personal "explorer club" for wild travels between tours.
US Festival 1983
Van Halen performed at the US Festival on May 29, 1983 (Heavy Metal Day), at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore/San Bernardino, California. This was a massive, iconic show during the height of their David Lee Roth era, headlining a day that drew huge crowds (estimates around 300,000+ for the festival overall, with heavy metal day being one of the biggest).
The 1983 US Festival (organized by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak) featured multiple days with diverse lineups. Heavy Metal Day included acts like Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Triumph, Scorpions, and Van Halen as the headliners. It symbolized the rise of heavy metal in the early '80s.
Van Halen reportedly earned a then-record $1.5 million for the gig (after negotiating for more than David Bowie's fee on another day), setting a Guinness World Record for the highest amount paid to a band for a single performance.
@AlexVanHalen_tribute - ReMastered🪖🥁✌️
David Lee Roth known as "Diamond Dave" (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three separate periods: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2007 to when they disbanded in 2020. He has had a successful solo career, releasing eight albums, four of which have been RIAA-certified Gold or Platinum. After more than two decades apart, Roth re-joined Van Halen in 2006 for a North ...
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