Hide Your Sheep Tour


The Hide Your Sheep Tour was a 1982-83 concert tour by the American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their fifth studio album Diver Down.
The tour began as a North American-only event with dates scheduled from July 14 to December 11, 1982. The band subsequently accepted an offer to make their South American debut with a month of dates dubbed the No Problem Tour. After that wrapped up, the band concluded the tour with a May 29, 1983, performance in San Bernardino, California, where they headlined "Heavy Metal Day" of the US Festival with Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Triumph, and Mötley Crüe. They were paid a record-setting $1.5 million for a single performance at the US Festival.
During this tour, Eddie Van Halen began to use Kramer guitars under an early-1982 endorsement deal, one with a custom double neck. He also tested Floyd D. Rose's early double locking tremolo system, which was modified to include fine tuners at the recommendation of Eddie Van Halen, culminating in the double-locking Floyd Rose tremolo with fine tuners released in 1983.
Relations between the members of the band were beginning to hit an all-time low due to the constant partying, which resulted in the band arguing with one another and creating grudges.

Reception

Pete Bishop from the Pittsburgh Press gave Van Halen's performance a mixed review. He praised Roth’s vocals but said he gave an "obnoxious, disgusting exhibition" that the band did not need. He reported pre-show problems and that during the show some fans climbed onstage while others threw objects on stage. He praised the entertainment as in best physical rock 'n' roll tradition. He also praised the lighting, such as the strobe lights at the base of Alex Van Halen's drum platform, but criticized the audio, saying that Roth's vocals were drowned in a muddle of bass and drums that made it almost impossible to recognize songs.
Dave Stuckrath from the Lakeland Ledger gave the performance he attended in Lakeland a poor rating, opening his review by stating that the band was more spectacle than music. He criticized the set as being poorly paced and uneven - only to be saved by their pyrotechnic lighting effects. He also added about the deafening wall of sound which rendered the music and lyrics meaningless than their records. He noted that a Van Halen concert was flashy but was musically and emotionally empty, having to rely on gimmicks and Roth's usage of obscene words and gestures. According to Stuckrath, they did nothing but "degrade rock 'n' roll's past, including that there was nothing original about their music and behavior. He concluded his review, saying that the audience had missed the opening acts which he said were the most entertaining part of the evening. The paper later published a letter by Candy Blank, a fan at the concert, who slammed Stuckrath's criticism, said the crowd was hardly bored, and called the music "fantastic".

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
January 14, 1983CaracasVenezuelaPoliedro de Caracas
January 15, 1983CaracasVenezuelaPoliedro de Caracas
January 16, 1983CaracasVenezuelaPoliedro de Caracas
January 21, 1983São PauloBrazilGinásio do Ibirapuera
January 22, 1983São PauloBrazilGinásio do Ibirapuera
January 23, 1983São PauloBrazilGinásio do Ibirapuera
January 26, 1983Rio de JaneiroBrazilGinásio do Maracanãzinho
January 27, 1983Rio de JaneiroBrazilGinásio do Maracanãzinho
January 29, 1983Belo HorizonteBrazilMineirão
February 1, 1983Porto AlegreBrazilGigantinho
February 2, 1983Porto AlegreBrazilGigantinho
February 5, 1983MontevideoUruguayCilindro Municipal
February 11, 1983Buenos AiresArgentinaEstadio Obras Sanitarias
February 12, 1983Buenos AiresArgentinaEstadio Obras Sanitarias
May 29, 1983DevoreUnited StatesGlen Helen Pavilion

Personnel