I’ve remembered that I caught Van Halen for the first time, on September 30, 1995 in Austin, TX, at the long gone South Park Meadows Amphitheatre.
While I was too young to see Van Halen prior to 1995, I am glad I was able to see them once before the wheels fell off the Van Halen machine.
I was also able to catch Skid Row before Sebastian Bach left, which was a great bonus.
I remember being 22 rows from the stage. My 15 year old younger brother and I had to stand on our wobbly portable chairs, which made it hard to focus on the gig.
I also recall someone in the audience handing a sign/banner to Sammy during the encore, Panama, which stated “David Lee Roth Is A Pussy”.
As a Dave fan, I thought this was in bad taste. I doubt the Van Halen brothers would have made it out of Southern California, if it wasn’t for the efforts of Dave and Nathan Roth.
If anyone has any audio or video recordings from the Austin Balance tour show, please let me know.
I have been searching for a recording of that gig for 30 years. Thanks!
I was also able to see Van Halen in 2008, 2012, and 2015.
I’m thankful I was able to catch four Van Halen shows during my lifetime.
By the way, South Park Meadows was paved over, and has been a shopping center for at least 20 years.
Thanks to Dave, Edward, Alex, Mike, and Sam, for the STELLAR Van Halen memories!