Van Halen 1983-01-27 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (SBD)

Here is an uncirculated soundboard recording, capturing the Van Halen concert in Rio de Janeiro during the South American leg of their Diver Down tour in 1983 (No Problem tour). This is the second of two consecutive nights Van Halen played at the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho (Maracanãzinho Gymnasium). This recording is another from the collection of VH’s then-front-of-house sound engineer, Roy. No recordings from either Rio show have circulated previously, audience or otherwise.

In comparison to the previous shows on the South American tour, Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers has sadly already been dropped from the setlist by this second show in Rio, and will not return again later, as other rare songs will soon be added to the setlist after the Brazilian shows conclude. Since we don’t have a recording of the previous night in Rio, nor two of the three shows in São Paulo, the exact show at which the song was dropped from the setlist is unknown.

With Beer Drinkers gone, this show sees the first time Where Have All The Good Times Gone is played following Mike’s bass solo rather than preceding it. This show also sees the first appearance of Dave’s prayer-like version of Billie Holiday’s God Bless The Child as a prelude to Cathedral, and Everybody Wants Some no longer having his lengthy talking interlude. All of these particular setlist traits will be seen for the remainder of the 1983 tour.

Oddly, there isn’t any sort of Dave solo or special jam played prior to Ice Cream Man during this show, which was otherwise standard on the Diver Down tour. Instead, we just hear Dave say “oh mango” a couple times then start right into Ice Cream Man.

A lengthy story written online by an attendee claims that the first Rio show started with Hear About It Later, rather than Romeo Delight. While unconfirmed, and some may quickly dismiss it, we should consider how frequent the band changed up the setlist over the course of these South American shows. We’ve also seen during 1981 and 1982 how they would play an odd song on rare occasion. Sadly, a tape of the first night was not found in Roy’s collection. With any luck, maybe someone who recorded these shows from the audience will come forward?

Roy used two 90 minute tapes to record this show in Rio, allowing him to capture the full show without any major cuts. The only cuts worth mentioning are the tape flip at the very end of Runnin’ With The Devil, a pause during most of Dave’s talk that followed, and a quick flip during the Doctor jam. He also decided to record the opening band on Side A, which is unusual considering Roy isn’t known to have ever recorded bands who opened for Van Halen. The opener for these Rio shows was Herva Doce, a well-known local band, and their recording has been shared separately.

Like most of these South American shows, these Rio shows are also plagued with discrepancies among the date ranges listed online. The band’s printed itinerary indicates there were originally three Rio shows planned for January 28/29/30. Though when looking at a copy of the printed itinerary with additional handwritten notes from the band’s crew, these notes make indications of the rescheduling. I won’t get long-winded trying to fully elaborate on those handwritten notes here, but essentially January 26 and 27 are barred off and have the word “play” written by both dates. Regardless, the real hard evidence to confirm the dates are the adverts and articles that all seem to confirm that the dates for the Rio shows were January 26 and 27. There’s nothing to suggest any third show took place after this rescheduling. While there is another lingering question about a completely different show that may or may not have taken place on January 29, the details surrounding that will be elaborated on once we get to Roy’s next recording.

Track Listing:

01 Intro [0:00]
02 Romeo Delight [0:21]
03 Unchained [3:52]
04 Drum Solo [8:02]
05 The Full Bug [11:06]
06 Runnin’ With The Devil [14:49]
07 Dave Talks (cut) [17:45]
08 Jamie’s Cryin’ [18:17]
09 Little Guitars [21:43]
10 Bass Solo [26:29]
11 Where Have All The Good Times Gone! [30:43]
12 Little Dreamer [33:47]
13 Mean Street [37:06]
14 God Bless The Child [41:55]
15 Cathedral [42:59]
16 Secrets [44:45]
17 Drum Solo II [48:05]
18 Everybody Wants Some!! [50:54]
19 Dance The Night Away [55:23]
20 Somebody Get Me A Doctor / I’m So Glad [58:23]
21 Ice Cream Man [1:07:49]
22 Heartbreak Hotel [1:10:35]
23 Intruder [1:13:28]
24 Pretty Woman [1:15:24]
25 Guitar Solo [1:18:24]
26 Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love [1:30:06]
27 Bottoms Up! [1:36:39]
28 You Really Got Me [1:40:32]
29 Happy Trails [1:43:07]
30 You Really Got Me (Reprise) [1:44:24]

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