First Concert Memories #26: Van Halen 5150 with Ilan Fong

On the 26th edition of First Concert Memories, we go back to 1986 to hear the story of one young rock fan's first ever Van Halen concert. Our Pantheon Podcasts brother Ilan Fong of What's Hot in the Strip Clubs was only 8 or 9 years old when he heard his older sister playing Van Halen I on her stereo. From that moment, his life was changed and was always curious about the music coming from the rooms of his older siblings. He'd wanted to see the 1984 tour but he was too young and his older brother told him because he'd just seen the Diver Down Tour, he would sit out 1984 and then take Ilan to the next one.

The only problem there is the band broke up. David Lee Roth went solo and Van Halen famously replaced him with former Montrose singer Sammy Hagar. Hear how Ilan looked forward to finally seeing his guitar hero Eddie Van Halen perform his immortal solo live in Pittsburgh in August of 1986. We dissect the setlist (so few Dave era songs), discuss what Sammy was up to while the other guys did their solos, and where it ranked among all the Van Halen and David Lee Roth live shows.

And as a bonus, he tells a story of intrigue with Guns N Roses as they returned to Montreal for the first time after the Axl Rose meltdown that led to a riot. A tale of strip clubs, drug dealers, and snowball fights that you'll definitely enjoy!

Visit Ilan at ⁠www.whatshotitsc.com⁠

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