US Festival Guest Book
Volume - 2
anyone interested in my home movies of the US festival 1982? starr.photo@barfoot.com
Since there's so many VH freaks here, how about when someone threw a plastic red double brimmed visor hat onstage and Eddie picked it up and put it on, played his solo and when he took it off to throw it back to the crowd, I suppose he either didn't notice or forgot that it had a brim in the back so when he brought it down to give it a flip, the back brim made contact with his strings thereby making a nasty open string guitar noise chord and Eddie gave a bit of an annoyed look and tossed it back. I wonder how many of youse people noticed that. And of course the infamous....."I forgot the fuckin' worrds man" - (Probably DLR's most famous words of the evening) Both Shows all 6 days - most impressed with the performances of Talking Heads, The Police, Bowie, Missing Persons, The Cars, Santana, Ozzy VH were s'allright too. Met Chic Corea in a tent - got to play the Chapman Stick in the same tent - collected some memorabilia and hitch-hiked home to SD with my Girlfriend, got a ride in the back of a p/u truck cruising through the twisty mountain roads near Riverside above Lake Elsinore - gazing at the stars and arriving home totally spent and without a cent. BSB&MMD (Appearence by the Streeech with his stack of Free Bacon Cheeseburger Wendy's cards in 83)
I was in the Coast Guard stationed in Alemeda. Went both years. I remember Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks giving each other the cold shoulder in 82. I remember David Lee Roth doing some chick back stage and on camera for the entire crowd to see! He was trashed! And those sprinklers to cool down in. Man was it ever hot. We slept in the car. Oh yeah, and thanks to the car full of chicks next to us who cooked breakfast for us.
In 1983 I just had turned 18.That saturday morning I had $2.00 on me so I demanded from my mother the $20.00 she owed me and promising her that I would be back Sunday night after the concert my friend and her boyfriend and his friend drove in his VW bug to the best event ever.We got there the night before heavy metal night and stayed up partying all night until the shuttles came take us to the gates. I remember it being hot and mass people.Scorpions was the best act that night.At that time I was a true Van Halen fan which was the main reason I was there.Boy that night David Lee Roth sucked he was so drunk he couldn't sing and Eddie kept trying to cover up for him with his guitar licks.We decided to leave after 30 min of David's bs and shit that was when the hell started.While trying to get back on the buses to get back to our campsite the crowd was pulling other people out of the bus windows bodies were flying everywhere to top it off we were squeezed body to body trying to get on that you smelled fresh tar that are shoes were sticking to the ground.We realized that we wouldn't be able to all get on so by 3:30 am we somehow threw my friends boyfriend in a window and started to walk to the freeway to find him how we ever got there and found him at 9:00 am is still beyond me but I home amazingly that Monday by 11:00am.My Mom was pissed and thought I was lying with why I never came home that sunday.I think i'll refer her to this site so it could validate my story. Debbie G. Email:Healingheartdeb@aol.com
I remember one guy who was obviously tripping on something. We were back by one of the water stations, and this dude drew a pentagram with his finger in the mud, then proceeded to strip down naked, did a little weird dance, rolled his tongue like an Arab woman in some devil worship speak, then laid down in the mud in this middle of his pentagram and passed out! Somebody eventually went over and picked up his shorts and laid them over his package. The authorities eventually came to get him. I don't remember if that was '82 or '83, frankly.
Just one more thing.. and this is how I remember it. I was walking out front of the beer area (out front because I was only 12 at the time) and I ran into a guy, he wasnt wearing a shirt. I looked up to say excuse me and I swear it was Vince from Motley Crue! I ran back to my friend and did the whole crazy girl thing and swore I wouldnt wash my face for a week! I miss the 80's! email: hp_broncofan@msn.com
What an awsome time it was. I was only 12, and I still remember getting the tickets with my friend Suchi. We were the only kids in school who were going. Her dad drove us out from Pasadena and pretty much let us loose on the festival. We went on Heavy Metal day! It was just so huge, so many people, we had such a blast! It was a once in a lifetime event and I can say I was part of it! Heather
I attended the 82 festival after a long drive from Northern CA. We slept at a rest area in Los Angeles the night before and was kicked out by the CHP early in the morning Try that now a days without thinking about mugging or being stabbed. What's up with this world! The most memorable moment was when they sprayed the crowd with water while Eddie Money was singing, "Give Me Some Water". Great tune and perfect timing. If this was anything like Woodstock, I missed out being born at the wrong time. I've been looking for a vidoe of the US Festival and have been unsuccessful. I know they had cameras there as we sat close to a tower with a camera (and water). If anyone has video of the second day, please post the video or how I can contact the vendor. The 82 US Festival was was quite an experience. Would I do again. HELL YES!
SORRY, THAT YOU FELT THE NEED TO HIDE UNTIL MY SUDDEN DEPARTURE, WHICH WAS AT LEAST TWO HOURS BEFORE OZZY EVEN WENT ON STAGE.TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU ITS A HUGE VENUE.IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME,YOU WOULD HAVE TO ASK ME OR SEND WEIRD E-MAILS ABOUT PASSING OUT FLYER(S). I GOT IT, ALRIGHTY. IF THIS IS NOT YOU, I'M TERRIBLY SORRY AND DISCARD THIS MESSAGE. NO CODED E-MAILS PLEASE!!! 09/02/05
US FESTIVAL DVD videos and other rare items http://www.rockshowvideos.com 3 DVD BOX SET includes all the bands that played the 1983 event. Individual Days can be purchased DAY 1 NEW WAVE DAY , DAY 2 HEAVY METAL DAY & DAY 3 ROCK N ROLL DAY.
"tee shirts for drugs...tee shirts for drugs" yes, I remember it well...My best friend, Chad Shook, and I (Craig Beene) attended both years from beginning to end (except country day). We were stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Santa Maria California. Made the trip the second year on a motorcycle. The hippy I remember best was running around wasted out of his mind yelling "tee shirts for drugs". I've long since quit that kind of thing, but still enjoy the memories of two great musical events....especially enjoyed Eddie Van Halen's solo!
some nites u r on, sum nytes you Rnt, in between is just plain excellent VH. In my opinion, dave was a little talked out and dry, but still in almost... something ok, I'll give him 5 years on the road, "aint that simple"... secrets, and really do not fall... secrets, well give him the top bill- eddie plays off of dave- but doubt brot the ship down, dave, be serious!!!- it's still a Job- maybe a short circuit, or a moth, or bad seals on the input- too much expectation, too little time- anthony rockin' with the true knock out punch in the band- except forythat... oh yeah the other hlf of van halen- that night was ALEX (On ON ON)!! and uh... Glen Helen Gettin out of the me generation... hopefullyy, Once and 4 all, one and 4 all hope fully- it will occur, not by VB, not Instruction Code RomeoDelight - the Knight of Light the Right horse, the rider of the white horse Nobody in VH, roth camp or beyond, will deny Van Halen, US fest, that was Mike and Alexs' nite Mike was following, to pick up AVH, and alex and Ed carried poor Dave... but only because dave got the JD bends, and the dehydrato- it just wasn't completely on- good thing, or there woulda been a riot www.artscapers.com
I never attended the US Festival. I just remember seeing videos from it on MTV when I was all of 11 years old. I particularly remember Van Halen, and Motley Crue from the '83 show. I always remember saying "When I am older, I am going to an US festival". Of course, for obvious reasons I never went....
Friend and myself went on bus set up by rock station. We were completly starved and broke. we were eating what ever we could find at the condiment stands, relish, what ever. some ass holes kept knocking down our tent. when we got home,another friend picked us up at bus station and made us ride in the back of the truck we stunk so bad. Damn, the good old day's awesome site and memories, thank's
This makes me speachless :) Very well done!
hey how many of you are going to us festival cover bands sept. 24th 2005 near the same area as in 83...mark in torrance ca. 25 than 47 now I'm going!!!!
I WAS 15 WHEN I WENT TO THE HEAVY METAL DAY WHAT A BLAST I HAVE NEVER PARTIED SO MUCH IN MY LIFE THE ONLY THING THAT I DIDNT LIKE WAS DAVID LEE ROTH HE RUINED VAN HALENS PERFORMANCE IT WAS WELL WORTH THE 20.00 THOUGH ILVED ABOUT 20 MILES AWAY FROM DEVORE WHEN IT WENT DOWN I REMEMBER AFTER THE HEAVY METAL DAY THE CITY OF DEVORE SAID THEY WOULD NEVER HOLD ANOTHER HEAVY METAL CONCERT AGAIN WES5326@HOTMAIL.COM
http://www.bootlegvideos.com/vanhalenvideos.html TRY THIS SITE- FOR THE VIDEO QUESTION -
I went to both of the festivals and I think the second one (83) I was strolling around and I can across this one man band - Cedric Stokes I believe was his name, this was perhaps the most entertaining thing I saw that day. This guy had a 2 string bass on the floor that he played with his feet, had a bass drum pedal under one of his heels, had a snare drum on his back with 2 drum sticks attached to these arm bands that allowed them to extend past his elbows, had a guitar and a saxaphone strapped around his neck and he started playing these walking bass lines on the bass and throwing down a great rhythm guitar and then wailed on the sax all the while keeping time with the bass & snare drum. Absolutely Incredible!!! Did anyone else see this guy ? Everyone around that was watching , probably less than a 100 people were stunned and amazed - "Cedric on the stage" was a chant he started and we all piped in - Where is this guy, who else got to witness this heaviest of heavy musicians and how can I see him again ? UNREAL -
I WENT TO US FESTIVAL IN SUMMER 82 I SAW SANTANA VAN HALEN DAVID BOWIE MISSING PERSON MEN AT WORK SEAGUL I HAVE MANY PICTURES OF THOSE SINGERS I NEVER WILL FORGET THOSE DAYS
I wanted to go to New Wave day but my brother convinced me that metal day was the one. Man was he ever right. I was 15 my brother 14. If my mom new what we saw that day we would have never been there. Heavy Metal Sunday. Boobs, drugs, and rock and roll..and lots of heat! What a line up!!!!?? By the time Scorps hit the stage my brother and I were ready to fall from heat exhaustion. But we made it to the end! Remember the laser show from Alex Van Halen drum kit? What about them riding in on the copter? ANd Rob Halford riding onstage on his Harley!! Motley opened up that day and now one really new who these clowns with makeup were. We wanted Judas, Scorps and Halen. CLassic Metal concert.
I was stoned .... women topless ... a few top and bottomless .... it was awsome .... like heaven..... rock on!
Will the 1983 festival footage ever be relased on DVD? I used to have a VHS tape featuring most of the metal acts (which, besides the Clash, is all I really care about) but it disappeared. I believe my a guy named Gary took it one night when I had a party. I wish I could buy a DVD of the metal day of the festival. Does anyone know a trustworthy source where this can be bought on bootleg otherwise? Thanks ... Killer McCain ... kreenokoorie@hotmail.com
US FESTIVAL VIDEO AVAILABLE AT KAZAA, SEARCH VAN HALEN VIDEOS - the file is Van Halen-Live-US Festival-1983.mpg OR .avi, it's about 700 megs, and excellent for computer viewing 10west@sprynet.com www.artscapers.com thank you to whoever put this out (Jupiter1)- it is excellent- the world record van halen performance (guiness)!!! Wish I could find the sao paulo brazil video complete- 1983 bye 01/18/83 Caracas, VZ opener: Poliedro de Caracas Massakre 01/21/83 Sao Paulo, BR Ibirapuera Gymnasium opener:Patrulha do Espaco 01/22/83 Sao Paulo, BR Ibirapuera Gymnasium opener:Patrulha do Espaco 01/23/83 Sao Paulo, BR Ibirapuera Gymnasium opener:Patrulha do Espaco 01/25/83 Rio De Janiero, BR Maracanăzinho Gymnasium
good job mugu love this sitez mugu@yahoo.com
I am torn between two stories; (1) just as OZZY was getting into his set, David Lee Roth came flying over in a helicopter and started yelling to look up at him....everyone did and OZZY FREAKED! (2) the sun was just starting to set as the KINKS came on and Ray Davies started with the jamaican thing dayooooo and when the ceowd got into it ...the echo was awesome! I went to both US festivals 82 & 83 ALL 3 days and I can honestley other than the birth of my two kids there was not and never will be anything to equal it. Thank you Steve Wozniak and to everyone who writes in to these pages and helps me remember! Russ russcobleigh@yahoo.com
My names Jon Wolslau , im 38. I went to the US Fest 83 had the bomb time with ppl from all over the world. Saw killer bands for 3 day's and I would love to know if theres a dvd of this event like Live Aid that just came out? Peace n B Wild..
i stayed up all night making fun of the clash drinkin iced tea instead of jack daniels....... david lee roth took the oppurtunity to get wasted on jack...was it a good thing????????????
From Colombia in South America to study in the University of the Pacific in Stockton CA., to the 1st day at the US FESTIVAL in 1983. I can still remember the dumb guy with the microphone at the end of the day after The Clash had played and wanted to come back for another encore and the public calling out for more music, the guy kept on saying " The Clash has left the building..." I still have my ticket stub reciorodolfo@hotmail.com
Talking Heads 1982 US Festival set list --- Psycho Killer * Love > Buildings On Fire * Cities * Big Blue Plymouth * Once In A Lifetime * Mind * My Big Hands * Slink (Jerry Harrison song from The Red and The Black) * Big Business/I Zimbra * Swamp * Houses In Motion * What A Day It Was * Life During Wartime * Take Me To The River --- cassette audience recording --- posted by Jeff Soldau 6jul2005
Talking Heads 1982 US Festival set list Psycho Killer Love > Buildings On Fire Cities Big Blue Plymouth Once In A Lifetime Mind My Big Hands Slink (Jerry Harrison song from The Red and The Black) Big Business/I Zimbra Swamp Houses In Motion What A Day It Was Life During Wartime Take Me To The River cassette audience recording posted by Jeff Soldau 6jul2005
Hello cali, i was there for this great big outdoor event only because i`m a big Van Halen fan this day i knew something in the air was strange beside been too High to me it was the end of something and when Van Halen hit the stage and started to play i knew this was probley the last time i was going to see Van Halen With David Lee Roth . i saw something other people could not see or if they could see i`ll like to hear about it?, any ways what i saw was mind blowing from play at schools and nite clubs and big forums events what i saw was Van Halen destucking falling apart as a band While just HITTING IT BIGTIME the kings of Rock ACT .PLAYING FOR 300,000 thousand or more people ,I Could forget the story i read about David lee ROTH commenting to eddie van halen about how valarie, eddies wife look tired on TV lately valarie wasn`t happy with dave comments and eddie was upset her tv show was one day at a time. this story i could`nt forget it took a toll on the band and when i saw van halen playing i could see the the band was tired or abusing something it was the end of van halen what i saw and i was sad because i followed van halen from clubs to large forums and now i see them hitting it big that made me happy to see someone from the clubs get this huge touch the world thats what it felt then again to me it was the end of van halen and something else was going to happen i thing they were very tired from all the tours and hoopla that this day it showed and it was heard when they were playing and video if you have a copy of this event again i was happy for the band playing ,playing and playing and just hit the big top meaning big time i could see the band were smiling man they were happy to be there this day is in history for van halen. p.s. Long Live Van Halen Thank you jesselopez38@msn.com
I was at the first US Fest, came in from Norton AFB, San Berdo with 4 other air force enlistees in an AMC Pacer. Had a blast! Favorite time was watching the Grateful Dead on Sunday morning just has the acid kicked in.
I was 13 years old, and remember it like it was yesterday. The line up for metal day was one of a kind and has yet to be duplicated. Not even Ozzfest can produce a line up of that magnitude. I wish I could of stayed there forever, because it was truly a remarkable event. The kalamazoo festival a couple months later, was not that bad either.....sucks getting older! Music theses days suck my ass. Once Mettalica retires it will be a sad day for all us metal heads
i told my father i was spending the night at a friends house, came home with dirty white boots and the worst sunburn of my life...dad never figured it out until 1 year later when my best friend saw someone familiar and yelled "hey steph...we met that guy at the us festival!" dad pulled over the car and grounded me for a month.
It was,, and still ('82 US) is the best festival that ever was produced! -Tim Corcoran. the3ggg@yahoo.com http://gratefulgarciagathering.com
Still have my '82 US festival t shirt. I was 23 at the time and went to the festival , not really sure why other than I used to go with my mom when she worked the concession stands at all the Cal Jams at the now passed Ontario Motor Speedway in ontario Ca.I was pretty young then, but something stuck.We bought our tickets about 2 weeks ahead and left about midnight on friday. Pulled the back seat out of my vw, along with the passenger seat to make room for a bag of cloths and a very big ice chest. the bag of t-stick , well that was no problem. My buddy, Kelly Fremlin and myself sat in the traffic for hours, what a blast, sooooo many people.Parked WAYYYY over by the nudist camp and waited for dawn, dam that was a long walk, t-shirt n shorts and a huge ice chest full of about 50 bucks of ice(almost 10 bucks a bag)walked up the hill where only a matter of months earlier had only been a hillside and spread a blanket betwee the upper last two towers with the water hoses mounted on top. # days right there, fried in 100+ weather....beautiful, ill never forget the people i had seen, the many i met, and the artists we listened to.Mass sunday morning, the guy still walking around from the night before, still fring on something, and THE GREATFUL DEAD, it was a beautiful time.Im 46 now, been to alot of concerts, but my memories of US 82 will always highlight my memories. no major problems, nobody died( except for the guy next to us who passed out in his sleeping bag and got run over who i still thing of regulary, im sorry)....it wasnt me! My son just turned 15, begged me for 2 years to wear my beloved t shirt to school, kept telling him no, didnt want to take a chance of hurting it, finally let him......its something that dosent belong in a closet but to share my memories of a very special time in my life. found this site by accident, the festival has been on my mind alot lately, coincedience.....i thank not, thank you to those responsible for this page, chuck landry, oak hills, Ca. cbracing@charter.net
Sunday, November 09, 2003 05:25 PM All I can say is that there has never been a festival as huge and wonderful as both Us festivals... There will never be another like it, unless we all become as one. Now theres something I'd like to talk to you about at this perticular moment and its about the one thing we won't be able to do unless we all become as one. Now I ain't been though it all the way, but there was a time I walked into it and had to go it alone. Its a place called the Halls of Karma. Now when you go through the Halls of Karma the way I did, I don't know, it might have been an hallaucination, but I think it was real. You see, I felt the presents of the two energys, the positive and negitive, of US82, and US83, however you want it. And they were pulling and deciding on what to do with my soul! Now I couldn't take this at this moment because I had to come back to be with you people to do a thing. Out of this bargin, the US82's got my body with the good in its needs far and beyound earth, and the US83 has my mind for the good of the universe and for the good of man. But they both got me inbetween because they both got my soul, so the next time I come up, I want the lord to please give me another USFEST 25TH! ((((I KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN)))) -Tim(SUNDOG)Corcoran http://gratefulgarciagathering.com
One of the most memorable (and longest) days in my life! Knowing that traffic would be a nightmare, my buddy and I went on his Honda dirt bike all the way from Santa Monica for the ’82 Friday show. We dressed for the heat (shorts and t-shirt), which was fine on the ride out and for the show, but we froze on the couple of hour ride back to Santa Monica. We were right up by the stage during the day (insane!!) but moved further back when it got dark. Great atmosphere and great music.
I didn't attend the us festival 83 but I have memories from it that I will cherish forever. My friend Colleen and I went to California from PA to visit a friend, Butchie in August of 83. I was there for 3 weeks and met all of his friends. Every day his friends would come over to Butchies house (where we were staying )and watch the video of the heavy metal day over and over again. We watched it so many times that I felt like I was actually there. I was 20 at the time and here it is 22 years later and I wish I had a copy of that video . It was a great time. Great people. Wish I could find them. Thanks for the memories. lizac530@msn.com
I recorded the entire Fest 83(all that was aired anyway) during the original broadcast on VHS. I was 13. None of my friends had sense enough to do the same. SOME ASSHOLE STOLE THEM! As far as I know, I had the only copy in my area. If anyone has a copy in any form of VIDEO, please let me know. I'm aware of the various single band clips out there. I'm looking for the whole thing. PLEASE HELP! I'm at ARISTOTLE1022@YAHOO.COM THANKS TO ALL!
PLEASSSEEE!!!! RELEASE BOTH YEARS ON DVD!! RE-RELEASE T-SHIRTS AND BY ALL MEANS BOOK ANOTHER FEST!!
I my sister-inlaw and some six friends went to the '83 fest, got there friday afternoon paid for parking, then a few cars driving close to where the gates were, i asked the attendant how to get over there he said that we could'nt park in that area, some kind of special parking. well we came in a VW bus and had real good clearance, we went over a berm crossed a little ditch about a foot deep then up on to the road to what had to be one of the best parking spots going, about 150 feet from the nearest gate. we went for day two so we just partied all day and night, we were close enough to hear the bands from day one. a few of the ladies were keeping cool by going topless.when we were let it was a little crazy, once you got a very light pat down it was a mad dash at least in the front. wepicked a spot between the speaker towers near one of the water canons (a real good spot) between bands they would spray the area to help keep people cool, it was very hot but i really did'nt notice it until they used the canons, got sunburned but the illeagle substances kept the pain away. we met all kinds of people in various degrees of altered states, but everyone was cool, just being there i think had some kind bigger of than life feeling to it that put everyone into a just enjoy the music get your buzz going once in a lifetime or twice if you went in '82 happening. it was Great. it will never be equaled those days have passed. (unfortunately) PEACE
oh by the way wolfgangs vault has a few items from some of the us festivals,get them while you can,dont buy the dvds from this page further dowm i already did they dont work worth junk....wish thy did sometimes you can catch a performance on vh1,of van halen,ive seen myself on it.pretty cool.and damn the security gaurds in the beer garens who took our mushrooms and weed on the way back out not on the way in,pretty good trick,glad it was at the end of the night right before van halen.funny thing when we were in that beer garden we found it and we thought it was the omly one there.think we took 1 to many shrooms,but the color of my room mates mouth in the pictures were sure interestigly blue!pretty funny great time great music couldnt ask for a better day of fun in the sun!deb and cas............
i went with my room mate at the time,on heavy metal day and ran into my best friend literally at the gate,who had lost her boyfriend already.so she hung out with us to the right of the stage in a beer garden where we were kicking back all day,accept occasionally to come out and rock out,we were all in front for van halen of course, and i remember trying to make a miller beer commercial i think we were all a little baked.i still have some pictures from the us what a great concert thanks debbie and casey.......
Happy 22 Anniversary US83
Great Moments in Televised Show Business History! This issue:Van Halen, US Festival ‘83 by Henry H. Owings DLR transcription by Sarah Jacobson As many of you will remember, Apple Computer threw a weekend festival called the US Festival ‘83 at the Glen Helen Park in Southern California. Among televised highlights (at least as far as I remember) were The Pretenders, The Clash and an overly theatric U2 with Bono climbing the stage’s scaffolding, almost breaking his neck in the process. What a goon. Well, as luck would have it, Van Halen closed ceremonies on the middle night. They were paid $1.6 million for their performance, which was, at the time, the most a group had ever been paid for a gig. As legend has it, they insisted on being paid more than David Bowie in order to play. Bowie was paid $1 million. Not bad for a night’s work. Now, David Lee Roth is a man who conjures up equal amounts of sheer amusement and respect around the Chunklet offices, but on this particular night, he couldn’t have been more whacked out of his mind. Here’s the deal.... What We Saw On Television: Right before Van Halen went on stage, millions of viewers saw a pre-taped (read: staged) skit go on backstage involving Diamond Dave, a piano, two groupies and a bottle of Jim Beam. However, the reality of the situation was far more rock (read: hilarious). What Really Happened: Moments before going out on stage in front of 670,000 fans (not to mention all of the viewers on then-two-year-old MTV), DLR was barely able to stand up, after a day of rocking and/or rolling. As the rest of the band went on stage to earn approximately $200,000 per hour per person, their soon-to-be-shitcanned lead singer puked and followed that up with two lines of cocaine, then rushed on stage! Now, that, dear reader, is rock’n’roll! Below is the transcript of the “stage banter” after the second song. Elapsed time is five minutes! The time was necessary to get Roth to sober up, but what transpired was nothing short of hilarity! Please keep in mind that Roth is performing in front of what The Guinness Book of World Records called the largest attendance for a concert. Let’s take a look at the damage: (“Runnin’ With The Devil” ends) Well, hello, Glen Helen Regional Park! Look at all the people here tonight! Oh, man! I’ve got to make an announcement right here. Can you hear me out there? (screams from crowd) Hey, man, don’t be squirting water at me! I’m gonna fuck your girlfriend, pal! I just wanted to say that as of right now, this time tonight, more people have been arrested today than the entire weekend last year, man! You a rowdy bunch of motherfuckers! (extensive screaming, 48-second pause) Who likes rock’n’roll? Yeah! Yeah! I’ll tell ya, this is the time of the evening when the band gets to have a drink, right here. Ooooohhh-ohhh. (Roth’s midget assistant comes out and hands him a bottle of whiskey.) Is everybody having a good time so far right here? (screams, whistles and cheers, 40-second pause) I want to take this time to say that this is real whiskey here. The only people who put iced tea in Jack Daniels bottles is The Clash, baby! (segue into “Jamie’s Crying”)
Re: 83 festival lp's for sale Sorry I gave you wrong e-mail address. It should be as follows. Sorry. tully@ta.netspeed.com.au
If any one is interested in memorabilia from the 83 festival,for sale. I have 10 lp's recorded for radio stations only. Not the whole set, the following segments only: 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27 and 28. I am in Australia, pls e-mail me, if interested. Thanks Stef Address is: Tully@ta.netspeed.com.au
I remember the event vaugely, I was living in Vallejo California and I was part of the napa valley boyscouts in 1982. I was almost 12 years old and I decided to run away from home and ended up on the haight ashbury and some how ended up at the us festival . I can remember red white and blue blotter paper and microdots on wax paper and I think I listened to U2, I was really in to the bay area music scene and liked " men at work " jefferson starship, and met some of the grateful dead at mount tamapias boy-scout jamboree, and marriots great america the demon rollercoaster. well Im 34 years old now and I live in Kuwait and have lived here for 3 yeard during the war as well. just happened to this site by accident. whew what a flash back......... Yahya geoherman40@hotmail.com
Oh man how cool is this website? I was 13 years old when I went there and I was by myself!! My mom thought I was going with some other people, but fooled her. The weird thing was when I got off the bus from Bakersfield the first person I saw was my brother. Never saw him again at the show, but man was it the best!! I think the thing I remember the most is everyone walking around with signs saying "pot" "acid" and just about anything else you wanted. Man did Priest rock that day! Oh and who could forget Ozzy too!! The only thing that I wish I still had was the US festival shirt. Are there anymore out there?? later rick
Hi All who survived! I was 17 in 82....I was living in San Francisco and a bunch of us decided we were going to go to The Biggest Event in Rock since Woodstock!! Ended up taking "visual enhancement" before getting on a Greyhound out of S.F. to transfer in L.A. Well I learned don't do that again! 10+ hours on a Greyhound w/ people you really care about can get ugly! I can say it was one of the best/worst experiences of my life! Music was great if you were in the right spot, security were worthless...too many promises (lake, decent showers etc.) broken...But ya know what? I would do it all again! On mans dream became a huge campout! Met many cool people and have too many memories to list. I did find someones camera in one of the Tecno tents..when I got home the pics were pretty up close of Sting on stage and others jamming..(it was only a 35 mil..not a nice one and I did ask around as casual as I could so security wouldn't take it).If anyone knows of any vidios or DVD of the (preferably first) shows aside from Triumph pls. let me know....Ruby Ruby_pedersen@hotmail.com
we hiked 10 miles from sierra ave and route 66 across the river and loved every minute of it?
Well, this comes from somebody that don,t went to the us festival concerts. First because I live in Peru, South America and I was to young to do so but after looking to the web page I cannot be unrelated to the spirit of the event where music bacames a vehicle of unity of people. To the 21st century youth we are what we are wethever the time. God Bless the young and free of spirit.
I was just sitting here at work and a Joe Walsh song came on Launch Broadcast and for some reason 1983 and San Bernadino came to mind. Camping out in one of the parking lots for three days,i don't remember sleeping at all(of course a little helper)!!! Myself and two friends(one of them my connections of course)left Albuquerque not even realizing what a impact those three days would have on our lives. I had pics and a tShirt but lost some time back.I remember David Lee Roth stopping in the middle of one of thier songs puttiung down the Jack D. Bottle and telling some guy in the front row if he didn't quit spraying him with that bottle of water he was going to take his girl up on stage and F her right there(or Something to that extent) man i could not believe what i was hearing of course i was in line at the beer tent!!!!! You know i tell people about my trip there they just don"t get as excited as i do Guess you had to be one of the few 100's of thousands there.Brett Braunschweiger,Houston,Tx. E-mail me if you hve info on video or pics or if your in Houston Area brett@anexusins.com
TRIUMPH REUNION? www.triumphmusic.com www.rikemmett.com
TRIUMPH WEBSITES: www.triumphmusic.com www.rikemmett.com
Hi. Loved the site!
Dude! I was there!!!
Someday Van Halen will get back together and kick some more butt again!! Thats all i have to say. Thank you.
Every time that I check out this site; I am amazed at how many new people have checked in. Over 20 years ago...WOPW ! As I have said before...I attended both 82 & 83 fests and both were incredable. I now live in Sweden and people here can not fathom just how large these were.T0 everyone out there who went.......hi.and in inthe words of the great and late Jerry Garcis...what a long strange trip its been.
Please send them, I will post them on the site
I have some pictures I could send. Dang, it's been so long and it seems like yesterday. I remember being so close to the stage during Ozzy's performance and the crowd just kept pushing closer and closer until I could literally stand without touching the ground with my feet. I was pushed all the way to the stage where security had to lift me out of the audiance and set me on the stage to exit, as not to be trampled and crushed. Ohhh memories! Laura Garrett, Blythe Calif. 1983
FIND ALL YOUR US FESTIVAL VIDEOS AT http://www.rockshowvideos.com ENJOY !
...Texxas Jam '83
(((((US FEST 25))))
Well, it doesn't get better than the US FEST. Fires pits burning at night while everyone awaits Van Halen, a three day endless party, crazy and unusual characters, mind altering substances and alcoholic beverages to rescue you from the scorching sun. Woodstock, not even close. Sure, in Europe, they have some awesome festivals. But, in the U.S. there is only the US FESTIVALS. I was so happy to see a web page dedicated to the event. I seen have lost my pictures, and had an ex-friend steal my t-shirt. I drove out to the desert with some friends and pretty much did acid for three days. Almost lost my mind...pretty cool...i was 21. It was like fear and loathing in Glen Helen. I met some terrific people I vaguely remember, but I know they were cool. Woz rocked, and i know he lost tons of dough. But for three awesome days he and his team created heaven on earth for all that were there. Thankyou. This festival lives on in my memories of the best of times. The 80s were truly a decade of great music. You really had to be there. By the way, where can I purchase memorabilia, t-shirts? Let me know and keep me posted @ queernsweet@yahoo.com. Rock on.
I don't believe I have ever been to a greater event in the U.S. other than the US FEST' 83. I was 21 and havin fun. I travelled up there with six of my friends and we pretty much stayed up all three days (wonder how?). Yeah, well it was the best time of my life. I remember crawling and pushing my way up to the front(took about 1 hour) to see(or hear) the OZZ man. There I was(all 5 feet of me)next to some Hell's Angels, topless biker chicks, and e OZZ man cometh. It doesn't get better than that. Thankyou to all that nput this together. Woodstock did not even come close to having the same feeling as the US. Unfortunately, some scumbag ex-friend ran off with my t-shirt. I would love to know where to purchase some memorabilia. Please keep me posted. Woz, you rock.
First, thanks so much for creating and maintaining this site. I know Woz lost a ton of money putting the US Festivals on, but there has never been anything like it (at least in the USA) since. Second, I attended all 3 days of the 1983 US Festival. I was 21 and in the USAF stationed at Edwards AFB at the time. A group of 8 of us rented a motor home and parked in the main parking lot (so we didn't have to walk far). What can I say? It was the most mind-blowing experience of my life in terms of concerts. Nothing will ever touch it. Unfortunately, I dropped too much 'cid and my memories fade in and out. I spent some time back in the motor home by myself in the middle of Heavy Metal Day, trying to deal with my trip. I also remember how blazingly hot it was and how bad the air pollution was - no Santa Anas to clear it out...you could see and taste the frigging air. I remember tripping my brains out under the showers. I was young and worked out daily and had pretty big muscles back then; I remember a girl asked me to take off my shirt (while under the showers). I told her I'd take mine off if she'd take hers off. I did, so she did. Schwing! We started making out, a crowd gathered and started egging us on, one thing led to another...we wound up doing it in the showers in front of everyone. No shit. My brain was fried but not so fried that I don't remember it. I was just too stoned to care. Felt like shit as soon as we were done because I could tell she was embarrasse and scared; they crowd had egged us on to do it and we were both completely smashed. Anyway...I also remember a guy with a dog collar around his neck and his girlfriend in a bikini walking him like a dog down the hill. Freaky stuff. Freaky people. Awesome music. Waiting too long between acts sometimes. Hotter than hell. Water was a gift from the gods. Van Halen and DLR absolutely sucked in every way imaginable. People forget the Bowie act to close out the show, but I didn't. Watching Bono climb the figging scaffolding and sing from on top of the crane. Divynils were a revalation to me; I thought they were pretty damn good. Ah, the memories...
I was there in 82' I always wondered why they didn't put out an album of all these great bands like woodstock. There has never, nor will there ever be another US festival. For those of us fortunate enough to have lived through I will always remember it as the concert of all time. (as hot as it was) it ROCKED the 80's! Kat sasseskat@aol.com
Had to post another entry. I can't stop thinking about these events today. I feel a bittersweet nostalgia for an amazing era, which has passed. The first US Festival was over 22 years ago. It's like now in the early '00's the early '80's are like the way the early '60's were then, in the early '80's. I remember feeling at the time that I was sad to have missed the '60's, because I was too young at the time to experience them. Having been a teenager in the early '80's, I think I feel in a way sadder about the passage of the time from then to now. That was really the peak of my life, and an amazing time to live through. The Wonder Years, indeed. The early '80's rule, and the US Festival was one of the most awesome events, ever. MY generation's Woodstock or Lollapalooza. Fantastic! Heather
Had to post another entry. I can't stop thinking about these events today. I feel a bittersweet nostalgia for an amazing era, which has passed. The first US Festival was over 22 years ago. It's like now in the early '00's the early '80's are like the way the early '60's were then, in the early '80's. I remember feeling at the time that I was sad to have missed the '60's, because I was too young at the time to experience them. Having been a teenager in the early '80's, I think I feel in a way sadder about the passage of the time from then to now. That was really the peak of my life, and an amazing time to live through. The Wonder Years, indeed. The early '80's rule, and the US Festival was one of the most awesome events, ever. MY generation's Woodstock or Lollapalooza. Fantastic! Heather
The thing I keep thinking is that it's amazing that the US Festivals were over 20 years ago. The early '80's were an amazing time, a time of massive achievement in personal computers. Woz had a brilliant idea of combining the newly emerging technology with Rock 'n Roll. The "digital convergence" era we are in now is a direct result of his thinking. I was 19 when both of the festivals occurred, and I had recently moved to Austin, TX from Falls Church, VA in May, 1982. I really wanted to attend these shows, as I was not only a fan of many of the acts, as I am a professional Rock musician myself, but I also was thrilled by the advent of personal computing and the promise it held. Apple computers have always seemed magical to me, which may explain why I now own over two dozen Macs of all kinds! Anyway, I read about the shows in the music mags of the day, and felt a bond with the new tech community. Looking back, it's still thrilling to think of the genesis that was transpiring 20-25 years ago. I only wish there would be a similar event to the US Festival in the modern era, but perhaps that's not possible. I say that because I look at the US Festivals in a similar manner to how I view the Rock festivals of the '60's. In the '60's, Rock itself was new, and people were excited about it. In the early '80's, personal computers were new, and people were excited about them. Now that computers are everywhere, high tech is a given. Sure, people get excited over new hardware and software, but in the early '80's people were getting excited by the promise technology held. Anyway, the US Festivals were really amazing. I may not have been there physically, but my spirit was! Heather in Austin, TX
The thing I keep thinking is that it's amazing that the US Festivals were over 20 years ago. The early '80's were an amazing time, a time of massive achievement in personal computers. Woz had a brilliant idea of combining the newly emerging technology with Rock 'n Roll. The "digital convergence" era we are in now is a direct result of his thinking. I was 19 when both of the festivals occurred, and I had recently moved to Austin, TX from Falls Church, VA in May, 1982. I really wanted to attend these shows, as I was not only a fan of many of the acts, as I am a professional Rock musician myself, but I also was thrilled by the advent of personal computing and the promise it held. Apple computers have always seemed magical to me, which may explain why I now own over two dozen Macs of all kinds! Anyway, I read about the shows in the music mags of the day, and felt a bond with the new tech community. Looking back, it's still thrilling to think of the genesis that was transpiring 20-25 years ago. I only wish there would be a similar event to the US Festival in the modern era, but perhaps that's not possible. I say that because I look at the US Festivals in a similar manner to how I view the Rock festivals of the '60's. In the '60's, Rock itself was new, and people were excited about it. In the early '80's, personal computers were new, and people were excited about them. Now that computers are everywhere, high tech is a given. Sure, people get excited over new hardware and software, but in the early '80's people were getting excited by the promise technology held. Anyway, the US Festivals were really amazing. I may not have been there physically, but my spirit was! Heather in Austin, TX
I was fortunate enough to attend both US82 and US83. I was 19 and 20 at the time. We took a lot of beer and Jack Daniels. It was friggin hot. I remember being in some sort of primitive mosh pit at one point and the dust rose from the ground because it was so dry. I think i remember seeing a picture of this in Circus magazine or some other rag. It was fun. The chicks were as hot as the weather. The water cannon trucks were a welcome site. The music was great and all the people attending were great as well. On our first night there at US82 we set up camp with my buddies Ford Escort and ended up partying with a couple of hundred peaple. What a blast. Fortunatly I still have ticket stubs, Tshirts and other memorabilia from these events. I am interested in a video recording of any of these events. Please contact me at gobucsgo47@aol.com Thanks Bill
US83 Heavy Metal Sunday was bloody hot. 400,000 souls blistered not only by the sun but the standout set from the Scorpions. Van Halen made us wait far too long after the Scorps got the crowd jacked and then they proceeded to stink up the joint. D.L.Roth, never much of a singer anyhow, should have learned to just shut up and sing Eddie's songs instead of howling out the predictable "I forgot the f!@#$%^ words" while stammering around with a bottle of dark liquid that was supposed to be Jack Daniels. The rest of the long day was great otherwise. I just wish I could get my hands on a t-shirt from that unforgettable day. If you know how then let me know how I can contact you through this website.
hi
Your site was benefit to me. Thanks!
I am a big "halen" fan. I was serving three years in the 82nd airborne division in fort bragg NC when us83 was happening. I managed to catch some of the concert over the radio, namely my band, van halen. It was like so awesome. That's all I have to say...........Dane Swanson
see http://www.san-pietroburgo.info/
I'm amazed by the amount of current posts about this event over 20 years later, I used to bum out that I missed Woodstock (I was 5 but still) but in time maybe people will look back on this as being similar, so maybe I didn't miss out after all. Here's my story if you care. I was a senior in high school from Bakersfield, CA and I went with my best friend at the time, Mike Hanson. Looking back it's funny, I asked my parents if I could go and they said "no" but then they went out of town, I already had my ticket so I just went anyway, hahaha. I had an El Camino and on the way down to combat boredom Mike made a sign that we taped to the tailgate that said "US or bust." Seemed rebellious and or cool at the time. After I finished high school I went away to college and lost touch with Mike but a year ago we had our 20 yr high school reunion and I saw him for the first time in 20 yrs, we laughed about this concert and our memories of it. For a country boy from Bakersfield (not really but we were pretty backward compared to L.A. kids) Heavy Metal day was like nothing I'd ever seen. Sure we'd been to a couple concerts, but Bakersfield didn't get big acts, probably still doesn't, (haha). We drove down the day before and crashed in some shithole motel, smoked Mexican brown weed and drank Coors lite. Got up the next day and had no idea where the concert was but we saw a school bus full of young people on the road and decided to follow it, sure enough took us right there, hahaha, we didn't even have a map, talk about a couple of dumbasses. We must've parked 5 miles from the gate, we walked for ever. During the day it was so f>cking hot, sat out in that field and about died, sunburned, baked, dirty, hahaha IT WAS GREAT ! I recall long periods of time waiting for acts but it's been so long who knows for sure. I remember a guy walking around wearing a baseball cap and on either side he had little cardboard signs that said "acid" as he walked he was like a barker selling popcorn at a baseball game calling out "hits, hits for sale, who wants some L ?" that blew me away because you know . . . acid was illegal and he was right out there selling it ! It was a different time my friends, a different time. Back then people used to go hide when they smoked pot, now I work in S.F. and occasionally I see (or smell) people walking down the street smoking it like a cigarette. It's all good, but it wasn't always so. I saw on the site some mention from Wozinack about the water cannons and thank god for them, what I recall is that they didn't do shit except to turn the whole front of the stage into a mud pit, so you were hot, then you were wet, then muddy, and then hot some more. The showers were nice though. My best memories: After Quiet Riot, there was this pretty new band coming on called Motley Crue and I had their album. Back in '83 the Crue was a paradigm shift, even, or especially for Bakersfield. No one sounded like them and no one dressed like them, they were American Punk in '83 (I think I just coined a phrase). I loved their sound, esp the guitars on "too fast for love" and I was determined to get up close and see them play. So from way in the back I made my way towards the stage, as I got closer the crowd became more and more dense and eventually people didn't willingly get out of your way. Well along comes this mountain of a guy, and he is heading for the stage, and if people didn't move he moved them. I was 6' and this guy was shoulders above me and thick, so I fell in behind him and trailed him all the way to the front. Once at the stage standing in the previously mentioned mud, the heat was unbearable, I had never been sandwiched in with people like that before, true story; we were packed in so tight when the Crue came on you could lift both your feet off the ground and not fall because all the bodies around you held you up. Now that's tight ! I remember people freaking out and security would lift them up over the fence, girls especially who were shorter and not as strong, it was hell and once there you couldn't really get away, basically you were trapped. Not a good situation for the claustrophobic personality. But for me worth it once the Crue came on, man Vince Neil might as well been from outer space, they were loud and looked pissed off like nothing I'd ever seen, all of them in black leather, wearing make-up, and the teased up hair. Now that look is nothing but back then it was pretty unusual. The crowd would surge and sway to and fro and you really couldn't control it, hopefully you weren't on the outside edge of a surge because a lot of times those people went down and it was a bummer because they literally got crushed and of course muddy. At one point the crowd swayed and my shoes stuck in the mud, my feet got sucked out and suddenly I was at the front of 250,000 person crowd in the mud without shoes AAAAHH ! I tried to reach down but couldn't and when we stopped moving we were 15 feet from where we had been seconds before. It also sucked because they were a pair of Vans that I had lovingly hand checkered, oh well. Later after getting away from the stage I was hanging in the showers which if you weren't there were just PVC pipe with a sprinkler head about 8 feet up spraying water over a gravel pit. Anyway, I was cooling down there and saw an old pair of Nike court shoes sitting off to the side and being barefoot I thought hmmmm. I left and it was painful to walk because it was this graded field, lots of rocks, hard on the feet, so I wandered back over to the showers and sure enough those old Nikes were still there, well that was it. They were too big but they were shoes and right about then I wasn't in a position to be picky. But the Crue was amazing and Ozzy was next, I thought the crowd was nuts for the Crue but when Ozzy was coming on it got even worse, trying to get away from the stage was like walking thru waist deep heavy surf, it took forever to get out, the surge of humanity pushing towards the stage as I was trying to get away. All the bands were great, I remember the guitarist for the Scorp's spinning on stage holding his guitar by the neck like kids playing swinging statue. Every time the guitar went by the amp it made this sound like an Indy car and speeding bye and he just stood there spinning faster, and faster, man we weren't in Kansas anymore, we thought that was the greatest thing. Another classic memory was Halford from JP riding a Harley on stage cracking a bull whip. Of course the band I was there to see was V.H. I loved them, they were still somewhat a rock band then, I think they'd just started with the synthesizers, but they could have come out with a f#cking harp and we would've loved it. At one point DLR was doing his routine and a guy in the audience squirted him with water from a squirt bottle. Dave walked over and yelled into a million watts of amplified stacks spread across 20 acres "hey man, don't squirt me, I'll come down there and f#ck your girlfriend! " Of course we cooked all day and then the sun went down and we froze, haha. I don't think VH went on until midnight and we'd gotten there at 10, or 11 in the morning. I remember before they went on there was this spaceship like thing that they hung from the bottom of a helicopter, it looked like the spaceship from ELO and I think the idea was that V.H. was supposedly flying in it or something, I can't remember but V.H. closed the concert and suddenly we were in this this dark field out in the middle of no where and then it was time to make the 5 mile hike back to car, then hours getting out and on to the freeway, aaahhh to be young and dumb again. Drove home and crashed, the next day the parents came home, they didn't say a word about the concert, I thought ha-ha they have no idea, I got away with it ! Then the old man went out to get the mail, the El Camino was parked out front and guess what was still taped to the tailgate ? "US or bust" He came back in spitting hornets holding the sign I'd forgotten to remove. I thought he was gonna kick my ass, can't remember what my penalty was, didn't matter, they couldn't hurt me. I'd been to Mars and back, I'd seen Vince Neil, and DLR, it sounds dumb but it was a life changing event for me. I'd been to a different country, I saw people whose pictures I'd only ever looked at on album covers, pretty sure we were the only two guys from our high school that went. Funny too, over the years I've been to a ton of shows, and some great festivals but I never saw any of these bands play again. Good memories man, stuff o life. Jeff Berry: US '83 Heavy Metal Day
i would like to see the whole us festival on dvd or vhs does anyone know if it can been seen on either e-mail me at TJTAMA486@AOL.COM
I have all of Motley Crue's performance and I could get Van Halen's...but I would like to get copies of the bands performing if possible... RichardTrelles@yahoo.com
Does anyone have a dvd copy of the US Festival? It would be greatly appreciated since I was unable to attend. Thanks!! Mikey michaelc@thinklogical.com
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Seems like most people remember the buses, which filled up quickly and took forever to take you anywhere. At night the wait was eternal after a day of dealing with rough conditions. Yes the music was great, top stars, almost overwhelming, but I also remember camping on the leveled off hilltop. Sleeping on the rocky ground. Being woke up in the morning by the blazing sun, only to go the concert for more sun. My wife and I went both years, the second year with friends which made the trip more enjoyable as the mass of people were at times over the top. Still have the spray bottles. Carl
On rock in rio (iron maiden therev where) 1,2 million peaple :-O
Magga@mugu.com magga dey here oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I am looking for video from US Festival II. I saw a very long one once with lots of bands and shots of the crowd...that's what I am interested in. Please contact me with info. pundragonrebel@yahoo.com please say US FESTIVAL in subject line.
Remember US
I was 16 and went to the Heavy Metal Sunday, I was very into that at the time. I remember parking in the overflow lot some mile or so away from the camp ground. Then having to catch a bus back to the parking lot at 1am and having long lines waiting for the few buses that were servicing the overflow parking lot. If you were lucky you would get pulled into the window of the by the people already on the bus, overflowing the already crowded ride. Tired and stoned and just wanting to sleep after being up for 18 hours that day. That was not the most pleasant part of the concert, but it was the best day. Does anyone remember how drunk Van Halen got, and the pictures on the video screen of them backstage all afternoon between bands?
I still have my tickets,and every artical written in the paper that year. The festival was the best. I was 17 and still remember each and every band. I only wish we could do it all over again.
Wow... I was about 23 at the time and VERY into New Wave. My boyfriend and his brother and some other guy drove from Orange County to Devore in my 1969 Chevrolet Impala. We had a blow out, my first ever, on the freeway. It was hotter than a M.F. We camped in the dirt parking lot. No personal items inside the venue area which was a natural outdoor amphitheater, no seating. It wasn't Red Rocks, but it was still beautiful. Thank God for the water cannons! They would spray us off periodically and we were totally happy! Spray bottles were $5 or $9 each and you could fill them up at the water tanks. People would spray each other and say "thank you" because water was a premium and sharing it was an act of kindness. We sat up on the grass because down by the stage was all dirt and you could see people dancing and kicking up the dirt.. it was clear up to their shoulders! All the acts were great. We danced a lot, which was not easy on that incline! The UFO that came down just before the headline act, The Clash, was very cool. I can't think of a better way to spend an entire day and half the night... rocking out to way cool music! It was really hard to pick which night to go to. I wanted to go to the last night too, with David Bowie and Stevie Nicks, but didn't have enough money at the time. ANY BOOTLEG VIDEOS OF THE LAST NIGHT OUT THERE?!?! Anyway, when we left the area at the end of the night, the campground was nearly destroyed by the heavy metal people who had arrived that day. Nothing against them, just stating facts.. The porta potties were so RIPE they 'bout made me puke just walking by them. Some were tipped over too. I guess there was a fight that night between the heavy metal and new wave fans. We got outta there just in time cuz it happened after we had already gotten back to our tent. That was the 2nd music festival I had ever been to, the first being California Jam.. was that 1976? Music festivals are great fun and I wish there could be more of them, if only they could be civilized like they were back then and not like Woodstock 1999. By the way, if Oscar Garcia reads this.. email me at desertangel1@yahoo.com
I wish i was there on the heavy metal sunday. The state of the art heavy metal acts together on same stage same day. I wish i was there. But i'm was (and still is)too young and far away..... In Norway.. I have a dream!! That the whole sunday will be released on DVD like the release of monterrey pop festival DVD last year. Greeting from Kjetil Kjellevold Bergen Norway
I WAS 13 AT THE TIME AND I CAN REMEMBER WALKING A DIRT ROAD TO THE STAGE AREA WITH MY UNCLE AND WATCHING CRAZY HEAVY METAL ROCKERS, HANGING OFF THE SIDES AND OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE YELLOW BUSES DRIVING BY! THAT CONCERT WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST CONCERT I HAVE EVER GONE TOO IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.. SUNDAY, HEAVY METAL DAY AND THE BANDS WERE THEE BEST!!! WHAT A LINE UP! IT'S FUNNY MY SONS WHO ARE 12 AND 10, LISTEN TO THE SAME BANDS NOW BECAUSE THEIR FATHER IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE A HEAVY METAL ROCKER!!! CHAVEZ8
My buds and I went to the May 83 show, and I smile every time I think about it. Probably could'nt survive now what was all just part of the scene then We piled into my 70 Mark III, with a load of partiables and the leftover keg from the "pre-party" in Orange (my parents were gone for the week - can you blame me?), all of us getting friendly with the girls while camping in and around the car in the dust. Had to start the engine periodically so I could warm up the hood in order to sleep comfortably. The desert nights were definitely COLD compared to the blistering days. Mostly did'nt sleep the whole time, but passed out periodically for one reason or another. I recall waking up to Triumph and being mad about missing the first couple of songs. This was the best concert, and I can still say that 21 years and about 200 shows later. T, if you see this, I want you to know you were very beautiful between the speaker stacks. I still have your water pistol. -J
I remember the US Festival in 1992. I was at the Friday show. The Police were great. Oingo Boingo, English Beat, Talking Heads were also terrific! I was so muddy at the end of the show. We had to walk back to our car because there were no trams back to the lots. I remember people yelling.."Were are the trams...Bill Graham!!!" May he rest in peace. I was a great day.
I was at both events. My realitive worked for the city of SB and I was able to secure vendor passes for both years. This was something of an eye opener for a 13-14 year old! I was into the new music of the day, but was branching out into the metal area too. I liked classic rock and hd heard of most of the artists at that point. in 82 I was really excited to see Oingo Boingo and The Police. I had just seen them at the LA Forum recenty, and those acts were want I wanted to see again. I was blown away by Carlos Santana, and as an avid Deadhead now, I had no idea what my first Grateful Dead concert would shape what type of music I would be into 20 years later! There are non musical memories of the conga line. Which day was that? The UFO, the kind people sharing their goods. I also had a crush on the daughter of a employee who worked for KLOS radio. I recall going up to the remote RV and meeting rock stars, but I didnt know who they were. DAMN! Thanks Jerry Barber for letting me see into my future. (I later worked at various radio stations but thats another story). The 83 US had great memories too! Again my favorite band of the time, Oingo was there and you bet I was front center. I got to hear an up and comming band called Inxs that I enjoed too. The heavy metal day was amazing. I was just getting my feet wet in this area, and the Scorpions blew me away! I left as many people did durning Van Halen. I didnt see the reason of listening to a drunk on stage. The final day found myself up front for a great U2 show in which I was blown away by Bono clinging onto the rigging witout fear "Surrender" I remember hearing him yell. Bowie and Stevie were both amazing too. I had a pass for the county weekend, but my folks told me that one weekend was enough. I didnt complain. I do wish I could have seen Willie though.... Thanx Woz for letting me mold with this incredible journey. "What a long strange trip its been!" Eric - evmallek@aol.com
-Great historic metal show-- on day 2 of the festival--today's music ain't got the same shock --i like that old time eighties rock! I have the dvd with all the acts on it--quiet riot, ozzy, triumph, scorps, jp, vh--also have full shows with vh and crue on dvd/vcd-and tons of other concert dvd/vcd's-if interested email me for a copy--or u can sometimes find em on ebay--c ya--keep rockin!!-K-boy
YEAH ME AND MY 3 buddies were there in 83 what a time,drove from alb,nm remember walking forever to park,the mountain of confiscated ice chests at the gate,water pistols water showers and hevy metal stayed in so cal for 10 days,drunk. dont know how we stayed out of jail. I just told our 2 teens about it AGAIN, (they went 2 ozz fest yesterday.) I showed them this cool website. 21 years ago wow! bruce
i just bumped into this site, i went to the us festival back when i lived in san bernardino. i was in the air forc at the time. me and dave c and mark l went along with a guy from alabama. cannot remember his name now. we got there on friday i think, we were drinking early and alot. when i got there we started taking alot of acid. went to the beer tent and watched this one guy twisting himself like a pretzel, any ways i took too many drugs and was out of my mind till we left the festival. sober now but it was fun then. it was hot as hell and sunny, very bright. tripping hard and pinned to the ground. girl next to me topless. woke uprolled up in a blanket next to someones camper and peole were coming into the concert. write back...
US Festival 2006 (In no order) Kiss, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Korn, Motley Crue (reunion), Scorpions, Savatage, Metal Church, Leatherwolf, Iced Earth. Other hopefully bands: Van Halen, AC/DC, Saxon, Queensryche, Accept (reunion), The Cult, Dream Theater, Krokus, TNT, Loudness, Nevermore and Guns & Roses (reunion).
US Festival 2006 (In no order) Kiss Metallica Judas Priest Iron Maiden Slayer Korn Motley Crue (reunion) Scorpions Savatage Metal Church Leatherwolf Iced Earth Other hopefully bands: Van Halen, AC/DC, Saxon, Queensryche, Accept (reunion), The Cult, Dream Theater, Krokus, TNT, Loudness, Nevermore and Guns & Roses (reunion).
I finally met a guy that I think I like. We connectred with Motley Crue. I was looking to see if there was a concert going on with them. I like them and he swears by them. I have not dated someone in five years and I finally saw someone that is hot and I have something in common with. Please contract me coleanfrog_7@msn.com
i was there,a coutry boy from michigan.I lived in riverside for a couple years and left a changed young man and the US 83 had alot to do with it.first time I ever seen women walking around with bikini,s airbrushed on them thought for sure I was in heaven.I also will never forget the buses that carried people stoned out of there minds hanging out the windows puking there brains out.I am going to do some digging i have some pictures of the buses going by us i would reach up and snap pictures through the windows as they went by us, I hope I can find them a couple were pretty good. Curt weigold wcapncurt@aol.com
I remember this concert and was by far the best ever. I just turned 18 and was having the time of my life when this man in his 30's drunk off his a$$ insisted on picking a fight with me because as everyone knows we sprayed each other with water bottles to keep cool but this man insisted on grabbing my bandana around my neck and swinging me around ubtil I had enough and punched him right between the eyes and he dropped. A crowd was watching of course and saw what this fool was doing and starting clapping and security carried him off. I remember I was scared but I learned a great lesson that day only fight when you have to defend yourself and everything will work out. Peace!
Hey guys. I was thinking about this great concert I went to when I was a pup, so I looked up this site. Wow, brings back memories. I went to Metal day 83. I remember listining to the B52s from the parking lot miles away thinking this is so fucking cool! Needless to say, greatist concert I ever attended. I also remember this dude from Apple computer up there yapping about some crap or another. Didn't have a clue what an Apple II was, and didn't care. Guess what Steve? Thanks for the fun, I'm writting now on my iMac. Scott Simons, Merced, Ca.
Hey great site. Myself my buddy Flying Phil Christie and Dennis the Menace Mkaovff left work 200 miles into the bush north of Prince George British Columbia to fly south to attend the first us festival. The festival was just excellent. I remember driving into the concert at a bout 1/2 mile and hour there was so many people, but everyone was just parting and having a great time. Remember tom pettys shit eating grin at 2:00am in the moring as he was playing on stage. Will write back with other memories and post phots that i took..Frank from Merritt.bc.canada
Hey great site. Myself my buddy Flying Phil Christie and Dennis the Menace Mkaovff left work 200 miles into the bush north of Prince George British Columbia to fly south to attend the first us festival. The festival was just excellent. I remember driving into the concert at a bout 1/2 mile and hour there was so many people, but everyone was just parting and having a great time. Remember tom pettys shit eating grin at 2:00am in the moring as he was playing on stage. Will write back with other memories and post phots that i took..Frank from Merritt.bc.canada
Hey great site. Myself my buddy Flying Phil Christie and Dennis the Menace Mkaovff left work 200 miles into the bush north of Prince George British Columbia to fly south to attend the first us festival. The festival was just excellent. I remember driving into the concert at a bout 1/2 mile and hour there was so many people, but everyone was just parting and having a great time. Remember tom pettys shit eating grin at 2:00am in the moring as he was playing on stage. Will write back with other memories.
Hey great site. Myself my buddy Flying Phil Christie and Dennis the Menace Mkaovff left work 200 miles into the bush north of Prince George British Columbia to fly south to attend the first us festival. The festival was just excellent. I remember driving into the concert at a bout 1/2 mile and hour there was so many people, but everyone was just parting and having a great time. Remember tom pettys shit eating grin at 2:00am in the moring as he was playing on stage. Will write back with other memories.
I was at the first US Festival. To me it was a waste of time. I'd seen the bands previously in venues as small as a roller skating rink and so to be out in the middle of the desert, hot, dirty. Ah well, wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Oh to be fifteen again, where does the time go? 83 US Festival was one of the single most wonderful experiences of my life. Isabel
I was too young to go to the 1983 US Festival but i would kill to have been able to attend Heavy Metal Sunday. I have live videos of Van Halen, Motley Crue and Quiet Riot at the 1983 US Festival, if anyone knows where i can find a good bootleg of Ozzy at the US Fest let me know! drummer76@knac.com
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I was at the 1983 Us Festival and it was Crazy! We drove from San Quaquin Valley to go to the Heavy Metal Day,There was six of us all together,We rented a Motor Home to come to the Festival,and Partyed all the way. Needless to say we did'nt sleep much I was 19 at the time and could handle staying up. One of the guys who was with us stood on top of the Motor home and got everyone he could to just start screaming US US US ! at about 2or3in the morning,He suceeded! I will never forget it.It was the most incredible thing to be at. I told my boys about it that thought it was really cool that their Dad and I were there. We meet a lot of different and cool people there it never got to crazy like concerts now do. We never had a problem with anyone there and there was a lot of crazy stuff going on! It was a time I will never forget April
Happy 4th of July Music Lovers!! http://gratefulgarciagathering.com
WHAT A SHOW!!! MY NAME IS RAYMOND NUNEZ, I GREW UP IN SAN BERNARDINO (HIGHLAND)AND AT THE TIME WAS LIVING IN FRESNO ,I DROVE MY MOTORCYCLE TO THE FIRST US FESTIVAL . I STARTED BUMPIN INTO OL'SCHOOL MATES (SAN G."77") RIGHT AWAY! SOME WORKED FOOD AND BEER BOOTHS,FREE FOR THE WEEKEND! TALKING HEADS WERE A TRIP ESPECIALLY WITH SHROOMS AND HIGH SCHOOL SWEETIE (THANKS ROBERTA) BURNIN DOWN THE HOUSE!!! BUT THE POLICE WERE THE ACT TO SEE. DAY 2 WAS COOL AS WELL AS BREAKFAST IN BED WITH THE GREATFUL DEAD ON DAY 3. STEVIE NICKS WAS IN HER PRIME. EVERY BAND I SEEN ON MTV WAS ROCKIN AT THE US ! I MADE DAMN SURE I HAD TIX TO US FESTIVAL 2, STRUTTIN WITH THE STRAY CATS AND ROCKIN THE CASBAH WITH THE CLASH. DAY 2,HEAVY METAL DAY,THE DAY COULD NOT BEEN BETTER. MOTLEY CREW'S FIRST BIG GIG , OZZY , SCORPIONS , AND VAN HALEN. I RECALL DAVID LEE ROTH BEING AS TOASTED AS I WAS ( BUT WHO CARES). DAY 3,I HEADED TO THE FRONT FOR CHRISSY HINDS & THE PRETENDERS ("CHAIN GANG"). DAVID BOWIE WAS THE LEGENDARY THAT NIGHT. WORD WAS HE WAS PAID 1 MILLION $$$, AND THAT JOHN COUGAR (NOT MELLANCAMP) WAS WILLING TO PLAY AS LONG AS HE WAS PAID $1 MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE TO BE TOP ACT!? GREAT SHOW, WOZ!!! ROCK ON,WE MADE IT IN GUINESS BOOK, I'LL NEVER FORGET THE US FESTIVALS!!!SEE YA.
As far as I know there are separate DVD's of the complete sets of Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Triumph on Heavy Metal Day. There is also a compilation DVD which only includes a few songs from every band from that day. But I have not seen a complete DVD set that includes every song performed by all bands on that day. Add some DVD extras, and this is what I'm after. A whole day, not just a compilation. I wasn't there but such a DVD set mixed with 5.1 with all the DVD extras, could be the next best thing! WHEN WILL THIS BE OUT? Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! Priest Priest Priest!
The first thing that comes to my mind when I remember attending the US Festival '83 on day 1 was, (as I believe I remember- yes, don't ask) them announcing they had setup a 250,000 watt loudspeaker system. I didn't much care for the Stray Cats or Rock-a-Billy music, however after hearing the incredible sound and beat just three guys made with a guitar, bass fiddle and a snare drum, I must say I was impressed by their sound, but I still didn't care for Rock-a-Billy music. Wall of Voodoo played an absolutely awesome earth shaking rendition of "Ring of Fire", which literally made the ground move! The eerie pulsing sound of that synthesized Hammond B3 organ during the first few bars of this song made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up, and the 250,000 watts of low frequency vibrations penetrated my entire body. Their adding the little riff from the "Haunted House" at Disneyland provided another eerie hair raiser. They followed up Ring of Fire with the hard rocking electronic beat of "Mexican Radio". Unless you have ever experienced the earth shaking power of that many watts of sound at an outdoor concert, there is no way I could convey to you how incredible the sensation of feeling the ground shake is at the pounding of a bass drum, and the low frequencies of a bass guitar. I remember what a life saver the water canons were and how freaking hot it got that day at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Berdo. Trying to find my truck in the sea of cars after the show in the fading light was not particularly entertaining, especially as they had announced that people on the way out were being attacked with rocks and bottles, warning people to stay within the taped off boundaries, which made for a very long walk back to the parking lot in the extreme heat and dust. I wouldn't have missed this for anything. Every time I look at my toolbox and see the US '83 sticker on it, or look at my ticket stubs I smile. Yes, I was there! JT Johnson Rodeoman20@hotmail.com
wow it's been 21 years now. i was 19 then i am a xtreme fan of judas priest &the scorpions . i have yet to see any videos surface of the 2 i was wondering if any one knows anything or might know how to accuire them
wow it's been 21 years now. i was 19 then i am a xtreme fan of judas priest &the scorpions . i have yet to see any videos surface of the 2 i was wondering if any one knows anything or might know how to accuire them
I was at the US Festival on Heavy Metal day on May 29th, 1983. The lineup was incredible...quit riot, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Triumph, Scorpions, Van Halen. Is there a CD or DVD of this event? mike.johns@sbcglobal.net
I used to live in San Diego during my Navy days, 1981 to 1984. Fond memories, where does the time go?
Hi- My name is Mike Burns and I live in San Diego. I attended the 1982 US Festival for all 3 days. At the time I was in the U.S. Coast Guard in Northern California and had made plans to pick up a former "Coastie" in Pasadena and head down to Glen Helen. Upon arriving at this house, the plans had changed and he couldn't go. So there I was, on my own at this event. When I arrived in my 1981 Honda Accord, a girl by the name of Jennifer parked her boyfriend's 1966 Chevy Malibu next to my car. She stated that he was going to meet her there. I left and went down to the park and proceeded to enjoy the show. A while later, I returned to my car and found her depressed and crying. When I asked what was wrong she said that she had brought some "mushrooms" to sell at the concert for spending money. A guy had approached her about a possible "transaction", she showed him her product and put them in his hand for him to examine. He then took the ENTIRE amount, opened his mouth and swallowed them! So...now she has no money and no "'shrooms". Oh...and she had also lost her keys to the car! I told her that I would help her out. I said, "Let's go down to the info booth and maybe someone found your keys and turned them in". Upon asking the personnel at the first booth, the guy says, "sure, we got keys", and pulls out a post office carrier basket full of keys!! I was amazed that so many people had lost their keys in such a short time! We then went to the next two booths, and found the same story! A basket full of keys!! And none of them were hers!! We continued to look for her keys for 2 days, with no luck. Anyhow, Jennifer's boyfriend never showed, and she had to get her car pushed out of the lot at the end of the third day. And that folks was my Us Festival, '82. Yes, I did get to see the bands! It was awesome!! Thanks! Mike Burns San Diego
Hi my boyfriend (Frank Hernandez) and me Sandii Zavala went to the first and second Festival. The first was the best since we got to camp out (even though the camp ground was also the parking lot). There was a man in white that gave us free water which was great since we were so long on money. We hand only brought $20.00 for the 3 days and by the 3rd day we had nothing. But when we entered an air conditioned tent, I found $17.00 dollars. We ate the last day. Unfortunatly the bus we went on left during Fleetwood Mac because if I remember correctly they started late. I remember having to leave during Gypsy. It was such a great concert and now I realized what great artist I saw. The next year we could not spend the night so we went on the Metal Day. The atmosphere was different and I knew then that the concert would most likely never be the same. We hope you all had a great time.
When will US Festival Heavy Metal Day be released on DVD? I would like to see the COMPLETE sets of ALL bands that day, and extras of US festival preparations etc. Who is hoarding the video rights???
YEs!! WE WERE THIER ON HEAVY METAL SUNDAY.I WAS 13 1/2 AND MY BROTHER WAS 15 YEARS OLD.WE WERE THE ONLY 2 HEADBANGING BLACK KIDS THERE!!WHAT FUN.REMEMBER OZZY`S HEAD PIECE HE REMOVED IT DUE TO THE EXTREME HOT WEATHER 115 DEGREES.KAREN karenmhoward@usa.net
onye igbo is name from abba ps guys here.com
HEY MY NAME I JOE I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE US FESTIVAL OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND TELLING MY WIFE ABOUT IT. I CANT BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 21 YEARS. I WAS 14 THEN AND IT WAS MY FIRST CONCERT EVER. I HAD GONE WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS FOR HEAVY METAL DAY(ROBERT GARCIA,ADRAIN VASQUEZ,RICK AND VINCE FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS CA.).IT WAS MY PERSONAL TREK TO SAN BERDO TO SEE VAN HALEN. WE LEFT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND PARTIED TILL SUN UP. THAT WAS ALSO MY FIRST INTRO TO JACK DANIELS. I REMEBER WE HAD TO TAKE A SCHOOL BUS FROM THE DIRT LOT WE PARKED IN. SEEMED LIKE A LONG RIDE.TRAFFIC FOR DAYS. I REMEBER PEOPLE CLIMBING ON TOP OF THE BUS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO MORE ROOM. THE DRIVER WOULD SLAMM ON THE BRAKES AND ALL I SAW WERE BODIES FLYING OFF THE TOP. I ALSO REMEMBER THIS PRETTY GIRL STANDING NEXT TO ME ON THE BUS RIDE. WE KINDA TALKED BUT IT WAS WIERD BECAUSE HER DAD WAS STANDING NEXT TO HER. GOOD IDEA POP'S BECAUSE SHE WAS HOT. I WOULD'VE DONE THE SAME.. WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE GATES AND MADE OUR WAY THROUGH THE MASSES. WE WERE MID WAY FROM THE STAGE AND NO WHERE NEAR A WATER CANNON. IT WAS HOT AS YOU ALL KNOW. WE SETTLED NEXT TO A GROUP OF BIKERS WHO PARTIED ALL DAY LONG. THEY WERE COOL WITH US. WE DRANK SOME BREWS AND ATE ALL DAY. IF I REMEBER CORRECTLY BOTTLED WATER WAS SELLING FOR $10.00 BUCKS. ANYWAYS, AS THE NIGHT WENT ON WE MADE OUR WAY EVEN CLOSER TO THE STAGE. FINALLY VAN HALEN WENT ON AND THEY KICKED ASS. I DIDNT PUT DOWN MY BINOCULARS ONCE DURING THE ENTIRE SHOW. WHEN I LOOK BACK ON THE EVENT IT WAS LIKE A DREAM. I HAD A BLAST. IT LIKE MY OWN VERSION OF THE MOVIE "STAND BY ME". SORRY MOM FOR DISAPPEARING FOR 3 DAYS. ROBERT OR ADRAIN IF YOUR OUT THERE LOOK ME UP VJOELIZ@AOL.
Meet us at the Miller stand and we'll do it all over again! This time I'll be on top. It'll be the oldest orgy on record, maybe Guiness will attend to witness it - or hell maybe even participate? Houston!
21 years, I must be getting old, fond memories of the 80's
Why was there no US Festival 1984...1985...1986....?? Tommy / 33 Years / Germany
Hey,,I'd like to see those pictures!!!! timsundog@yahoo.com
The 1982 US FESTIVAL. Now THAT was a great time. I was just 19 years old then. We camped out for three days and partied like it was 1999 !! I took some great pictures and drag out my US FESTIVAL slide show once a year to "share" with my son, who has just turned 19.
Weir still awaiting any word on the plans for a 25th Anniversary "25THUS". We want to help out in making it happen,,SO LETS SEND POSITIVES VIBES TO THE POWERS TO BE!!! http://www.gratefulgarciagathering.com
I was stationed at Camp Pendelton Ca. in the summer of 1983 in the Marines at the age of 21. My friends and I heard about the US FESTIVAL at the last minute and headed to San Berdo on saturday night. Six of us left with much beer and liquor, and a little bit of food. We partied till morning and stood with the mob to get in. It was the most kick Ass concert I had ever been to. Of all the bands, I would have to say that Judas Priest and Triumph did it for me. A friend of mine at work brought it up and we debated over which year the last show was I said 84. I was wrong. Whew!!I'm getting old! Freddie, Marty, Geek, Mick, . Are you guys out there.
WOW! And to think I had forgotten about this event...... Guess, there are long term effects on the memory from um, loud music.
I grew up in the beautiful (but isolated) Flathead Valley in NW Montana. In 1981 MTV had come to our televisions and was expanding my perception of what music could, and would be. When the US Festival was aired in our little corner of backwoods country f@#ks and good 'ol boys, it seemed as if I was the only one to talk about it at school the next day. So mind blowingly impressed I was that right then I knew I would 'grow up' to be a rock star. Crue, Quiet Riot, and Van Halen were all very good, but it was The Priest that set me off on a journey of leather, metal studs 2 inches long & head bangin'for the next decade. For that episode of my life I will be eternally grateful to the folks who put the show together. I am The Defender Of The Faith!
I was there and it was hot as hell, luckly I rode in on my motorcycle(CBX 6 cylinder) from LA and brought a watergun and I had a blast.oh what fun we had in the parking lot.I`ll never forget.LONG LIVE ROCK and ROLL!
What do you mean you can:t find www.Wild Flower festeval.com
Hi, Looking for set-lists from US1983 Heavy Metal Sunday
hey,i hail you all.i just surfed to shech wasup and i must holla @ yah dis site na the bomb men.yado all the ways.omonabouncin@mugu.org
I went the 1983 festival with my freind Larry and 2 girls. We got there Saturday night. As the people were leaving the Sunday line was forming. They were throwing rocks and bottles at the Saturday fans. Sunday was great. The best line up I have ever seen. The only 2 bad things that happened were the lack of clean (and empty) port-o-potties and I got hit in the head with a shoe. Thanks for this sight. It brings back a lot of good memories. Eric slave2pay@yahoo.com
Hello everyone! What an awesome website! Went in 1993. Brought back tons of memories! I went with a few friends, we camped out for 4 days. It was one big party. It was one of the best times of my life! Only went on Heavy Metal day! The concert was awesome! Any old friends that see this email me!! DDee West of Anaheim, CA. ddeewest@cox.net.
We had the most awesome time. It was the best party ever. my name is DDee West. ddeewest@cox.net.
This was the Beginning of the end,All the people of the parking lot,before Heavy Metal Day(2)the night was awesome.the bikers who slept in the car next to all the people sleeping in my car,bud who ever you were,took me under the wing,kept death from creeping with the vodka and oj.The people we played frisbee with,the vast amounts of mind altering,body numbing,certain death or bad trips that in one lifetime I could've killed myself 20 lifetimes over with,I was Only 17 and this was my first concert(other than Red Ryder at the The Palace)which minisculed all others in size,experience(but not quality)I'd Like to say bro,Whomever you were ,thanks4taking me under wing.To the Dude who was hit with the Bottle in the head(I was twenty feet behind you)as the gates opened on the second day,"That was a bummer,hope you made it in."And mostly to the two ladies who shared the blanket at the opening(30 degrees to theleft of the stage,sorry for scaring you away as the purple micro-dot rushed to Kenny's,Doug's and My head,for once we asked each other do you feel that,you both fled,though we never would've harmed a hair on your sweet heads,well.......you left your blanket! I wish I were that young again. (p.s. "Thank you Pepsi spell your name game under the pulltab of cans And even though a letter was misprinted making a letter "I" the manager gave me the $25.00 for the ticket and put the ticket in my hand" If only the world were still the way it was that May. "It all seems so far and unbelievably away." Mark stygianwolfe@yahoo.com
I was at DAY 2 1983 and have thought back how great an event it was, truely a once in a lifetime event and I have spent many years collecting as much as I can on VIDEO and hope that everyone will visit http://www.rockshowvideos.com we are still under construction but you can see whats available to add to your video collection and all items are on DVD. Newly added is the full RADIO BROADCAST 12 hour special on 12 CDs. Cheers Rockshowvideos@aol.com
I was at the 1982 US Festival! What a blast! What I remember most was the heat & Jackson Browne singing "Cocaine" & him saying he didn't do that shit anymore! I was 20 & those were the days! Linda
Ippity, bip, bop, bop, bop, boppin, downnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..........Van Halen in glen helen............makes sence to me see............got a sea of faces oceans of beer..........heard you missed me..i'm back...diamond is here!! To the peaple who decided it was necessary to make this website I thank you from my heart. It was 1983, I was 16, just had got my license two days prior and I was the driver to get our gang of metal heads out there. What memories! Hey does anyone remember what happend the night before the second day of the 1983 US? There were three gates to get into the amphitheater and i think there were 100,000 die hard rockers lined up at each one. I was at the head of the line at the west entrance. WOW what a sureal scene, we had many wavos exiting the venue from day 1 and the poor misguided, posers were getting a ration of shit from all the bikers and metal heads. I really fealt sorry for the poor kid that was forced to throw his ghetto blaster into the ravine by a San Bernadino Sheriff Dept. The officers all atop horses just felt it would be easier to make the kid throw his radio rather than trying to get the very persistant metal crowd to retract their request for this guy to huck his radio. The kids crime was playing the Clash in the wrong place. And I would like to especially thank the security person who searched me on my way in. He was so nice, as he searched my coin pocket, he located this small piece of paper that had a small bowl of good thai weed in it. The guy opened it up as he says, "Hmmmmmmmmmm what do we have here." He takes a good look at the little bud, smells it, then folds it back up, puts it back into my coin pocket and says, " Have fun." THANKS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!! Long Live the Age of Metal, deja_voo_du5150 Eric M
I had just graduated from Anniston High School in Alabama in 1982 when I first heard about the US Festival on MTV. I spoke with one of my school friends and we agreed we had to go. We rode Amtrak to California, stayed with my cousin in LA, and drove out to the festival each day for the shows. My one regret was we were too tired to make "breakfast with the Dead" on Sunday morning. Listening to the sound clips now reminds me how hot it was. I still have my original ticket stubs, t-shirt and a good many photos to remind of the good time I had that weekend.
I drove in from Orange County on Saturday night for '83 metal day. After a night of partying in the parking lot and having forgot my tent, I slept in my V.W. Bug until dawn and took bus to the main gate. I remember moving closer to the stage to see the Crue. I stayed for entire metal day up to and through the Van Halen show! I remember the daytime temps were quite warm. Thank God for the water cannons. From what I can remember of it, the whole day was awesome.
No story to submit, just a general thanks for this nice website. I was beginning to think I was the only one who remembers the US Festival. I desperately wanted to go in 1982 but, at age 13, was hard-pressed to collect both the money for a ticket and a ride. Needless to say, parental permission was by far the most difficult to obtain! My sincere thanks for reminding me what a delight the music scene was in 1982 & 1983!
http://www.rockshowvideos.com here is the link for 1982 & 1983 US FESTIVAL videos. New additions TOM PETTY & STRAY CATS full sets.
We are under construction but please check out www.rockshowvideos.com for 1982 & 1983 US FESTIVAL videos... CLICK ON MUSIC DVD's..until site is complete email ROCKSHOWVIDEOS@AOL.COM for want list...I was at DAY 2 when I was 18...there is a heaven !!!
Weir still awaiting any word on the plans for a 25th Anniversary "25THUS". We want to help out in making it happen. Heres our 5th festvial, honoring Jerry Garcia's birthday weekend August 1st 2004! http://www.gratefulgarciagathering.com
Found this site via Google Search engine.... come visit me and post in my message boards and guestbooks, we have something for everyone at: www.UfoVideo.net <-----> Just Cut & Paste this in your browser...... www.ufovideo.net
nice and innovative website, guys i don waka here, waooooooooooooo, fantastic. keep offf.
The Ess_Eff_4 just purchased tickets for a "US Fest experienced" reunion of sorts. I was searching for a few pics and found this site...memories rushed through my mind as I saw the logo. We left the Bay Area on an otherwise obscure Thursday evening in 1982 after a stock-up visit to the PX and commissary. The Load (our name for the RV)was filled with 15 cases of Coors Light (happened to be on sale for $6 a case!), a case of Stoli and lots of Bloody Mary mix, some ice, 4 quarts of Jack Daniels, many bags of ice, 2 cases plus a 1/2 oz of Coke, a bottle of Scotch, a 1/4 lb of Mendo bud, several coolers of ice, 6 cartons of reds, some chips, jerky, and fruit. We partied all the way down 10. There was little traffic as the sun rose over the mountains and we pulled into SanBerdoo and made camp quickly. To our surprise we found that there was no quick access from the campground to any sort of store, so the Load became the hotspot very quickly. We sold a little of our goods and made sure we were safe to visit the Ramones and Heads. The first night of music was a whirlwind of awe as I recall...babes, music, music babes...the B-52s were tremendous...we loved the Police...whew. When we got back to the Load there was a line of folks at the door wanting cigs ($1), beer($1), blow($10 a line), green($1 a toke, if we remembered to collect), and Jack & Cokes ($1). My sis ran the store right through the side window while we sat on the roof and partied to our neighbor's (babes!) excellent stereo and supreme music collection. Gropes, strokes, and pokes were traded wantonly for various other items at hand....remember the days of no AIDS? We worried endlessly about herpes but never thought about dying as a result of sex. After many Bloody Marys ($1), Dave Edmunds was already on stage when we got to the stage on day too. An amazing day that went by way too fast. Carlos was killer, and the Kinks blew us away. We danced all day long and I wore stupid med scrubs with no underwear, so with all the water and sweat I chafed my balls terribly. Didn't realize it until we were walking back to the Load. I sank when the babes next door were waiting anxiously for a re-do of the previous evening. I sat on the roof with a bag of ice between my legs! We hooked up with some friends early on day trois. They had never experienced acid so sometime around sunrise we all dropped the Dark Side of the Moon blotter. Does anyone remember that stuff? Holy Cow! The EssEff 4 had done much acid prior to that but never in our lives had we experienced anything as intense as the Moon. We peaked through Breakfast in Bed with the Dead, believed we were parrots during Jimmy, and I spent most of Mac talking down my most trippingest friend on the shoreline of the crowd as the tide rolled out. We found each other as the choppers flew mere feet over our heads. Does anyone else remember the Moon? Very clean no doubt, but strong. How many mikes do you figure? 800 maybe, 1000? I still wonder to this day. We drank, smoked, snorted, and still tripped heavily all night long. We managed to drive home late the next day when the cops kicked us out and we realized it would still be some time before we would stabilize. It took 4ever to get home since none of us could drive faster than 55. Year 2 was much different. I stayed with my girl until late Thurday night so did not ride in the Load. We drove south and stopped at Santa Monica beach for a snooze at sunrise. Not a soul on the beach but four of us. When we woke several hours later the beach was packed! People everywhere around us four fully clothed vagabonds. We limped back to the car and headed east for SanBerdoo. We got there late and had to wait in line for hours to get to the parking area. We were so pre-occupied with our powders we really only jammed to the Clash. We never found the Load and retreated with some new founds to their hotel room in town. We finally found our party near the front of the stage during the Crue on day two. We visited the beer tent for a few celebratory drinks which turned into an afternoon of beers and table-length lines until we head banged our way back to the stage for Triumph, who blew us away. After many line drops back we finally found the Load way too early in the morning...the dependent were not too happy with us so we gave away much stock to placate the angry mob. We partied all night and had many drinks ready for the morning rush. We once again gave most of the liquor and powder away. Sunday was one long day of rock and roll. U2 was tremendous (who now would believe that Bono opened for Missing Persons!?) Chrissie Hynde rocked us and Joe Walsh did a great job. We moved to the fringe of the crowd during Bowie since we didn't want to carry any goods back to the Load. The folks in our area had free treats galore all through Bowie's set. I don't think the girl I was making out with on the lawn was actually Chinese, but Bowie sure made me think she was. I often think of that encounter and sure wish I'd gotten her name and number since that was one wicked and wonderful experience. We were not aware that so many others were enjoying our experience with us until we collapsed next to one another and the crowd cheered wildly. I was rather proud when she smiled broadly and stared deep into my eyes. That was the closest I've ever been to someone's soul and I never saw her again. Maybe this June at Bonnaroo? zenpierre@firststep.net
HEY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA !!!! LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT !!!!!!!!! ** THAT's ALL I can remember from VAN HALEN's set that 2nd night ! Surviving on Hotdogs, BEER, WHISKEY, and Tortilla Chips (NO SALSA !) for 2 days was ROUGH to say the LEAST ! ANYWAY The US Festivals ( Especially '83 ) Are a Cherished memory for ALL who attended ! * I LSOT my t-shorts , but I SOMEHOW managed to keep my Souviner program ! Is a 20th anniversy OR possibly a 25th ANNIVERSARY of the '83 US FESTIVAL EVER, EVER, EVER be a possibility ? I realize with the condition of the world these days it is most likely an IMPOSSIBILITY, but I have faith and Hope ! ** Maybe try to have the ORIGINAL Band lineups - *** The crowd would DEFINITELY be Smaller and Much more manageable ! PLEASE PLEASE Email me ! Thank You Mike Fair fairbear35@cox.net
hi everyone!!! i am from puerto rico and i coulndt attend to that concert, but when i was 11 years old i saw it on a local tv station (channel 13)and that day my life change. i fell in love with rock music, quiet riot, scorpions, judas priest, ozzy had been my long time favorites. even today those cds are always in my car. i remember my mother use to say as soon as you grow up you will stop listenig to that music. she was wrong!!!! i will be looking around the net to find copy of the dvds sets i read in some of your messages. i just want to say thanks for this great site, i thougt i will nerver find anything from the festival but i was wrong!!!!!!!!! love beby
I was at US 1983, and needless to say it had a massive impact on my musical life. I run a small online radio station and I want to put together a tribute to US 1983 show with some live guests who were at Heavy Metal Sunday, so if you're interested in taking part and being one of my live on-air phone guests, please contact me at daveATdementiaradio.com (replace AT with @). I'd love to tell my story here in the guestbook, but I'm afraid it would fill up several pages. I'm 35 now, and I was only 14 at us, but the memories will burn vividly on forever.
Six friends and I piled into one of the parental units' pickup camper and drove from N. Ca Bay Area for the FIRST Us Festival. A gang of emerging techno creatives without direction or inspiration in the beaten- down-by-recession late'70's-early '80's. Softalk article on link bar, left, captures the times well..."Low Budget" by the Kinks; the "Birth of The Creative Class". Just maybe... We didn't know what to expect. We expected crowds the size of Woodstock, a wowee tech expo, whatever THAT meant in 1982, a time of big questions for a lot of people. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly neighborhood mushroom vendor, and that set the tone for the entire weekend. As a student and part-time professional in film and TV, I was interested and honored to witness the historic Russia-USA direct Telecast. It was funny, because it started out as innocuous travelougue and shots of a rock concert in Moscow happening simultaneously. Then as the video showed more of the monuments to the Soviet "People's Revolution", the Russian commentator tried to slip in some ideology. The American commentator began to subtly, then not so subtly, contradict and address his counterpart's comments. Suddenly the feed went dead. The crowd began to roar as some text flashed up onscreen explaining "Technical Difficulties"...some Politbureau member had his finger on some big button, no doubt. This was in the late Cold War when movies on TV showed us in hot nuke conflict with the Russians, and most of us fully thought that was how our lives would end someday soon...so that telecast was HUGE for me. The first night ever was amazing, featuring some of the great New Wave acts that have now become classics. A friend and I wandered aggresively to the front of the packed stage retaining "wall", and all over the massive amphitheater. We didn't meet one unfriendly person, pretty amazing for So Cal!! Sting appeared on Nightline just before the Police went onstage, and the world saw us in all our sweating, quarter-million glory. A huge UFO appeared overhead during the Talking Heads' set, and was witnessed by basically everybody. It looked really spectacular, and exhibited some pretty unnerving flight patterns, but most people in my group read the program and knew that there was a major UFO discussion scheduled for the next day...but I still wonder. Was it some kind of cosmic baptism? Some kind of techno mind warp? A "seeding" of ideas? At some of the conferences/talks on Saturday, many of the experts predicted that the computers many of us were studying in college, would transform from their COBOL/BASIC/DOS limitations, and turn into real-time tools for musicians, graphic designers, and yes, film makers. What a concept, believe me, 18 months before the Mac. I went back to college and dropped my computer classes. My dad, a longtime computer industry vet at that time, freaked out, thinking I had lost it on drugs at some rock concert... I never thought the same after that weekend. The ideas of the freelance lifestyle, the emerging "creative class", referred to on this site, the integration of micro-computer tech into the visual and creative arts, then just a crystalizing dream, and the relief that one didn't have to program computers to utlize them, have now all solidified into MY personal lifestyle and creative freedom. And Macs have powered much of my work in the past 19 years. Thanks Woz. Christopher Klinzman cklinzman@cvideo.net
very nice
HI I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT YOUR SITE IS GREAT! I HAVE SEARCHED FOR PICTURES OF THE GREATEST ROCK FESTEVAL CALIFORNIA EVER PRODUCED AND I FINALY FOUND SOME. THANKS. I WAS TO YOUNG TO ATTEND AND LIVED IN MICHIGAN BACK THEN, BUT I WOULD LOVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT SEEING A US FESTIVAL. HOPE WE SEE ONE SOON. BEST REGARDS JASON
lots of good memories was back stage foe all 7 days .......wish you would put the concert on disc to buy................
I was at the 83 US Festival! It was the day after my HS Graduation from Sam Houston High School and the day before my 18th birthday!!! I am looking for a video of that event (especially DAY 2) Please email me at niceguy@kc.rr.com
Hi Country Music Fans! I am looking for the best Willie Nelson concert ever performed, which I attended in June, 1983 at the US FESTIVAL, in San Bernardino. A handful of the day's performers were filmed which aired on HBO, but Willie was not omitted! If anybody has a copy of his midnight performance on video, PLEASE email me with details and if you'd be willing to share it with me, and the world! EXCELLENT SHOW!!!! email eldorado@sasquatch.com
Triumph and the Us Festival. Holy crap. There's nobody under the age of 30 reading this review, is there?! Let's approach these two entities one at a time: Triumph was a staple of the late 70s/early 80s hard rock scene. The Canadian trio, featuring (in its classic line-up) guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett, bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine, and drummer/vocalist Gil Moore, had a slew of AOR hits, including "Rock and Roll Machine", "Hold On", "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power", "Follow Your Heart", "Somebody's Out There", and "Spellbound." The group also had a huge video hit with the trippy "A World of Fantasy" from the 1983 album Never Surrender. Their music was loud, driving, power-chord hard rock but not quite heavy metal; their lyrics and arrangements often showed tendencies towards quieter, more folksy and acoustic sides. And dare I say, a lot of there songs attempted to be... spiritually uplifting? Heck, even in "Hold On" Rik Emmett reassured us to "Hold on, and I will take you there." Take us where? The Us Festival? Speaking of which, let's discuss. Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple Computers, decided to sponsor two huge outdoor rock-and-roll festivals, one in 1982 and the next in the following year. The Us Festivals weren't simply just loud, crude rockfests with top line recording artists, women in bikinis, and the sweet waft of marijuana smoke billowing above the crowds. Wozniak's shows also had technology expositions, air-conditioned pavilions that showcased the technology behind the show, as well as promoting emerging and prototype technology of the day. That's right kids: this was Rock-N-Roll Epcot! Just to give you a slight idea of the type of acts attracted to the Us Festival, the 1982 show alone featured the likes of Oingo Boingo, the Grateful Dead, The Police, Tom Petty, The Kinks, The Cars, Santana, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimmy Buffett. The 1983 show had INXS, The Clash, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osborne, Judas Priest, Van Halen, U2, Joe Walsh, and David Bowie. In other words, these were big shows with A-list acts. I was a Triumph fan, back in the day. I remember Rik Emmett wrote an amazing column for aspiring axe-slingers in Guitar World... or was it Guitar Player... in any case, he actually took the time to instill musical theory, jazz progressions, and classical thought into would-be Al DiMeolas everywhere, rather than simply transcribing the opening riff to "Spellbound" on a monthly basis. The band was tight, their music was solid and their touring act always played to over-enthusiastic houses. Unfortunately, Emmett left the band in the late 1980s, and while Triumph persevered with a revised line-up and Emmett continued to record as a solo act, neither has achieved the recognition they achieved in their prime. Still, it's a real pip to watch Triumph: Live at the Us Festival, simply because the show is a swift reminder of what a great band Triumph was, and what a grand time the Us Festival seems to have been. Triumph: Live at the Us Festival contains the following set list: Allied Forces Lay It on the Line Never Surrender Magic Power A World of Fantasy Rock & Roll Machine When the Lights Go Down Fight The Good Fight The DVD Video: Let's look at this from a realistic standpoint. Triumph: Live at the Us Festival was videotaped live twenty years ago, and the resulting time and degradation of the source material results in a presentation that will never look as pristine as something taped on HD-cameras last year. The video is in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and looks darn good... for twenty-year-old videotape! The image suffers from some softness, color bleeding, ghosting, streaks, and magnetic noise that are inherent to the source material. Some compression and pixellation noise is occasionally present, but overall this is a good transfer of what is admittedly limited source material. Audio: Now here's where things get a little interesting. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, 5.1, and DTS 5.1. The DD 5.1 and DTS tracks are mostly identical, with the DTS track exhibiting higher volume levels and more pronounced surround activity. Both six-channel tracks do a reasonable job in expanding the soundstage, showcasing more aggressive surrounds and pulsating LFE activity. I preferred the 2.0 track only because it was the most "natural" sounding of the three. While the six-channel tracks were louder and more expansive, they seemed slightly artificial in comparison to the stereo track. Extras: Inside the Rock & Roll Machine runs roughly thirty-two minutes long, and is a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road with Triumph on their 1986 "Sport of Kings" tour. This is a no-holds-barred look at setting up the amps, speakers, lights, lasers, pyrotechnics, explosives, demolitions -- is this a tour or the frickin' Anarchist's Cookbook?! While This Is Spinal Tap has inevitably altered the way everyone looks at rock tours, I still moderately enjoyed this feature. A 2003 Interview catches up with Triumph members Gil Moore and Mike Levine, as they reflect upon the Us Festival, Steve Wozniak and his dream of creating an eighties rock-and-roll lovefest, and how the band got involved with the show. The interview runs for about thirteen minutes, and makes for a nice addition to the disc. Two classic Music Videos are included on this DVD: "Spellbound" and "Follow Your Heart", both from the 1984 album Thunder Seven. Finally, Speaker Set-Up is a sort of 5.1 Sound Check for your system. Check One. Check One. Check Two. Sibilance. Sibilance. Final Thoughts And there you have it, a loving look at a time past but not forgotten, a world of unadorned hard rock, stadium tours, band jerseys with the logo on a white background and red sleeves that go down to your elbows, rock festivals that didn't result in people setting other people on fire, and music that... gee, I dunno... didn't suck? I enjoyed my time watching Triumph: Live at the Us Festival, but I'm carrying a lot of nostalgia with me to the entire affair. While the show barely lasts an hour, there are some fairly substantial extras included on this release, and the look and sound of the entire affair is about as good as you could reasonably hope them to be. If you're a fan of old-school hard rock, I would definitely give this one a rental.
Please release the concerts on DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! smschram@frankmayer.com
In 1983 i was 15. My nieghbor, Steve, who was 19, introduced me into a new world of music. The Police, Clash, Buzzcocks and all this amazing music. I became obsessed with that fashion style and music. When news of the concert came, i panicked and wondered and how my mom would let me go. I had to lie!! My nieghbor bought me a ticket and my mom believe i was going to be at my cousins. We road in in van covered in carpet interior with a few of steve's friends, his girlfriend and her little sister ,Lisa .I was so excited that i did not realize that it was 100 degrees in the van. When we got there, the energy in the air,the big US logo and the real tall speakers, i was in heaven. We walked in when INXS came on and i began to get in shock.I just begun to experiment with smoking cigarettes and someone passed me a joint. I must confess that i had never done it and i was simply in another plane. Everything became more intensified. The music, the people,the big air filled miller bottles, and especially the heat!!! I saw a girl lift up her top and could swear she was blinking at me. Oingo Boingo were so much fun.Stray Cats were amazing. I remember dancing so much and didnt care if i looked like a dork. When the Clash went on and i lost my mind. This girl that came with us, Lisa, was standing next to me and she began to hold my hand and asked me to accompany her to the bathroom. We ended up making out till the Clash finished. We headed back to our friends then to the parking lot. Everyone was still partying in the parking lot because it was a zoo trying to get out of the parking lot. Lisa and i went into the van and she took my virginity!!!Looking back to that day, besides the birth of my kids, it was one the best days of my life. I had the girl, the expien