Monsters of Rock Tour 1988

Tour bill

The opening night of the tour in Alpine Valley was not without incident. The band Dokken had terrible sound and was subsequently booed for a lengthy amount of their set. The amphitheater at Alpine Valley had been recently sodded and before the Scorpions took the stage, fans had become impatient and started hurling chunks of the freshly laid sod into the air. It truly looked like a massive sod fight. Attendants came out and threatened to close down the venue. The scene calmed down and the showed was finished to thunderous applause.

In San Francisco's Candlestick Park a stadium-wide food fight took place aimed solely at the upper deck. Unfortunately each band played only five minutes longer than the band before them. Kingdom Come played for only 15 minutes, and the show closed with Van Halen playing only 35 minutes. This was after Van Halen held a press conference at Universal Studios, while seated in front of a giant robotic King Kong – Eddie Van Halen stated “Five bands will be playing full sets”.

In Tampa, a stadium-wide food fight took place. The show was general admission and the food fight took place between the concertgoers in the stadium stands and those on the field. Dokken also had issues with their PA system, it was broadcasting on the same frequency as Tampa International Airport's tower.

In Memphis, another food fight occurred between the audience in the stands and those on the field. Van Halen cut their set extremely short after Sammy Hagar's equipment malfunctioned. He called out to his guitar tech during the final song, "My axe be cutting out on me, Zeke." The concert was introduced by hostess Martha Quinn of MTV.

In Kansas City, the food fight continued between the lower and upper levels of Arrowhead stadium.

In Maine, the day was plagued by late afternoon moderate-to-severe thunderstorms & a near riot during a lengthy delay. The severe storm had the band Dokken playing toward the rear of the stage in an effort to try & escape the torrential downpour / lightning. The storms themselves caused a long delay post-Dokken's set, at during which the crowd started chanting "Rain or Shine, Rain or Shine". As the crowd was getting more & more agitated from the delay, the crowd was finally apprised of the situation (by a roadie or tour manager) however, the information was delivered in a very ill-advised way; arrogant, condescending, & taunting in nature to the point of the official saying "what?, do you think you're going to get your money back?" At this point the crowd started heaving chunks of the broken asphalt (which was the surface people were standing on) at the tour official, as well as the equipment on stage & the situation nearly devolved into a full-blown riot.

In New Jersey, there was also a large food fight due to people getting fed up with the extremely long wait between the Scorpions and Van Halen's set. People from the upper decks threw food, drink and trash over the railing. At the same time, about one hundred or so people jumped the wall and rushed onto the main field which led to cheers erupting through the stadium.

In Los Angeles, the power was shut off during Metallica's set because fans were aggressively rushing the stage. The members of Metallica sat on the drum riser and watched. After a short break, Metallica resumed their set. Fifteen people were arrested.

Metallica's following act Dokken would come over severe ridicule from the thrash metalheads in the crowd for not matching Metallica's intensity.

In Dallas, Van Halen's set was cut short by vocalist Sammy Hagar's voice problems. He promised that Van Halen would return to Dallas and play a free show. Van Halen made good on the promise three years later on December 4, 1991 when they played a free concert at Dallas Alley, a gentrified area on the northwest side of downtown Dallas where free concerts were often hosted to boost traffic for restaurants and stores in the adjacent collection of shops. This show also had a water/cup fight between the field and the stands at either end of a concession stand that was along the sidelines on the west side of the stadium.

The Houston show also had a trash/food/water fight between the field and the stands. There was also a venue issue where a barrier broke and at least one person fell to a lower level of stands landing on lower seats. EMS was forced to eject several people. The show continue as scheduled.

In Seattle, Klaus Meine, the lead singer of the Scorpions, was struck in the throat by a camera tossed from the crowd. Following the incident, he spoke for approximately five minutes on the importance of showing respect to performing artists. Subsequently, the band performed one more song before exiting the stage, approximately three-quarters through their intended setlist.

While at Alpine Valley a lighting rig fell during the Scorpions set, and Sammy Hagar fell off the stage.

Setlists

Typical Van Halen Setlist

1. A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)
2. Summer Nights
3. There's Only One Way To Rock
4. Panama
5. Bass Solo
6. Runnin With the Devil
7. Why Can't This Be Love
8. Mine All Mine
9. Drum Solo
10. You Really Got Me
11. Sucker In A 3 Piece
12. When It's Love
13. Eagles Fly
14. I Can't Drive 55
15. Best Of Both Worlds
16. Guitar Solo
17. Black And Blue
18. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
19. Superstition
20. Rock And Roll

Typical Scorpions Setlist

1. Blackout
2. Big City Nights
3. Every Minute Every Day
4. Rhythm Of Love
5. Bad Boys Running Wild
6. Make It Real
7. Coast To Coast
8. Still Loving You
9. Don't Stop At The Top
10. Can't Live Without You
11. Coming Home
12. The Zoo
13. No One Like You
14. Rock You Like A Hurricane
15. Dynamite

Typical Dokken Setlist

1. Tooth And Nail
2. Just Got Lucky
3. Burning Like A Flame
4. Into The Fire
5. Heaven Sent
6. It's Not Love
7. Guitar Solo
8. Mr. Scary
9. Standing At The Shadows
10. Alone Again
11. Turn On The Action
12. In My Dreams

Typical Metallica Setlist

1. Creeping Death
2. For Whom The Bell Tolls
3. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
4. Harvester Of Sorrow
5. Whiplash
6. Fade To Black
7. Seek & Destroy
8. Master Of Puppets
9. Last Caress
10. Am I Evil?
11. Battery