Van Halen
Oklahoma Jam
State Fairgrounds Speedway
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
August 6, 1978

aud>1st.gen.cassette>SonyTCWE435>PioneerPDR-O4>CDR>EAC>WAV>Trader'sLittleHelper>FLAC 

Quality: B++

On Fire
I'm The One
Bass Solo
Runnin' With The Devil
Atomic Punk/Drum Solo
Little Dreamer
Feel Your Love Tonight
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Eruption/Guitar Solo
You Really Got Me
Bottoms Up! 

Notes: Van Halen playing at the Oklahoma Jam in the summer of 1978. I received this tape from a very cool Fresno, California taper who gave his rig to a friend who traveled to the gig and recorded this show. The result is really good, one of the best quality  VH audience tapes you will hear, especially considering it was done 31 years ago! The Fresno taper was wary of (vinyl/cd) bootlegers so he gave out the phony date of July 15 for this recording to track the tape and he also cut out the last encore on some copies. We had a good relationship and he relayed to me the real date was actually August 6 and he provided me with the complete tape. I was told for years by other traders that July 15 was the real date. But ffoner from ths site was able to locate pre- and post-gig newspaper articles for the gig and confirmed the Aug. 6, 1978 date.

Here are some excerpts from the clippings:

"At the State Fairgrounds grandstand today, Van Halen will perform along with nine other bands when the Oklahoma Jam begins at 11:30 a.m. Tickets to the all day event are $12 at the gate. Other groups include the Climax Blues Band, Alvin Lee, Derringer, Head East, Wet Willie, Stillwater, Missouri, UK and Black Oak Arkansas.
In a recent phone interview, guitarist Edward Van Halen said the group isn't concerned about where they'll appear on the bill - they just want to play.
"When we walk on the stage, whether we're third-billed or headlining, none of us feel any different," he said. "We always play as if it's our show."
He and brother Alex immigrated to the United States 10 years ago from the Netherlands. During their high school years they performed in the Los Angeles Area - in garages, backyards, and wherever else they could find an audience.
"We played in various high school gararge-type bands," Edward said. "Then everyone wanted to go on to college and become a doctor or something, but we didn't. We really enjoy playing. The joy of playing is what kept us at it."
In 1974 the brothers met David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony and the band was born and they quickly developed a following.
Then they were discovered, Edward said, and it was "just like the movies.
"We always wanted to be discovered. We didn't want to go knocking on doors with a demo tape. We wouldn't know where to start," Edward said.
"The album is really a live studio album," he said. "The backing vocals are overdubbed, and there are a couple of lead guitar ovedrubs, but the rest is recorded with the band playing together at the same time. That way we can produce our studio sound on stage without any problem."
The group plans to to return to the studio in November to record their next Lp.
"We have the material written, so it shouldn't take very long - it's just a matter of getting the tape running," Edward said. "The first album only took about three weeks. We had 40 songs on the initial tape for the album - all our own. We've written a lot of songs."
Edward said he doesn't expect a letdown by the group after their surprise success.
"I think it will just make us try harder for the next one."
 Van Halen has been performing outdoor stadium shows with Aerosmith, Foreigner and Ted Nugent and "headlining our own shows here and there," Edward said.
They toured England with with Black Sabbath for about five weeks and later this month will join Black Sabbath for a tour of major American markets.

And from the Aug. 7 Daily Oklahoman:

"The aroma of marijuana mixed with the smell of beer and tanning oil Sunday as rock music fans openly smoked pot, tried to keep cool and listened to a succession of bands at the State Fairgounds Speedway.
By mid-afternoon more than 20,000 youngsters had pressed their way their way into the concert site, spilling out of the stands and onto the raceway itself