I woke this morning with this burning question of the ages on my mind. Help me out. If you could see either Van Halen or AC/DC in what you consider their prime, who would you choose and when?

As for me, my answer for most of my life would have been Van Halen after 1984 or possibly OU812. But as I've come to appreciate the blues more, I would now choose AC/DC in their Back in Black tour.

Van Halen.

However, there is no wrong answer to this question.

Tough call, but it's a close one for me because I love both bands. But it would have to be VH by a hair for me. Would love to see DLR and his on stage antics and EVH running around. It would have to be during their 1984 tour. So many hit songs would have been played as they would have a big catalog by then.

I saw their last tour in 2009 (?) and they were kinda boring on stage

Bon Scott > Brian Johnson

Van Halen

I saw Van Halen with both Roth (Diver Down tour) and Sammy (5150 tour). DLR was falling down drunk and got about half the songs out. EVH was great but for the total show, Sammy's Van Halen was better.

Saw AC/DC on a tour for one of the earlier Brian Johnson albums (Fly on the Wall or Flick of the Switch maybe?), and they were really good. I'd have loved to see the Bon Scott years.

As for the OPs question, I'd say AC/DC. Just like more of their songs.

I like AC/DC as an artist more, but I think the experience of seeing Eddie shred in person would give them the edge

Saw VH in '82 on the Hide Your Sheep tour or Hide Your Women and Children tour. Whichever it was.

5th row on the floor. It was excellent. Scalped tickets were $30 each.

Incredible show. Roth was an amazing frontman. He talked too many of the lyrics but not as bad as in later years.

Eddie and Mike and Alex were great.

5150 tour with Sammy was a better show. Sammy doesn't take plays off, to borrow a football term. But Dave was the better rock frontman in his prime.

That being said, I would take either of them over an AC/DC show. Eddie live >>>>>>> Angus live

Ac/dc. All night long

Van Halen.

Dp

Philo B 93 said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

Incredible show. Roth was an amazing frontman. He talked too many of the lyrics but not as bad as in later years.

Eddie and Mike and Alex were great.

5150 tour with Sammy was a better show. Sammy doesn't take plays off, to borrow a football term. But Dave was the better rock frontman in his prime.

---

Best description of Roth vs Hagar I've ever read. And I've read a lot.

---

Van Halen.
With David Lee Roth

I love me some AC/DC....

but give me Van Halen.
Eddie is in the pantheon of rock guitar gods & when DLR was on his game he was as good as anyone.

I saw VH with Hagar in the 5150 tour, 1986? and Ac/DC in 1988.

Was nose bleeds for VH and 3rd row for AC/DC

I much preferred VH.

That being said, probably not prime for either.

I much prefer the music of VH though, pre-Cherone.

I can't even listen to AC/DC anymore it's so bad.

Depends on what day you ask me…Like someone said earlier there is no wrong answer.

Give me AC/DC in either the Bon Scott or the Brian Johnson incarnations.

The Debt said:

---

Bon Scott > Brian Johnson

---

This, it depends on what era is considered their prime. I would ultimately chose AC/DC during the Bon Scott era (and imo is considered their best years). After that early VH. I do not like any post DLR VH. Wouldn't even consider it.

Easily Van Halen, then Bon Scott era AC/DC.

4stringAg said:

---

I saw Van Halen with both Roth (Diver Down tour) and Sammy (5150 tour). DLR was falling down drunk and got about half the songs out. EVH was great but for the total show, Sammy's Van Halen was better.

Saw AC/DC on a tour for one of the earlier Brian Johnson albums (Fly on the Wall or Flick of the Switch maybe?), and they were really good. I'd have loved to see the Bon Scott years.

As for the OPs question, I'd say AC/DC. Just like more of their songs.

---

I went to the 5150 show and the Flick of the Switch show, and have to say 5150 was much more memorable.

But I have to admit, I was high as a kite at the Flick of the Switch show...

Between these two, I think I would choose Metallica in 1986 with Cliff.

Although Metallica in 1988 is a really close second.

Philo B 93 said:

---

Philo B 93 said:

---

maroon barchetta said:

---

Incredible show. Roth was an amazing frontman. He talked too many of the lyrics but not as bad as in later years.

Eddie and Mike and Alex were great.

5150 tour with Sammy was a better show. Sammy doesn't take plays off, to borrow a football term. But Dave was the better rock frontman in his prime.

---

Best description of Roth vs Hagar I've ever read. And I've read a lot.

---

---

Thank you kind sir.

62strat said:

---

Between these two, I think I would choose Metallica in 1986 with Cliff.

Although Metallica in 1988 is a really close second.

---

Saw Metallica with Cliff. Enjoyed them at Monsters of Rock more.

I saw Van Halen for their 1984 Tour and then again for 5150. I remember thinking I would hate Jump and the new synthesized bits - I was wrong, it was a great show. I remember thinking, even though I loved Sammy, VH with him wouldn't be as good.. It was great, just different.

I saw AC/DC 3 of 4 times, last time being in the early 00's. Never with Bon Scott - though I'm not sure he was a better concert front man than Brian Johnson.

Time robs you of the ability to truly discern if one was better than the others, but I will say I would give an awful lot to see any of those shows again with those guys in their primes.

Gun to my head, probably seeing AC/DC would be my choice.

Don't listen to me though, because I will tell you that KISS put on shows every bit as good as either one of them. Hate on their music all you want, but Gene being lowered to the stage and Paul lowered/raised from another direction as the opening Notes of Detroit Rock City hit after the announcer - "You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world - KISS!" A magical show!

that was '84 though right?

I mean that's cool as hell, but they hadn't released the best heavy metal of all time yet in 1984.

And now that I ponder a bit more, I think I'd switch my answers. Their headline sets in 1988 were much longer.
1988/1989 headline show first choice.

Probably AC/DC but if I saw VH, I'd actually prefer the Sammy Hagar version.

TMfrisco said:

---

I saw Van Halen for their 1984 Tour and then again for 5150. I remember thinking I would hate Jump and the new synthesized bits - I was wrong, it was a great show. I remember thinking, even though I loved Sammy, VH with him wouldn't be as good.. It was great, just different.

I saw AC/DC 3 of 4 times, last time being in the early 00's. Never with Bon Scott - though I'm not sure he was a better concert front man than Brian Johnson.

Time robs you of the ability to truly discern if one was better than the others, but I will say I would give an awful lot to see any of those shows again with those guys in their primes.

Gun to my head, probably seeing AC/DC would be my choice.

Don't listen to me though, because I will tell you that KISS put on shows every bit as good as either one of them. Hate on their music all you want, but Gene being lowered to the stage and Paul lowered/raised from another direction as the opening Notes of Detroit Rock City hit after the announcer - "You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world - KISS!" A magical show!

---

Geddy Lee did say about KISS "Say what you want about the music, but nobody worked harder to put on a great show for their fans".

VH. I've seen them twice but both were with Sammy. I actually prefer Sammy as a vocalist/artist but would have loved to have seen DLR's antics live at least once.

I didnt like AC/DC that much when I was in High School in the late '80s. But, I love them now. I really wish I had seen them in concert back then.

I saw Van Halen in concert a bunch and they were my big go-to band.

So for me, Van Halen!

Eddie Van Halen is one of the best ever on guitar (and he came up with some awesome keyboard riffs). Alex on Drums is incredible. Panama and the double bass drums...classic. David and Sammy had some great vocals on a few songs. Overall they both were terrific "front men".

Its amazing to think of what Van Halen would have been like if Daryl Hall or Patty Smyth had accepted the invitation from Eddie to replace David Lee Roth. Like him or not, but Daryl is an incredible singer and musician.

bon scott era acdc

My parents saw Van Halen before they broke big in a club in Wichita Ks. They stayed around after the show was over and hung out with the band and had drinks with them. My parents both said the Van Halen brothers were very friendly and just happy to be there. Dave was Dave already. My mom still has the napkin that they all wrote their autographs on somewhere. I grew up on old school Van Halen. My first memory of music just blowing my mind was my dad putting a big set of 1970's headphones on my head pushing play on Running With the Devil. I was about 7 at the time.

Also, I used to work with a guy that grew up in Pasadena and graduated high school in the mid late 1970's. That was when Van Halen was getting started and playing house parties. They also used to set up their equipment at his highschool in their quad area and play for the highschoolers at lunch. He has a bunch of pics of all this. He also went to Pasadena high and was friends with Chris Holmes who would eventually become WASP's guitarist.

All that said, I love me some ACDC too. Hard choice, but I'd still go with Van Halen in their prime.

It's a shame Eddie became such as dick later in life.

Wolfgang is just as talented as his dad and uncle.

Houston Lee said:

---

I didnt like AC/DC that much when I was in High School in the late '80s. But, I love them now. I really wish I had seen them in concert back then.

I saw Van Halen in concert a bunch and they were my big go-to band.

So for me, Van Halen!

Eddie Van Halen is one of the best ever on guitar (and he came up with some awesome keyboard riffs). Alex on Drums is incredible. Panama and the double bass drums...classic. David and Sammy had some great vocals on a few songs. Overall they both were terrific "front men".

Its amazing to think of what Van Halen would have been like if Daryl Hall or Patty Smyth had accepted the invitation from Eddie to replace David Lee Roth. Like him or not, but Daryl is an incredible singer and musician.

---

You wanna talk about not taking play off? Daryl Hall is the greatest singer of any genre of all time…

Tough, tough pick. Never saw AC/DC somehow, but saw VH in '80 and '84.

I can't imagine anything being greater though, than what I saw in The Summit in 1984. A massive party thrown by the biggest rock band in America.

The Debt said:

---

Bon Scott > Brian Johnson

---

Bon Scott deader than Brian Johnson