David Lee Roth wrote in his autobiography that the reason was to test if venues were reading the contracts, and I frankly don’t believe him.
This article lists several reasons why that doesn’t make sense. I.e. the rule being widely reported in the media at the time makes it a bad choice for a hidden test. And the people who handle catering at a venue are not the same people who handle electrical work - so a problem with one does not necessarily indicate a problem with the other.
I think the simpler explanation is that it was just a way for Van Halen to drum up publicity and assert their privilege as one of the premier rock acts of the day.
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[ 5.3 ms ] story [ 17.7 ms ] threadThis article lists several reasons why that doesn’t make sense. I.e. the rule being widely reported in the media at the time makes it a bad choice for a hidden test. And the people who handle catering at a venue are not the same people who handle electrical work - so a problem with one does not necessarily indicate a problem with the other.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-did-van-hale...
I think the simpler explanation is that it was just a way for Van Halen to drum up publicity and assert their privilege as one of the premier rock acts of the day.