Van Halen’s “Monsters of Rock” Tour took place in 1988, visiting 23 cities from May to July. The shows consisted of 9 hours of performances from the top rock bands of the era, including Metallica, the Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come. Writers from the L.A. Times called the lineup “one of the most ambitious concert packages ever mounted.” The hard rock and heavy metal music festival originally took place annually in Castle Donington, England for 16 years. The performances spread to other locations across Europe, North America, South America and the Soviet Union.
1988 was the only year that the “Monsters of Rock” tour took place in the United States. Nearly 77,000 concert goers attended the Monsters of Rock tour at the Los Angeles Coliseum. However, during Metallica’s performance a riot nearly broke out as people tried to crush towards the front, ending in a dozen arrests and a “handful” of injuries.