Van Halen had his choice of cities and venues; a test like this is perfect for weeding down to the ones who will take the all the other seemingly-random-but-act

Van Halen had his choice of cities and venues; a test like this is perfect for weeding down to the ones who will take the all the other seemingly-random-but-actually-vitally-important requirements around stage and equipment setup seriously. It doesn't work for the musician hired just to have someone playing.