Bachman says they were invited on the road in 1986 because Hagar wanted a solid opening outfit - something he felt Van Halen fans weren't used to. Bachman tells Songfacts: "I'd seen Van Halen a lot with David Lee Roth, and normally they'd have a really crappy opening act, which they'd call the 'merch act', because everyone then is buying Van Halen merchandise and popcorn and getting to their seats.

"This band would come out and play 20 or 30 minutes, then they'd have a 10 or 20-minute break where they were still selling merchandise. Then Van Halen would come out."

But he says that wasn't good enough for Hagar, who wanted to ensure the 112-date tour went as well as it could. So he called BTO, who'd regrouped three years previously.