Since the 2020 death of Eddie Van Halen, there has been plenty of talk of some sort of celebratory tour revisiting Van Halen’s legacy, but all efforts to do something involving all of the key players from the band’s past have not come to fruition. But earlier this week, Sammy Hagar revealed that he and Michael Anthony will turn their focus heavily on their Van Halen history with a 2024 tour. And better yet, they’ve extended invites to David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen should they want to take part at some point during the run.
Hagar visited SiriusXM’s Howard Stern Show (as seen below) where he spoke about the “Best of All Worlds” tour, which will find his frequent collaborator Michael Anthony of Van Halen fame, performing with Hagar’s onetime Chickenfoot bandmate and guitar great Joe Satriani on guitar and his Sammy Hagar and the Circle drummer Jason Bonham behind the kit. And while the tour is not entirely devoted to Van Halen material, working in some of Hagar’s other solo and past band material as well, the guys have made it clear they intend to go deeper than usual into the Van Halen catalog for this run.
That said, they also wanted it known that the door is open for other guests to join their celebration of the Van Halen legacy. Hagar told Stern, “This is really a celebration of all that and we’re the only ones that can do it. We can invite every musician in every town. First of all, if there’s a guitar player in town, they come out to see Joe [Satriani] just like they used to come out to see Eddie. So if there’s guitar players [that want to play] we’ll get them involved. Other singers, we’ll get them involved. If Alex Van Halen wants to come out, we’ll get him involved. If David Lee Roth wants to come out and join us, come on motherfucker. YOU … ARE … WELCOME.”
Back in July of this year, Hagar said on the That Rocks! podcast that there would not be a Van Halen reunion tour, pointing out that Alex Van Halen had not responded to his calls. He also stated, “It’s too late. I’ve already said it a million times — Wolfie [Van Halen] is doing such a great job with what he’s doing, and he would be the perfect guy [to play with us at a tribute concert], so that’s out. Dave [Lee Roth] and I are still alive, but there’s no way he would cooperate with me.” But as for a full fledged Van Halen reunion, Hagar stated the obvious that the thought of a reunion run couldn’t happen without the late great Eddie Van Halen.
As for Wolfgang Van Halen, he’s spoken about his reluctance to play Van Halen material and revealed that his performance of Van Halen music at the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows in 2022 would serve as his musical tribute. Wolfgang also shared in the summer of 2022 that “some people” were making the possibility of a Van Halen tribute show “very difficult.”
What Are Sammy Hagar’s Expectations?
When asked by Stern if he thought Alex Van Halen might eventually come around, the singer responded, “I would hope so. I reach out to Al about once a month for a couple of years now and he doesn’t get back to me,” adding a chuckle. When Stern asked him how he reached out to the drummer, Hagar responded, “I call, I leave a voice message, I send a text, I send an email – all three things – I’m like, ‘Give me a call.'”
“Al’s favorite line to me every time he wanted to get back together was, ‘You know, Sam, we ain’t getting any younger.’ So I’d say, ‘Hey Al, we ain’t getting any younger. Give me a call. What do you want to do? Come on over. Let’s get together. Mike [Anthony] and I will meet you somewhere,” said Hagar, issuing a public plea.
READ MORE: Why Sammy Hagar Feels He Made Van Halen Better When He Joined
Where You Can See Sammy Hagar’s “The Best of All Worlds” Tour
The trek, dubbed the Best of All Worlds tour, will launch on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and conclude on Aug. 31 in St. Louis. Loverboy will open the dates. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Nov. 17). Dates can be found at the bottom of this post.
Sammy Hagar Extends Invites to David Lee Roth + Alex Van Halen for 2024 Tour (SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show)
Sammy Hagar, Best of All Worlds 2024 TourJuly 13 – West Palm Beach, Fla. @ iTHINK Financial AmphitheatreJuly 14 – Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union AmphitheatreJuly 16 – Alpharetta, Ga. @ Ameris Bank AmphitheatreJuly 19 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music PavilionJuly 20 – Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube LiveJuly 22 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. @ Broadview Stage at SPACJuly 24 – Bridgeport, Ct. @ Hartford HealthCare AmphitheaterJuly 26 – Mansfield, Mass. @ Xfinity CenterJuly 27 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts CenterJuly 29 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio @ Blossom Music CenterJuly 31 – Toronto, Ontario @ Budweiser StageAug. 2 – Clarkston, Mich. @ Pine Knob Music TheatreAug. 3 – Tinley Park, Ill. @ Credit Union 1 AmphitheatreAug. 9 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden ArenaAug. 11 – Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks AmphitheatreAug. 13 – Airway Heights, Wash. @ BECU Live at Northern QuestAug. 14 – Ridgefield, Wash. @ RV Inn Style Resort AmphitheaterAug. 16 – Wheatland, Calif. @ Toyota AmphitheatreAug. 17 – Concord, Calif. @ Toyota Pavilion at ConcordAug. 19 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Kia ForumAug. 20 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resorts AmphitheatreAug. 22 – Dallas, Texas @ Dos Equis PavilionAug. 23 – Houston, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell PavilionAug. 25 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart AMPAug. 27 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Riverbend Music CenterAug. 28 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone ArenaAug. 30 – Noblesville, Ind. @ Ruoff Music CenterAug. 31 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
The David Lee Roth Era Songs Sammy Hagar Sang With Van Halen the Most + Least
The “Red Rocker” only performed a small number of songs from his predecessor’s era. One was only played live once!
Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
