When Sammy Hagar announced that he would embark on a Van Halen-focused tour in 2024 with guitarist Joe Satriani, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham, many fans likely had the same question: Would Satriani play “Eruption”?
Don’t count on it. The guitarist told Rolling Stone he “[doesn’t] think” he’ll tackle Eddie Van Halen’s immortal six-string showcase. “I mean, this is not a Van Halen tribute tour,” Satriani explained. “If that’s what it was, it would be a totally different job for me. But I still have to play Chickenfoot, Montrose, Hagar and Satriani stuff. And so I can’t get totally out of my head on those things. It would be like, ‘Would you go to see Eddie Van Halen play ‘Surfing With the Alien’ and ‘Rock Candy’ and all that?” It would be different.”
Satriani conceded that “for one night, it would be fun to really step out and interpret someone else’s material. But since this is a tour and we have to be consistently great, I think what I might do is I’ll try to put together a medley of solo bits that somehow can be integrated into the show.”
What to Expect From Hagar and Satriani’s 2024 Tour
Hagar announced his upcoming trek with Satriani, dubbed the Best of All Worlds tour, on The Howard Stern Show last month. “We’re gonna go deep into the Van Halen catalog,” the Red Rocker promised. “If you’re gonna go deep into the Van Halen catalog, you need Joe Satriani.”
The tour begins on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and concludes on Aug. 31 in St. Louis. The timing was not lost on Hagar. “When we go out next year in July, it will be almost exactly 20 years since Mike and I did a reunion with Ed and Al in ’04,” he said. “Mike and I just said, ‘We can’t wait another 20 years. How long can I even sing these songs? How long can I do this stuff? I just thought it’s time to serve the fans.”
The quartet also played several Van Halen songs during the broadcast, which Satriani admitted was nerve-racking. “I didn’t have much time [to learn the songs], but it was purely a labor of love for me,” he told Rolling Stone. “I just thought, ‘I don’t care if I screwed this up. I’m just going to do it because Eddie’s playing was beautiful and people should know that. And if I can wake people up again about Eddie, that’d be great.”
Van Halen Albums Ranked
A ranking of every Van Halen album.
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
