Sammy Hagar kicked off his Best of All Worlds tour on Saturday with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Rai Thistlethwayte in tow, focusing on his Van Halen tenure while sprinkling in a handful of other hits from his five-decade career.
Van Halen fans have eagerly awaited this trek since Hagar announced it, and unsurprisingly, Saturday’s 21-song performance sparked plenty of online chatter, both positive and negative.
Now that Hagar and Co. have two shows under their belts and a whole lot more on the horizon, UCR’s resident Van Halen fanatics are answering five burning questions about the Best of All Worlds tour.
1. Hagar promised that he would go deep into the Van Halen catalog on this tour. How has he honored that promise so far?
Bryan Rolli: I think he’s doing as good a job as anybody could reasonably expect. Fifteen of the 21 songs during opening night were Van Halen tunes, some of which hadn’t been played live in decades (or ever by Hagar’s band, in the case of “Panama”). That’s about double the Van Halen you’d have gotten on a recent Circle tour. The songs from the other phases of his career were minimal but appropriate — it’s hard to argue with solid-gold cuts like “Heavy Metal,” “There’s Only One Way to Rock” and “Space Station #5.”
Matt Wardlaw: I think he’s done a pretty admirable job of mixing things up from both eras. It’s a difficult task, but there are some fun set list selections for this tour.
Matthew Wilkening: He didn’t go as deep into it as I thought he would, but I’m OK with that. Hagar’s career outside of Van Halen covers over five decades now; those songs deserve some time too. There are some great “Van Hagar”-era songs I’d love to see them play, but I get that they need to appeal to large crowds, not just fanatics.
2. What was the most pleasant surprise from the show? The most glaring omission?
Rolli: I don’t know if I’d call these surprises per se, since Hagar has been hinting at them for months, but it was great to hear the band revive classics like “5150” and “Summer Nights” for the first time since 2010 and 2006, respectively. I would have liked to see more OU812 representation; “Cabo Wabo” is tailor-made for the summer-shed crowd, and “A.F.U.” or “Mine All Mine” would be real treats for the headbangers.
Wardlaw: I think the most pleasant surprise for me wasn’t a Van Halen tune, but instead, it was Hagar’s decision to stick a chunk of “Space Station #5” in the encore from his Montrose days. It’s hard to find much fault with this set list, but while I understand Hagar’s decision to stick with a Chickenfoot song people know [“Oh Yeah”], It would have been great to hear something deeper from the band. “Down the Drain” would have been my pick in that regard.
Wilkening: “5150” is the most welcome return, along with the “There’s Only One Way to Rock” guitar duel. If I got to vote one song in, it would be “Cabo Wabo.” It’s strange that they’re not playing big hits such as “Finish What Ya Started” and “Dreams,” but the former never worked as well live as it did on record anyway. Also, it’s strange how Hagar seems to think he’s only allowed to play one or two songs from Montrose — an absolutely amazing album — at each show. Most other rock stars would be thrilled to build a set list around “Rock the Nation,” “Space Station #5,” “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy” each night.
READ MORE: Sammy Hagar: ‘This Is the Thank You Tour’ for Van Halen Fans
3. Are there any other David Lee Roth-era Van Halen songs you’d like to see Hagar add to the set list?
Rolli: I think the Roth catalog is well-tread territory at this point, and there are plenty of killer Hagar-era deep cuts that deserve priority. That said, it Hagar were to add some songs from his predecessor, I think he’s got the range and the attitude to sell “And the Cradle Will Rock …,” “Dance the Night Away” or “Beautiful Girls.” Alternately, the whole band could really shine on a heavier song like “On Fire,” especially with Michael Anthony’s vocals.
Wardlaw: It seems like “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” has been Michael Anthony’s staple song with Sammy Hagar and the Circle prior to this current tour. It would be great to see Mikey tackle something like “D.O.A.” — or maybe it’s time to bring “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” back out. I could also see him doing a great job with “Feel Your Love Tonight.”
Wilkening: For perverse humor, it would be great to see him open the show with “Yankee Rose,” but otherwise I don’t think they need any more. In fact, if I was in charge of the set list, I’d have Anthony take lead vocals on a couple of Roth-era songs — maybe add “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” — and not have Hagar sing “Panama” or “Jump.” But I get it, they’re trying to recreate the Hagar-fronted Van Halen tours where he sang those songs.
4. All eyes on are Joe Satriani on this tour. How has he handled the daunting task of paying homage to Eddie Van Halen?
Rolli: I think he’s done a stellar job so far, playing Eddie’s parts with aplomb while also injecting his own style. Satriani has made it clear since this tour was announced that it wasn’t going to be solely a Van Halen tribute; he’s interpreting one of the most difficult catalogs in rock guitar history, accomplishing in several months what most guitarists would struggle for years, maybe decades, to achieve. I love that Satch maintains his effortlessly cool exterior, but you can still see him really trying to nail these parts. It’s proof that Eddie Van Halen will always be your guitar hero’s guitar hero.
Wardlaw: He’s got the tough shoes for sure, and I think he’s done a good job of honoring Eddie’s parts. Fans who have seen anyone tackle Van Halen’s licks will know it’s not an easy mountain to scale. I thought Joe sounded great, and knowing how much of a fan he is, you can hear that he really put the work in.
Wilkening: Better than myself or anybody I know or have ever met? Based only on the videos we’ve seen so far, he seems to be striking a balance between a perfectly excellent and respectful tribute without crossing the line into exact replication.
5. Any additional overall thoughts about the tour so far?
Rolli: I’m trying to refrain from passing too much judgment yet, because the tour just started and mediocre YouTube footage obviously doesn’t do the band justice. My main critique so far is that they’re playing “Judgement Day” too slow. Hagar’s sounding mostly solid, even before you consider that he’s 76 years old, and Anthony is absolutely crushing it with his backing vocals. Hopefully the band will continue to gel over the next couple weeks and we’ll see some tighter arrangements, quicker tempos and more onstage comfort. Overall, they’re off to a promising start. Hagar is a partial steward of the Van Halen legacy, and I appreciate him doing his part to keep it alive.
Wardlaw: Any Van Halen fan can spend hours dissecting the good and the bad about the set list and the show. When you consider that it’s a set that caters to both the hardcore fans and the majority of fans who might only know the hits, Hagar has pulled off the difficult task of putting together a show that really does have something for everyone. Jason Bonham’s gigantic kit is Alex Van Halen-worthy, and the addition of Ral Thistlethwayte has added some fun chemistry to the mix. My favorite part of the night so far, however, is a simple moment: Hagar and Satriani recreating the guitar duel that Sammy once shared with Eddie on “(There’s Only) One Way to Rock.” That alone is worth leaving the house.
Wilkening: It’s cool to see Sammy in front of a more modern stage show again. Adding a live keyboardist seems smart. I always wish he’d play more late-’70s and early-’80s stuff — “Trans Am,” “Love of Money,” “Growing Pains” — but I get that I’m in the minority there.
Sammy Hagar Solo and Band Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Whether on his own or with Van Halen, Montrose, Chickenfoot or HSAS, he rarely takes his foot off the pedal.
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
