Four years after Eddie Van Halen‘s death, the guitar hero is getting a proper tribute on the new Sammy Hagar Best of All Worlds Tour. The former Van Halen singer recruited former bandmate Michael Anthony, guitar wizard Joe Satriani, and drumming heir Jason Bonham for the tribute tour, which visited Ameris Bank Amphitheatre outside Atlanta in Alpharetta, GA on Tuesday.
Though the Van Halen legacy has more drama than the latest season of Love Island USA, Hagar placed his reverence for Eddie and the band’s legacy above all else for this tour. At the opener in Florida last week, Hagar dusted off David Lee Roth-era staples “Jump” and “Panama” for the first time since Van Halen’s disastrous 2004 reunion tour. Though Hagar and Van Halen initially shelved Diamond Dave songs when the Red Rocker joined the band in 1985, Hagar told Ultimate Classic Rock that this tour is about celebrating the full scope of Van Halen’s history (well, maybe not the Gary Cherone era).
“Well, when I joined Van Halen, I was trying to make a statement,” Hagar said. “Hey, listen, this is a new band, we wrote new material — and to get rid of that comparison thing, I didn’t want to… look, it wasn’t just me. This was Ed, Al, Mike, this was a unanimous vote. Nobody wanted to continue on with the old stuff. It was like, ‘Shit, we’re tired of playing that, man. Let’s play the new songs.’ But now, it’s such a whole different thing. I’m not trying to make any kind of a statement, I’m just trying to play for the fans. This is for the people. This is the ‘thank you’ tour, for all of the fans who followed us for all of those years and have been waiting 20 years for some other kind of a reunion — my era, anyway, for sure.”
Along with the DLR tunes, Hagar’s Best of All Worlds Tour setlist includes favorites from the Van Hagar era “Why Can’t This Be Love”, “Right Now”, “5150”, “Runaround”, and of course “Best of Both Worlds”. Sammy also touches on his Montrose and Chickenfoot catalogs, wedging VH classic “Jump” into a medley with “Space Station #5” and “Oh Yeah”, and his solo hit “I Can’t Drive 55”.
Check out a gallery of images from Sammy Hagar in Alpharetta, GA courtesy of photographer Emily Butler along with some fan-shot videos. The Sammy Hagar Best of All Worlds Tour continues Friday in Charlotte, with dates up and down the East Coast through the end of July. Visit the singer’s website for tickets and a full list of tour dates.
Sammy Hagar — “Good Enough”, “Poundcake” — 7/16/24
[Video: Chuck Jones]
Sammy Hagar — Ameris Bank Amphitheater — Alpharetta, GA — 7/16/24 — Full Video
[Video: Blake Jefferson]
Setlist: Sammy Hagar | Ameris Bank Amphitheatre | Alpharetta, GA | 7/16/24
Set: Good Enough, Poundcake, Runaround, There’s Only One Way To Rock, Judgement Day, Panama, 5150, Summer Nights, Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love [1], Top Of The World, Best Of Both Worlds, Scatch Boogie, The Seventh Seal, Right Now, Why Can’t This Be Love, Eagles Fly, Mas Tequila, Heavy Metal, I Can’t Drive 55, Space Station #9 / Oh Yeah / Jump, When It’s Love
[1] Michael Anthony on vocals
