When he decided his summer tour would be heavily Van Halen-centric, Sammy Hagar felt like there would be only one guitarist to play in the stead of the late Eddie Van Halen.
"I think probably the smartest move I made if I was gonna go out and do this was to get Joe Satriani," Hagar tells Classic Rock. He and Satriani, of course, are bandmates in the currently dormant Chickenfoot, but they – along with original Van Halen and Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony – are alongside each other again for the Best of All Worlds Tour, which kicked off last weekend and wraps up at the end of August (full dates below).
"A million guys could've done it – well, not a million. But you walk into a music store and you see a 12-year-old kid sitting on an amp with one of Eddie's guitars and he's playing Eruption. These genius little kids can do it now, but he doesn't necessarily know what he's doing. You ask him to write a song like that, and he's going, 'Ah, I don't know how.' You say, 'Joe, write me a song like that;' Joe'll write you a song like that 'cause he knows where it's coming from."
The Hagar setlist is dominated by Van Halen songs, including several – Judgment Day, 5150, Summer Nights and The Seventh Seal – that haven't been played in many years. Hagar is also performing the David Lee Roth-era Panama for the first time with his own band.
"It's so musical and so complex," Hagar, who fronted Van Halen in 1985-96 and again in 2003-05, says of the material. "Joe's the professor. He's a scholar. He's a very high-level musician, so every time I've ever worked with Joe on Chickenfoot and all that I knew he knows what he's playing."
"And it's so funny," the Red Rocker continues. "Joe can play a shredding solo, just on fire, and then he stops and is like, 'Hold it. I fucked up.' I'm going, 'Where did you fuck up? How did you even hear it, you're playing so fucking fast?!' 'Oh, that one note right there, and it's like, "Holy shit...' He knows exactly what he's playing."
We caught up with Satriani earlier this year, in the midst of a joint North American tour with good friend and former student Steve Vai. He told us both were spending their off time studying for their next gigs – Satriani learning the Van Halen material for the Hagar tour, Vai boning up on King Crimson for the upcoming Beat project.
"I can't think of a (Van Halen) song that doesn't put a smile on my face – it's just a question of figuring out how to play them," Satriani explained. "What I can guarantee is they're gonna see someone who's hell-bent on being the most respectful guitar player to the legacy of Eddie and his playing. I'm busy creating workarounds. I have every intention of nailing everything, and when I can't I'll wink to the audience and they're gonna know that one's just gonna slip by."
Hagar says he's more than fine with that, however.
"A lot of people are going, 'Joe, he doesn't play like Eddie.' I know that – but he can," Hagar says. "And when he can't he knows what he's doing and then he throws this little twist in there sometimes. Certain (Van Halen) solos are just iconic, y'know? There's just certain notes where it ends or starts. Joe's got all that down. He's not skipping over any of that shit. And when Eddie would start stretching out Joe starts stretching out off of Eddie's theme, so it still sounds and feels like Eddie but you're listening and going, 'Oh! That's Joe!' It's brilliant."
The band, which also includes including drummer Jason Bonham and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboards and guitar, are also playing some of Hagar's solo hits (Eagles Fly, Mas Tequila, There's Only One Way To Rock, Eagles Fly) and touch on his tenure with Montrose. The next show on the tour is this evening (July 16) at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, GA.
Sammy Hagar: The Best of All Worlds tour
Jul 16: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA
Jul 19: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Jul 20: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Jul 22: Saratoga Springs Broadview Stage at SPAC, NY
Jul 24: Bridgeport Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, CT
Jul 26: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Jul 27: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Jul 29: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Jul 31: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON, Canada
Aug 02: Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI
Aug 03: Tinley Park Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, IL
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 11: Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre, CO
Aug 13: Spokane Airway Heights BECU Live at Northern Quest, WA
Aug 14: Ridgefield RV Inn Style Resort Amphitheater, WA
Aug 16: Wheatland Toyota Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 17: Concord Toyota Pavilion, CA
Aug 19: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Aug 20: Phoenix Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre, AZ
Aug 22: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
Aug 23: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion , TX
Aug 25: Rogers Walmart AMP, AR
Aug 27: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Aug 28: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Aug 30: Noblesville Ruoff Music Center, IN
Aug 31: St. Louis Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
