“A million guys could have done it. Walk into a music store and you see a 12-year-old playing Eruption, but he doesn’t necessarily know what he’s doing”: Sammy Hagar on why Joe Satriani is the perfect player to step into Van Halen’s shoes

(from left) Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony perform onstage at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on October 18, 2014.

Sammy Hagar’s all-star band got their much-anticipated The Best of All Worlds tour underway over the weekend, and the vocalist has discussed why Joe Satriani understands Eddie Van Halen better than anyone else.

According to Jason Newsted and Michael Anthony, both bass players were in talks for a David Lee Roth-fronted, but ultimately failed, Van Halen tribute in 2022. That tour would have put Satch at the helm, to many the perfect player to step into his enormous shoes – a sentiment Hagar shares.