Sammy Hagar Delivers The Best of All Worlds
The solo singer and guitarist, also known for bands Montrose and Van Halen, played over two hours of the best songs from his career
A sea of Red Heads came out Saturday, Aug. 3, to see the one and only Red Rocker—Sammy Hagar. At 76 he’s still rocking out, running around the stage and pouring tequila shots in the mouths of fans up front.
For the third time, I took my mom—who instilled in me a deep love for classic rock like Hagar and Van Halen—to see her favorite artist. Around 17,000 people, many dressed in red, swarmed the Credit Union 1 Ampitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, to see Hagar and The Best of All Worlds band including Michael Anthony on bass, Joe Satriani on guitar and Jason Bonham on drums—son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.
Canadian rock band Loverboy opened, with everyone sitting on the lawn. But I’m one to get up, dance and sing my little heart out with my mom, who taught me all the words. So, when Hagar strolled out on stage in his signature white pants and Red Rocker shirt, I jumped to my feet!
“Sit the f*ck down!” an older gentleman yelled behind me. You could have just asked nicely, Man. Concerts are tiring, I get it, but there’s no reason to ruin other people’s fun. My mom wanted to dance, so we shimmied our way to a different spot, and we danced!
When I was younger, I would sit on the floor of our living room and shuffle through my mom’s piles of CDs. I was always drawn to the cover of Voa, with Hagar in a bright red leather jumpsuit, held up in the air by ropes, red Gibson Explorer in hand. His music makes me feel young, as though I’m still dancing around our ranch house in the suburbs, my mom cleaning the house on a Saturday morning, decorative Cabo Wabo tequila bottles lined up on top of kitchen cabinets.
Hagar is one of the artists who seem to keep getting better each time I see him, though he isn’t getting any younger. His voice on The Best of All Worlds is clear and has the sweet hint of age that comes with musicians growing along with their craft.
This was his Eras tour, playing for over two hours and hitting songs he hasn’t played live in years—plus, he recently got the rights to play some Van Halen songs live. He paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, singing Panama, Jump, Best of Both Worlds, Summer Nights and Right Now, among many others. Old footage from music videos flashed on the large screen behind the band, as Hagar sauntered around stage, picking up T-shirts, flags and posters thrown at him to sign. And the thing about Hagar is he will sign anything thrown to him.
The happiest I have ever seen my mom was at a Sammy Hagar concert. A softness rushes over her face as she throws an arm around me to sing our favorite song Eagles Fly. That’s what music does—it brings you back to your happiest memories, it wipes away any worry of whatever else is going on for a while. For my mom, Hagar represents the blissful moments of life, of feeling free, and for me he represents my childhood. Listening to him and developing a love for rock music is what made me, me.
On the same day that Aerosmith cancelled their tour and announced they would not play live shows anymore, Hagar performed with his whole heart, as though he were 20 years younger. It’s a reminder that classic and hard rock musicians aren’t here forever, so take it all in while you can. Hagar made it clear how grateful he was to be there, and he commended Steven Tyler for knowing when it was time to hang it up. Hagar is all love.
Pouring shots of tequila into red solo cups and passing them out to folks in the front row, Hagar maintained a loose and fun attitude. The guy can still rock, and as long as he’s able to, I’ll be attending those shows.
Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and X @rockhoundlb, TikTok @rockhoundkp
