Sammy Hagar sounded ageless as he celebrated Van Halen and more in Phoenix
Sammy Hagar had just led his bandmates in “Top of the World,” the ninth Van Halen song they’d squeezed into the top half of their set on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, when he took a moment to address the crowd.
“You all know why we’re here,” he said as guitar hero Joe Satriani leaned into the opening riff to “Best of Both Worlds.”
“To celebrate the music of our lives.”
It was, indeed, a full-on celebration. Drummer Jason Bonham even seamlessly slipped in a chorus of Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” on “Best of Both Worlds.”
And for much of Tuesday’s concert, Hagar kept the focus of that celebration squarely on the music of our lives that coincided with his run as the guy who took over on vocals for David Lee Roth at the helm of Van Halen, topping Billboard's album chart for four consecutive releases.
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It’s been 20 years since Hagar ended his association with Van Halen after being whisked off to the Tucson airport in his sweaty stage clothes from the final concert of their ill-fated reunion tour.
It was the last time he and bassist Michael Anthony, introduced as his “partner in crime,” would share a stage with Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
A few days prior to taking the stage in Phoenix, Hagar spoke to The Arizona Republic about how he and Anthony have come to spend their summer celebrating the music they made when Van Halen was truly on top of the world.
“We just said, "It's time to do it. We're not gonna wait any longer. It's 20 years. We ain't getting no younger. Let's go do it while we still can," he said.
“My main motive was, man, I don't know how much longer I can sing these songs. These songs are difficult to sing. I painted myself into a corner years ago singing these songs.”
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Sammy Hagar's vocals sounded ageless on those full-throated wails
Whatever corner Hagar may have painted himself into with the high notes on the songs he sang in Phoenix, there was nothing to suggest his voice was on the verge of giving out.
He’s still got it at 76, leaning into the full-throated wails of those high notes with conviction to burn on such crowd-pleasing highlights as “Summer Nights,” “Top of the World,” “Right Now” and “Heavy Metal,” one of five songs from his solo years that made the setlist.
He also did one song by Chickenfoot, a Hagar-fronted supergroup that also featured Anthony and Satriani, and reached back to his first recording as the voice of Montrose for “Space Station #5.”
And Satriani took a solo turn on the awe-inspiring instrumental “Satch Boogie.”
But the bulk of Tuesday’s setlist was devoted to Van Halen, including three Roth-era classics, “Panama,” “Jump” (which was part of a three-song medley with those songs by Chickenfoot and Montrose) and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.”
Hagar's 'partner in crime' Michael Anthony brought his A-game on vocals
That last one featured Anthony on vocals, kicking things off with a Roth-worthy wail.
The bassist also traded lead vocals with Hagar on Van Halen’s “Judgement Day” and “Why Can’t This Be Love” in addition to dusting off the harmonies that did so much to underscore the pop hooks of their greatest hits, with keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte adding to the vocal blend.
Anthony has been a fixture of Hagar’s solo work dating back to their days in the harmony group Los Tres Gusanos, formed in 1993 when they were both still members of Van Halen, through Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas, Planet Us, Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle.
This is the most Van Halen songs they’ve ever done together, though, outside the context of Van Halen. And they were clearly enjoying the opportunity to take those songs out for another spin, especially the ones they hadn’t played in more than 20 years.
When it came time for Anthony to take the spotlight on “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” Hagar shouted “Mikey,” then added, “At this time in the show, for those that haven’t seen the show yet, I want to introduce my partner in crime, my beach nuts buddy, my drinkin’ pal, my Wabo rat-ass buddy, bad-ass rock ‘n’ roll bass player singin’ Michael Anthony.”
It was kinda sweet.
Joe Satriani did a great job of channeling Eddie Van Halen (and more)
Joe Satriani also has a storied history with Hagar (Planet Us, Chickenfoot) and proved to be the perfect lead guitarist for the task at hand.
He did a great job of channeling Eddie Van Halen, from his finger-tapping pyrotechnics to his whammy-bar technique, honoring the essence of the licks and solos fans have come to know and love while also stretching out in moments that were more distinctly Satriani-esque.
He even busted out a power drill for the intro to “Poundcake” in tribute to Eddie.
The phrase guitar hero is obviously overused, but Satriani more than lives up to the title. He’s a total badass on guitar, as he reminded us repeatedly without necessarily making it all about him.
Hagar also played guitar.
When it came time for “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” the only Hagar solo song they played in their first hour on stage, he told the crowd, “Now, I’m gonna go ahead and make a full of myself and play guitar with Joe Satriani in the band,” adding “I do this to make Joe look really good.”
It was a funny, self-effacing moment, of which there were several. But Hagar’s guitar work on “There’s Only One Way to Rock” was actually fantastic. He just comes from a different school of lead guitar than the one Satriani attended. Hagar tore it up, though, inadvertently suggesting that he may need to revisit the theory that there’s only one way to rock because, in terms of rocking that guitar, there’s clearly Satriani’s way and Hagar's way.
Jason Bonham definitely rose to the occasion on drums. Much like his father, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, he's a heavy hitter who can also groove.
And having Thistlethwayte on hand was nice, especially when it came time for the keyboard-driven majesty of “Jump.”
It wouldn't be a Sammy Hagar, of course, without his sense of showmanship. He knows exactly how to make a concert feel more like a party, and Tuesday night was no exception. He commanded the stage with his usual flair and even handed out red Solo cups full of tequila to the fans down front.
Loverboy rocked the hits, from 'Turn Me Loose' to 'Hot Girls in Love'
Loverboy opened the show with a crowd-pleasing journey through their biggest hits, from “Lovin’ Every Minute of It” and “The Kid is Hot Tonite” to the triple-shot of singalongs that brought their portion of the concert to a rousing finish – “Hot Girls in Love,” “Turn Me Loose” and “Workin’ For the Weekend.”
Mike Reno has the weirdest mic technique you’ve ever seen. The microphone is just as likely to be pointed at the signature bandana on his forehead as it is in the direction of his mouth, which led to several overheard discussions when their set was over as to whether he was lip-syncing.
The thing is, there are videos online of Loverboy performing in the ‘80s where he does the same thing. It’s just the way he works with a microphone.
He sounded great, as did his bandmates, especially lead guitarist Paul Dean, who had his tone dialed in just right to those solos really sing, and bassist Kenneth "Spider" Sinnaeve, who took a cool solo on “Hot Girls in Love.”
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sammy Hagar did Van Halen proud on Best of All Worlds Tour in Phoenix
