When Sammy Hagar decided his summer tour would be heavily Van Halen-centric, he felt there was only one guitarist who could honor the late Eddie Van Halen’s legacy: Joe Satriani.
“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. Hagar and Satriani are bandmates in the currently dormant Chickenfoot, and they are reuniting alongside original Van Halen and Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony for the Best of All Worlds Tour. The tour kicked off last weekend and wraps up at the end of August.
“A million guys could’ve done it – well, not a million,” Hagar admits. “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 setlist for the tour is dominated by Van Halen songs, including several that haven’t been played in many years, such as “Judgment Day,” “5150,” “Summer Nights,” and “The Seventh Seal.” Hagar is also performing the David Lee Roth-era classic “Panama” with his band for the first time.
The reunion of Hagar, Satriani, and Anthony promises a nostalgic trip for Van Halen fans, blending technical prowess and a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Eddie Van Halen. With the Best of All Worlds Tour, Hagar aims to celebrate the music that defined an era and continues to inspire new generations.
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