By Steve Newton
Van Halen freaks looking to relive the legendary band’s days with Sammy Hagar at the mike are in for a treat.
Hagar announced today that he will be going on the road next summer with a band that includes guitar hero Joe Satriani, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, and drummer Jason Bonham, son of Zeppelin’s John.
The six-week jaunt is being billed as The Best of All Words Tour, in reference to the song “Best of Both Worlds”, a single off Van Halen’s 1986 album 5150, the first of four VH studio albums to feature Hagar on vocals.
The Best of Both Worlds was also the title of a Van Halen compilation album released in 2004 to coincide with a North American reunion tour with Hagar that included a stop in Vancouver on October 23.
The upcoming Best of All Worlds Tour comes on the heels of the release of a vinyl box set, The Collection II, featuring remastered versions of all Van Halen’s Hagar-era studio discs.
“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the ’04 Best of Both Worlds Tour,” says Hagar in a statement released today. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I.”
“The music we created is going to outlive us all,” adds Hagar, “…so it’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.”
It’s unclear exactly how deep Joe Satriani will dive into Van Halen’s beloved early material, but apparently the setlist will not be confined to the poppy, formulaic love songs the quartet specialized in after David Lee Roth first called it quits in 1985.
A poster for the tour on Hagar’s website suggests that Satch will tear up the frets Eddie-style on Roth-era tunes like “Panama”, “Running With the Devil” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love”. The setlist will also feature material from Hagar’s solo albums and his band Chickenfoot (which also featured Satriani and Anthony). The poster also mentions “Rock Candy”, a song from Hagar’s days with guitar great Ronnie Montrose in the influential ’70s hard-rock band Montrose.
Ticket presale is tomorrow (November 15) and you can find more info here.
Best of All Worlds Tour Itinerary:
Jul 13: West Palm Beach iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, FL
Jul 14: Tampa MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, FL
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, 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 at Concord, 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
To hear the full audio of my interviews with Alex Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and Jason Bonham subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 400 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with the legends of rock since 1982.