Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Now that Eddie Van Halen is no longer physically on this earth, the likelihood of Van Halen reuniting is next to nothing, which makes Sammy Hagar’s “The Best Of All Worlds” Tour the closest it will probably ever come.

Besides the Red Rocker who fronted the band from 1985–1996 and again from 2003–2005, his current cast features original bassist Michael Anthony, EVH disciple Joe Satriani on guitar, who joined the prior pair in Chickenfoot, and drummer Jason Bonham, who even filled in for his father John Bonham on a few later Led Zeppelin dates.

The amount of material between them collectively is staggering, yet they truly managed to live up to the promise of delivering at least a little something from every era, including when David Lee Roth led the group, despite Hagar previously shying away from them for decades.

Nonetheless, at 76-years-old no less, he vibrantly led the all-star cast through well over two hours of toasts to the iconic rock and rollers, including “Good Enough,” “Runaround,” “Panama” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” led by Anthony.

A handful of offshoot selections were sprinkled in between, such as Hagar’s “There’s Only One Way To Rock,” “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55,” plus Satriani’s “Satch Boogie,” Chickenfoot’s “Big Foot” and The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” dedicated to the recently retired Aerosmith, each falling in line with the fist-pumping spirit of the primary purpose. 

However, there was truly no topping the chill-inducing choruses of Van Halen, especially when it came to “Right Now,” “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Jump” and “When It’s Love,” which alongside the many that came before, are bound to stand the test of time long after the originators are gone.

Hagar and company also had some support from Loverboy, who might not have ever ascended quite to their level, but certainly had a hearty helping of hits spread throughout the same era.

“Notorious,” “Lucky Ones,” “Hot Girls In Love” and “Turn Me Loose” were a few of the notables, though “Working For The Weekend” was the runaway winner as it signified the exact same celebratory essence as the heavyweight headliners. 

For additional information on Sammy Hagar, visit RedRocker.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre include Hootie & The Blowfish (Aug. 9); Xscape and SWV (Aug.11); Creed (Aug. 16); Kidz Bop (Aug. 17); Imagine Dragons (Aug. 18); Deep Purple (Aug. 23); Styx and Foreigner (Aug. 24); The Doobie Brothers (Aug. 25); Pitbull (Aug. 30); Ms. Lauryn Hill & The Fugees (Aug. 31); Fuerza Regida (Sept. 1); Megadeth (Sept. 3); Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp (Sept. 7); Staind and Breaking Benjamin (Sept. 14); Junior H (Sept. 15) and Korn (Sept. 28). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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