Former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar recently discussed doing The Best of All Worlds tour and why there aren’t as many songs from the David Lee Roth era on the live setlist.
The idea of a Van Halen “tribute” was abandoned and the closest thing that we’ll ever get to experiencing the legendary band is Hagar’s tour. Apart from Michael Anthony on the bass, the lineup features Joe Satriani doing all Eddie Van Halen’s parts, as well as Kenny Aronoff on the drums after Jason Bonham had to leave.
Despite all the years behind them, one thing remains — the antagonism between Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Although he praised the quality of Dave’s classic songs in Van Halen, there were obvious low-key jabs at the original Van Halen singer in Sammy’s recent interview with Rolling Stone. When asked what it felt like to perform “Panama” and “Jump” on this tour, Hagar replied:
“‘Panama,’ I’ll sing that song every day of my life. It’s a great song. I love doing covers. In Cabo [Wabo, Hagar’s club], I do Led Zeppelin all the time. I do Cream, I do The [Rolling] Stones. I like to play my favorite songs, and ‘Panama’ would have to be one of them.”
As for the latter, Hagar praises the song, not for its qualities but for apparently being a great opportunity for him to rest his voice. Sammy continued:
“‘Jump,’ to be honest with you, I enjoyed, because all the songs from my era are in so high of a register to sing. At the end of the show, to do ‘Jump’ almost at the end after two hours and ten minutes on stage, it was like I get a vocal break.”
“It’s a cool song, and that was for the fans, and we only did half of it. We didn’t do the full song. I felt good about doing that. I felt good for the fans.”
The Best of All Worlds’ live set is full of bangers, the obvious next question that came up was whether the band discussed adding more Roth-era tunes. When asked about it, Hagar replied:
“Oh, that’s enough, three, and that’s because we played so long. If we only played an hour and a half, I would just do one, and it would always be ‘Panama.'”
“Well, maybe two because I like when Mikey sings ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love.’ He’s singing it so good now, and the way Joe’s playing it…it’s the best that song has sounded in many, many years, and I’m not criticizing anybody. I’m just saying we’re bringing that mother home, and I get to go sit down and ice my knees and my back.”
