Sammy Hagar’s Best of Both Worlds Tour Storms Into Tampa

Michael Anthony joins Hagar to show Van Halen fans that rain or shine there’s only one way to rock!

Alexander Sink

July 14, 2024

Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater; Tampa, FL

Sammy Hagar’s Best of All Worlds Tour kicked off this weekend in West Palm Beach and quickly made stop number two in a stormy Tampa area the following night. The storms caused the opening band Loverboy to cancel their performance, but as lightning flickered in the twilight sky, the Sammy Hagar show went on.

The Tampa Bay area is synonymous with lightning (Ask any local hockey fan), so it was not surprising that the remanence of a powerful summer thunderstorm jumped from cloud to cloud before Sunday’s concert. The early evening storm had delayed the opening of the venue more than an hour, but at least the residual natural fireworks kept patrons entertained until show time, as they stood in line for ponchos and lawn chairs. The tickets said “Rain or Shine”, and the crowd was confident that the show would still go on.

The show did go on, with Sammy Hagar and fellow Van Halen bandmate, Michael Anthony at the dual-helm. The two have continued to tour together in their bands The Circle and Chickenfoot for the majority of the 2000’s, but this was their first Van Halen-centered tour together in 20 years. Past setlists for Sammy Hagar and The Circle typically include 4 or 5 Van Halen songs, but this tour was built with 15+ Van Halen songs to be played each night and the goal of properly thanking all the fans out there with the music they love. The setlists included fan favorites Jump and Panama as well. Both of which, Hagar and Anthony had not played together since the 2004 Van Halen tour.

Creating a band to handle this setlist called on Hagar to recruit fellow Chickenfoot band member, Joe Satriani, on guitar and The Circle bandmate, Jason Bonham, on drums. Rounding out the group was Australian Rock and Pop artist, Rai Thistlethwayte, on keyboard and rhythm guitar. Of the three, Satriani’s participation was probably the most critical to doing this tour right. Next to David Gilmour, Satriani is arguably one of the most cerebral guitar players out there, and this was crucial to getting the equipment, technique and tone correct. No guitar player can ever fill Eddie Van Halen’s shoes, but Satriani’s efforts sure put a lot of stuffing in the soles of this tour.

Satriani’s pre-tour efforts included his usual analysis of the music and recruiting Nashville-based recording engineer, Dylana Scott at 3rd Power, to build an amp that would get him the sound that Eddie’s Marshalls got him in the 5150 days. Whatever Scott built was spot on and filled the amphitheater with the sounds and spirit that EVH left behind when he passed in 2020. Satriani’s natural style is a bit more laid back than the ever-pushing parts that Eddie Van Halen wrote, but he was able to adjust and push the music forward, while Jason Bonham kept things tightly in the pocket behind him. It was a treat for all to enjoy and I can’t think of a better pair to fill in for the Van Halen brothers than these two. Their solid performance made for a night that felt right for all the fans of their music. Sammy Hagar solidified this nostalgic appreciation during the performance of Right Now, by displaying a banner that proclaimed what everyone was feeling, “Right Now Thank You Eddie Van Halen”. The quality of the performance showed how important it was for the band to thank Eddie and Alex properly, as well as their faithful fans who have stuck around for five decades. Sunday was a much more energetic set than the previous night, and no surprise there. They were all learning to play together on stage in West Palm Beach. It makes sense that Tampa was a much better show for them and the Tampa fans that came out to rock were the beneficiaries.

Sammy addressed the crowd, at one point, saying:

“I feel good! So last night…after the first show, which in my opinion I think we outdid it tonight…It was a little more relaxed tonight…all that crazy rain and stuff.

Hagar continued:

“…when we finish with this f***ing set, if you ain’t satisfied you’ve got a problem and it’s probably a Van Halen problem!”

The ever-sockless Sammy Hagar wasted no time getting at it Sunday night, both behind the mic and under a tequila bottle. The latter of which led to some interesting comments during Panama that were more free thought than cohesive communication. The above quote was not part of those mid-song rambling thoughts. Sammy’s singing was exponentially better than his post-libation commentary and Michael Anthony still has a vocal range that is just as good now as it was 50 years ago. He carried a number of the high parts and sang lead vocals on Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love with flawless execution. I have always enjoyed Sammy and Michael together, but seeing them sing together Sunday really solidified my fandom of the Van Halen, Hagar years. I always felt the band was much more melodic during his reign, and the image of the band much more light-hearted. The mayor of Cabo Wabo and his cohort made the night a full-on celebration of Van Halen, their fans, and all things rock and roll. The night even included a cover of the Kool and the Gang’s Celebration mid-set to reiterate this theme.

The full setlist for the evening looked like this:

Good Enough (Van Halen cover)

Poundcake (Van Halen cover)

Runaround (Van Halen cover)

There’s Only One Way to Rock

Judgement Day (Van Halen cover)

Panama (Van Halen cover)

5150 (Van Halen cover)

Summer Nights (Van Halen cover)

Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen cover) (Michael Anthony on vocals)

Top of the World (Van Halen cover)

Best of Both Worlds (Van Halen cover) (w/ Celebration / Kool and the Gang cover)

Satch Boogie (Joe Satriani cover)

The Seventh Seal (Van Halen cover)

Right Now (Van Halen cover)

Why Can’t This Be Love (Van Halen cover)

Eagles Fly (Full band version)

Mas Tequila (Sammy Hagar and the Wabos song)

Heavy Metal

I Can’t Drive 55 (Followed by band introductions)

Space Station #5 / Oh Yeah / Jump

When It’s Love (Van Halen cover)

The tour will continue celebrating in North America until August 31^st, with the final show in St. Louis. The full list of dates are:

July 16 Alpharetta, GA; July 19 Charlotte, NC; July 20 Bristow, VA; July 22 Saratoga Springs, NY; July 24 Bridgeport, CT; July 26 Mansfield, MA; July 27 Holmdel, NJ; July 29 Cuyahoga Falls, OH; July 31 Toronto, ON; August 2 Clarkston, MI; August 3 Tinley Park, IL; August 9 Las Vegas, NV; August 11 Morrison, CO; August 13 Spokane, WA; August 14 Ridgefield, WA; August 16 Wheatland, CA; August 17 Concord, CA; August 19 Los Angeles, CA; August 20 Phoenix, AZ; August 22 Dallas, TX; August 23 Houston, TX; August 25 Rogers, AR; August 27 Cincinnati, OH; August 28 Nashville, TN; August 30 Noblesville, IN; August 31 St. Louis, MO.