Sammy Hagar Brings His ‘Best’ to Charlotte
Much of Hagar set serves as tribute to Van Halen
Listen, rock isn’t dead. It’s just getting older. Sammy Hagar brought his Best of All Worlds Tour to Charlotte’s PNC Music Pavilion on Friday night and it didn’t disappoint the thousands of Van Halen fans in attendance.
It had been nearly 20 years since Hagar performed a show that was so focused on Van Halen’s music — part of the reason he decided to launch the tour. You’d never know Hagar is 76 years old judging by the strength of his vocals or inability to stop moving for more than 90 minutes of the band’s set.
Backed by original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and flanked by virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani and son-of-a-legend drummer Jason Bonham, Hagar rocked through hit after hit from Van Halen, sprinkling in a few deep cuts and solo songs.
He paid tribute to the David Lee Roth era with a performance of “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” sung by Anthony, and a snippet of “Jump” in a medley that also paid tribute to Hagar’s earliest band, Montrose, plus his later group Chickenfoot.
Hagar paced the stage when he wasn’t dancing, as he signed autographs and gathered items from crowd members. Only four nights into the tour, you can tell that Hagar is truly enjoying this round of shows.
It helps that Anthony can still hit all of the high notes and Satriani is paying tribute to the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen while putting his own spin on things. (He also performed his solo song, “Satch Boogie.”)
If this is the last time fans will hear a lot of these songs performed live by Hagar (it had been about 15 years since Hagar was in town with Chickenfoot), it was a helluva way to go out swinging for the fences.
Sammy Hagar Setlist
Good Enough
Poundcake
Runaround
There’s Only One Way to Rock
Judgement Day
Panama
5150
Summer Nights
Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love
Top of the World
Best of Both Worlds
Satch Boogie
The Seventh Seal
Right Now
Why Can’t This Be Love
Eagles Fly
Mas Tequila
Heavy Metal
I Can’t Drive 55
Space Station #5/Oh Yeah/Jump
When It’s Love
Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.
