We all know that Sammy Hagar is a prolific classic rocker; the news is, he will not slow down for a second, even at the ripe age of 72. Hagar rolled into DTLA recently, joining Scott Goldman, the Executive Director of the Grammy Museum, for a lively conversation on November 19, 2019, at the museum. Their intimate conversation took place at that interactive Los Angeles museum just before Hagar performed a stripped-down acoustic set for some diehard fans.
The legendary rocker’s career has ranged from major success as a solo artist to stints as the lead vocalist for the bands Montrose, Van Halen, Chickenfoot and now The Circle. He has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. During his wide-ranging chat with Goldman, Hagar talked about his illustrious and rocky career.
Along his four-decade journey, Hagar has earned the respect of the music industry, garnering a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along the way. He’s also had well-publicized bumps in the road along that journey, but Hagar refuses to let any of the band breakups, feuds and hard feelings ruin his positive outlook on life. He told Goldman and the rapt audience that he learned valuable lessons with each setback and hurdle he had to overcome. The Circle, his latest band, is made up of talented friends (Michael Anthony, Vic Johnson and Jason Bonham) that he is happy to spend time with, both in the studio and on the road – that combination being one of the hard lessons he learned from past mistakes.
Hagar gushed about Space Between, The Circle’s concept album released in May 2019. Early in his career, groundbreaking concept albums like Tommy by The Who, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band served as his inspiration. He produced Space Between and admits, “It is the first of my albums that I listen to with no regrets and no desire to change something.” He’s also very proud that the album went to Number One in actual record sales, saying, “It’s because my fans are old!” That got a laugh from the mostly Baby-Boomer crowd.
Before starting his acoustic set, Hagar talked about The Circle’s upcoming 2020 tour that will include 40 shows, his biggest in several years. He added that he loves performing and knows that sometime soon his touring days will be over due to a breakdown of his voice, knees or back. He admits that he is going on tour while he can still do it.
On each tour stop, Hagar makes a large donation to a local food bank and visits with the families that get the aid. He told the crowd that his family was poor when he was a kid and cherished the meals and supplies they got from local food banks. Thus those memories remind him to give back wherever he travels.
For the acoustic set, Hagar was joined by his The Circle bandmate, Vic Johnson, the guitarist from The Busboys and more recently Hagar’s Waboritas. Hagar and Johnson played a tight set that covered songs from Montrose, Hagar’s solo recordings and Van Halen. The opening song, Montrose’s “Rock Candy,” set the tone as the duo converted that hard-rocking song into an acoustic serenade. Hagar’s “Little White Lie,” from his 1997 solo album Marching To Mars, got the same treatment.
Perhaps the highlight of the show came as Hagar and Johnson did a brilliant rearrangement of Van Halen’s “Right Now.” Hagar belted out the lyrics and let the audience sing the title chorus. Van Halen’s “Finish What Ya Started” seemed to fit the acoustic format the best as Hagar and Johnson played and harmonized. The show concluded with “Eagles Fly” from Hagar’s 1987 solo album I Never Said Goodbye. Hagar revealed that the song is about being born and dedicated it “to mothers everywhere.” It was a sweet and emotional end to an evening of storytelling and a fascinating trip down Hagar’s personal memory lane.
Live photos courtesy of Andy J. Gordon ©2019.
