Severe thunderstorms delayed the second step of Sammy Hagar’s Best of All Worlds tour. Lightning and a torrential downpour delayed the opening of the gates to the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre by 90 minutes, and Loverboy’s opening set was canceled as a result. The soggy fans that stuck it out, though, were treated to a two-hour celebration of the Red Rocker’s career. Most of the songs were from Hagar’s stint as Van Halen’s frontman, but the band also played songs from Hagar’s solo career, Chickenfoot, and a song from his first band, Montrose.
Hagar is known for his raspy scream and energetic charisma. At 76, his voice has lost much of its power, and he doesn’t own the stage like he once did. But the veteran rocker can still put on a show. It helps that he was backed by world-class musicians. Longtime collaborator Michael Anthony played a mean bass and provided backing vocals. Hagar called him “Van Halen’s second-best singer,” an apparent dig at David Lee Roth. Jason Bonham laid down pounding drums that would make his father, famed Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, proud. And then there was Joe Satriani. With crunching chords, flashy solos, and endless sustain and squeals, Satriani is one of the few living guitarists who could do justice to Eddie Van Halen’s fretboard wizardry.
From the moment Satriani played a power drill over his pickups for the intro to “Poundcake,” the all-star band treated the crowd to a nostalgia trip fueled by virtuoso musicianship. Hagar and company got the crowd singing along to Van Halen hits like “Runaround” and “Why Can’t This Be Love” while also digging into the catalog’s deeper cuts with performances of “The Seventh Seal,” “Judgement Day,” and “Summer Nights.” Most surprisingly, they also played three songs from the band’s David Lee Roth era, “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love,” and “Jump.”
Hagar seemed like a man enjoying reliving his career as a rock star. He told stories between songs and autographed random objects thrown onto the stage, often while singing. After tearing through an energetic rendition of “5150,” Hagar said, “Singing that at my age ain’t that easy, but it sure is fun.” For his solo anthem, “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” Hagar strapped on a guitar and dueled Satriani on shredding guitar solos. “I had the balls to play that with Eddie, so I’m fine playing it with Joe,” he joked.
The show peaked about two-thirds of the way in, with a hard-rocking version of “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love” that featured Anthony on lead vocals, a sing-along of the ballad “Right Now,” and the pulsing synth-pop “Why Can’t This Be Love.” The energy in the rain-soaked amphitheater deflated a little after that as the band played lesser-known songs.
But in the end, the band finished strong, starting with two of Hagar’s best solo songs, the dynamic “Heavy Metal” and the infectious “I Can’t Drive 55.” They followed that with a medley combining Montrose’s “Space Station #5,” Chickenfoot’s “Oh Yeah,” and Van Halen’s “Jump.” Then, without any encore theatrics, the band finished with a performance of the ballad “When It’s Love” that had the whole soaked crowd singing.
Even with the late start and the cancelation of Loverboy’s set, the Best of All Worlds tour had a good night in Tampa. “We started this tour last night, and I think we’ve surpassed that show,” Hagar said. “Last night, I was a little nervous.” Even after all this time, nerves can still be an issue. After all, it’s been nearly a decade since his last major tour. At 76 years of age, it’s not the same show Hagar put on in the 80s and 90s, but after all this time, he’s still an act worth catching. “If you don’t leave here totally satisfied, that’s a you problem,” he said.
