Sammy Hagar loves his telescope. He gazes into the great beyond, transported to a universe unrelated to his earthly stardom.
Hagar has even peered into the future. Not intentionally. But decades ago, he forecast our current cultural galaxy.
“There’s this crazy thing with my song from 1977 called ‘Crack in the World,’ where I said things will start separating, come 2025,” Hagar says during a Zoom chat with bandmates Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff.
The Best of All Worlds band is back at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Wednesday night through March 21. The rocking ensemble returns for five shows from Sept. 18 to 26.
Hagar revisited a previously obscure track, the last song on the “Musical Chairs” album. In those days, the Red Rocker prophesied, “Just 50 more years we’re all gonna know why, when, where, how and who gets to go. So let’s all have a good time before the great divide, ’cause things will start separating come 2025.”
Good call
“Now it’s going viral with all these people; I don’t even know who they are,” Hagar says. “It’s these young kids and stuff, on TikTok, saying, ‘Well, what is this guy talking about?’”
The incidental soothsayer says he plans to perform the song in the Dolby Live series. Hagar’s legions of fans, the Redheads, should be prepped.
“I just told everybody yesterday, ‘Let’s put “Crack in the World” in the set, at least one night,’” Hagar says. “If you love the early records, one of those nights, you’re gonna get freaking ‘Crack in the World.’”
But to keep with the spirit of the latest Hagar production, the all-star outfit is delivering hits from the Van Hagar era of 1985-’96. Such favorites as “Right Now,” “Top of the World,” “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “5150” and “Love Walks In” are expected. “I Can’t Drive 55” and “Mas Tequila” are drawn from Hagar’s solo spree.
And the band says about five songs will rotate from the David Lee Roth years. Anthony has sung on “Runnin’ With the Devil,” and Hagar has crushed “Panama” in previous Dolby Live shows.
“We’re going to try to alternate every night. We’ll put together about a 20-song set list,” Hagar says. “Then we’ll probably have about five different songs per night. That is what’s exciting for us.”
‘Try to balance it out’
Anthony of course dates to the beginning of Van Halen and hears from fans across the Roth and Hagar periods.
“It’s kind of of tough, because obviously you’ve got people that like the Roth-era stuff. You got the Sammy people, and you got people that like all of it,” Anthony says. “I’m always mentioning to Sam, ‘We played this or that in the early days, but we don’t want to make it too heavy on the early stuff. We do try to balance it out a bit.”
The band generally agrees on a set list. Hagar leads that process.
“I probably would make that call, because I’m the singer, not because I’m the bandleader,” the 78-year-old rocker says. “As the singer, I can go, ‘No, I cannot sing those three songs in a row.’ I need to put ‘Finish What You Started’ in between the screamers.”
Staring at his fingers
Satriani’s upcoming schedule is as busy as his hands while he plays. The 69-year-old virtuoso will appear with fellow rock icon Steve Vai, the band dubbed SatchVai, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on April 11.
“Oh, yeah, it’s a tight fit,” Satriani says. “The next six months are really tight, but that’s the way I like it. It’s quite a musical challenge going back and forth between these two amazing bands.”
Satriani says his favorite moments are observing his own craftsmanship.
“As a guitar player, I could just stare at my fingers and just have a great time. Just looking at all that stuff that (Eddie Van Halen) wrote that is so amazing,” Satriani says. “I could slip into may own world and just enjoy the guitar part. But, you know, with this band, the energy that comes off that stage is so intense and so authentic. It’s always fun.”
The power of Kenny
We first encountered Aronoff about a decade ago when he was in John Fogerty’s band at the Venetian Theatre. He long backed John Mellencamp on the road and in the studio from 1980 to ’996 (he’s on “American Fool,” “Uh-Huh” and “Scarecrow”). He’s toured and played live with a list of superstars including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Elton John.
Convenience is key for the drummer, 73 and still shaking the drum set.
“We get to stay in the same building, with the same setup, you’re not moving stuff, that part is important,” Aronoff says. “But it doesn’t matter what stage you’re on, you know; I just love playing this music. Unless it’s a s—-y sounding venue, I’m happy.”
‘Part of the fabric’
Hagar has business interests in Las Vegas with his Cabo Wabo Cantina at the Miracle Mile Shops and Harry Reid International Airport. He’s forever reminding of his liquor brands (he wears branded T-shirts on stage). The band members have played the annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love Gala, with Hagar appearing four times and Aronoff performing in the Kenny Loggins event on Valentine’s Day.
This residency played nine shows at Dolby Live in April and May, with select performances captured on the live album “Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band — The Residency.”
“I really feel like, you know, we’ve become part of the fabric of the entertainment industry in Las Vegas,” Hagar says. “I love it. It’s pretty damn awesome.
“I guess I’m a real player in Vegas now,” he chuckles. “When we get to town and see us on billboards, we get chills.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
What: “The Best of All Worlds.”
Who: Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff.
Where: Dolby Live at Park MGM.
When: Six shows Wednesday through March 21; returning for five shows Sept. 18-26.
Tickets: Starting at $112.03.
Information: Ticketmaster.com/SammyHagarVegas.