Review by Shawn Perry
You have to envy a guy like Sammy Hagar. He’s played with some of rock’s greatest guitarists (Ronnie Montrose, Eddie Van Halen, Neal Schon, Joe Satriani). He’s enjoyed tremendous record sales as both a solo artist and as a member of various bands, particularly Van Halen. He opened a restaurant in Mexico that spawned a mini chain. He developed a brand of tequila that he turned around and sold for $80 million.
Needless to say, Sammy can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants — make solo records, make Chickenfoot records, be the house band at Cabo Wabo, lay on the Mexican beach, drunk, skunked and happy. Instead, he plays about 25 dates a year. So, during a little downtime from opening for Aerosmith, Sammy and his band, the Wabos, stopped by the Pacific Amphitheatre for a little summertime soiree.
Hagar played the Pacific Amphitheatre when it first opened in the early 80s, and here he was again, looking pretty much the same, kicking up dust and mayhem as always. The guy has absolutely no rock star pretense whatsoever. There’s a personal on-stage bartender, two gorgeous “waitresses” and three musicians — drummer David Lauser, bassist Mona Gnader and guitarist Vic Johnson — he feels comfortable with. All play an important role in keeping Sammy’s party going.
Tonight, an on-stage grand stand directly behind the band is filled up with the hardcore VIPs. They add to the festive vibe. Most are dressed in red, and some, like my friend Lance “Little Sammy” Tate, even bore a strong resemblance to the Red Rocker himself. At one point during the concert, Sammy joined the faithful in the grand stand, hugging, kissing, high-fiving, sharing tequila and, in general, being a gracious host. Little Sammy told me later it was great being up there, but he was dying of thirst and hunger by the end of the night because they wouldn’t let him leave. That’s the price you pay for being a VIP.
A 10-minute video, mixing Hagar’s musical history with his Cabo Wabo party lifestyle of today, prepped the anxious audience. Then, suddenly Sammy and the Wabos were on stage, swinging through “There’s Only Way To Rock.” Johnson held steady, exchanging leads with Hagar who finished off the song with some impressive fretting. This must come from singing with so many great guitarists — he’s become one himself.
“We’re gonna break all the rules,” Hagar announced as they revved up the engines on “I Can’t Drive 55” and broke the speed limit. Things started getting erratic — beach balls and other assorted swag flew through the air. The woman in the row in front of me, turned around and flashed everyone. Someone threw a bra on stage. Sammy retrieved it and stuck it on Johnson’s bald head. Johnson kept playing without missing a note. All in a days work when you’re in Sammy Hagar’s band.
Along with the solo hits, Hagar played stuff he’d recorded with Montrose and Van Halen. First a little taste with “Why Can’t This Be Love.” Then a full blast of the golden eggs that Montrose lay — “Space Station #5,” “Rock Candy” and “Bad Motor Scooter,” featuring Sammy playing some sloppy slide on his red Explorer to the satisfaction of the song and the crowd.
He told the story about Rick Springfield having a hit with a song he wrote called “I’ve Done Everything For You.” Of course, Sammy’s version live sounds nothing like the 1981 Top 10 hit Springfield had — it was a lot heavier. “Three-Lock Box” riled up the audience to near hysterics as Hagar led the chorus and made a toast. The “Whole Lotta Love” medley of Led Zeppelin sort of threw the curriculum off course, but the audience didn’t seem to mind.
Two-thirds through the set, bassist Michael Anthony, formerly with Van Halen and a constant in Hagar’s exploits, came on and took over on bass. This, of course, warranted more Van Halen songs. But not before fresh drinks from the waitresses and a little “Heavy Metal” and “Mas Tequila.” With Mikey, the alcohol flowed more freely. Sammy was filling cups in the front row with the golden elixir of Cabo Wabo tequila. The waitresses brought more, shaking to the music and getting the place all hot and bothered. The woman in front of me pulled on her G-string to the jazzy rhythm of “Right Now.”
It was the Sammy and Mikey show as Anthony pounded his bass and yelled, “OC fucking rocks!” Finishing up with Chickenfoot’s “Sexy Little Thing” is a positive sign that Hagar, Anthony, Chad Smith and Joe Satriani are indeed an ongoing venture. In fact, according to my calendar, Chickenfoot hit the road next month for a few shows. How those could possibly measure up to the energy and variety of the 40 year-old catalog Sammy served up tonight is hard to say. There may be only one way to rock, but with Sammy Hagar, there are a million ways to roll.
