“Helllloooo baaaaaaybeeeee!” Sammy Hagar’s entrance at the start of his “Best of All Worlds” tour was identical to his entrance at the start of his Van Halen career: the song “Good Enough” off of “5150.” Grabbing a quote from The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace”, it seemed like an appropriate place to pick up where David Lee Roth had left off, and for Hagar to start making the frontman position his own while retaining some of the zany throwbacks that Roth had popularized. So, with a tour largely dedicated to a celebration of the Van Hagar years, it made sense to once again start here.
Despite the nostalgic throwback, the sole similarity to the ’86 band aside from Hagar was bassist Michael Anthony. With the Van Halen brothers not being an option, Hagar made two phone calls and received two confirmations: Jason Bonham would be on drums, and Joe Satriani on guitar. Bolstered by Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboards, backing vocals, and guitar – at the recommendation of Satriani – the quintet was more than ready to rock Red Rocks. Part Van Halen tribute, part Hagar solo show, part supergroup, the “Best of All Worlds” promised a perfect night out for all fans of these eras.
Bonham and Thistlethwayte sat perched above on risers while the sizable main stage was left bare for the three frontmen to wander about. Although the tour was credited to Hagar, the natural frontman, the legendary reputation of Anthony and Satriani meant that they held as much clout on that stage, and they wielded it to maximum impact. Nonetheless, the show started with an over-the-top video montage exclusively featuring Hagar’s career, seemingly an effort to convince everyone that he would not be overshadowed by his worthy bandmates. Throughout the night he would be signing enough fan momentos and handing out enough tequila to the crowd to win them all over, even if such generous gestures occasionally threatened to distract from his performance.
Creating a party atmosphere in a venue as large as Red Rocks isn’t necessarily an easy feat but song after song, the band did just that. Whether sailing on bigger Van Halen hits like “Top Of the World”, “Right Now” and “Why Can’t This Be Love”, or more overt Hagar party songs like “Mas Tequila” and “There’s Only One Way to Rock”, the vibe in the amphitheater was electric. When the seldom-played summer anthem “Summer Nights” from “5150” aired, the feeling couldn’t have been more on target. Despite the higher altitude of Colorado, Hagar and especially Anthony downed enough alcohol on stage to give the whole amphitheater a buzz. But they were still able to deliver some powerful emotional moments like Hagar’s “Eagles Fly” which captured everyone’s attention as they lit up Red Rocks with lighters and phone lights.
Unsurprisingly, Satriani held his own on the Van Halen material, effortlessly shredding in his own inimitable style but paying enough respect to its original author. Considering Roth had grabbed Steve Vai to take the guitar role in his solo band decades ago, it almost seemed inevitable that Satriani should play a part in Van Halen’s legacy, too. He did so with style and endless talent. He also got a chance to let loose with his own “Satch Boogie” instrumental to much enthusiasm from the crowd, for which it was a joy watching Anthony take on the bass role. Satriani also threw in little inspirations here and there, like quoting Hendrix’s “Third Stone From the Sun” during “Mas Tequila”.
Up on the riser, Bonham provided a powerful rhythm section to match the intensity of Alex Van Halen and even take it up a notch. The deeper cut “The Seventh Seal” was transcendent with Bonham’s thunderous presence. Although he didn’t have a solo spotlight, there were many endings of songs where he seemed to throw in a big Zeppelin finale on the kit, courtesy of his dad whose image adorned the three bass drums. During a highlight of the show – the title track “Best of Both Worlds” – Hagar threw the mic over to Bonham who sang a quick mash-up of Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration”, which meshed perfectly with the chord progression.
But it was Anthony who impressed the most and, dare it be said, nearly stole the show. His exuberance, stamina, bass playing, and – most of all – vocals, were simply astounding. Yes, Anthony is known for his irreplaceable soaring backing vocals, but on this night he even got to take lead vocals on the Roth-era “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love” and he completely killed it. A highlight of the night. On other songs, his backing vocals still hit the stratosphere. Hagar sang well but there are a few notes that he apparently can’t still easily hit, for which he gave the mic to Anthony to cover, like on the song “5150”. Anthony was always ready, and spot-on, making it impossible to believe he’s in his 70s now. More subtly, Thistlethwayte was in the background supporting on vocals, too.
Closing up with a nod to his Montrose years, Hagar performed a medley of songs which culminated in the monster Van Halen hit “Jump”, Thistlethwayte getting to flex his keyboard runs before hitting the synth-heavy finale of “When It’s Love”. Hagar was very generous with his fans in terms of autographing tapestry banners, license plates, and more, but it was the band as a whole who were generous in their enthusiasm and performance skills. While this wasn’t a true Van Halen tribute (there was a notable absence of any overt tributes to either of the Van Halen brothers on the video screens or from Hagar’s stories), it was certainly a Van Halen celebration – Hagar style. And that was Good Enough for the capacity crowd on this night at Red Rocks.
