Sammy Hagar is open to anybody and everybody sitting in with him during his upcoming fall residency in Las Vegas with the Circle. Hagar’s “Sin City” run kicks off October 29th to 30th and continues on November 5th and 6th at the Strat Ballroom. Hagar, who is basing the shows on his annual birthday bash at Cabo Wabo, told Ultimate Classic Rock, “Yeah, you call it a residency. To me you’re saying, I’m making this my residence. This is my house. This is my home. So what’s going to happen when somebody comes in your home? You’re not going to put on a show for them. You’re going to throw a party, y’know?”
Hagar was asked if he’s ever invited David Lee Roth to sit in with him during one of his Cabo birthday bashes: “I certainly have. When I did the High Tide Beach Party, I invited Roth. I told him he could headline the whole event. I’d play before him. Not because I feel like I’m less than him, but because I was trying to rope him in. But he’s not a fun guy. He doesn’t play well with others, I don’t think. I think that would be the way to put it. I’m not even sure that he’d want to do a tour (together) again — not that I would, because I definitely wouldn’t, from the last experience. But I don’t even know if he’d ever want to do that again. I have no idea where his head’s at. But he’s invited anytime, anyplace, anywhere I go. I would play the old Van Halen stuff. Me and Mike (Anthony) — I’d sing background and let (Roth) do his thing. It’d be awesome. But I’m not sure it will ever happen! It’s so tongue-in-cheek to me, to think about him and I ever doing anything ever again.”
He went on to reflect on the status of his and David Lee Roth’s relationship following Eddie Van Halen‘s death: “Yeah, it’s so weird. Because it’s so silly now, especially after the death of Eddie. There’s not a Van Halen anymore, so it ain’t like we’re competing for who is going to be in the band or anything like that. It’s silly. But who knows, I might run into him sometime and we can meet as grown-ups and adults, finally.”
As far what fans can expect later this fall at the Vegas shows, Hagar said, “We’re going to play the OU812 record in its entirety. When friends come, we’ll just make it into that same thing I do in Cabo. If Tommy Lee walks in, he jumps on the drums, and we play a couple of Motley Crue songs. Led Zeppelin songs, whatever he wants to play. It’s the way I’ve always done it in Cabo, and that’s what I plan on doing there. Because it’s a small venue and it just feels personal.”
Hagar went on to say, “I really want Keith (Richards to jam). If there’s one guy, it would have to be Keith, and we’d just play the (Rolling) Stones all night. If Jimmy (Page) came, we’ll play Led Zeppelin all night. I know every one of them f***in’ songs. Are you kidding me? No teleprompter necessary. But I ain’t sayin’ those guys are coming. The truth of the matter is, 75 percent of the people that show for my Birthday Bash, I don’t know they’re coming. Nobody tells me. I hear rumors all of the time.”
- Sammy Hagar & The Circle tour dates (subject to change):
July 17 – Hammond, IL – The Pavilion at Wolf Lake Memorial Park
July 18 – Aurora, IL – RiverEdge Park
August 12 – Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fair
August 13 – Wabash, IN – Eagles Theatre
August 15 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora Theatre
August 21 – Boise, ID – Albertson’s Boise Open
August 22 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Casino
September 10 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
September 11 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino
October 29, 20 – Las Vegas, NV – Strat Showroom
November 5, 6, 12, 13 – Las Vegas, NV – Strat Showroom
FAST FACTS
- 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of Van Halen‘s seventh album, 5150.
- 5150 marked the band’s first release with the band’s second frontman, Sammy Hagar.
- The album was recorded at Eddie Van Halen‘s 5150 recording studio in Hollywood, California between November 1985 and February 1986.
- 5150 was released on March 24th, 1986 with production duties being shared by Mick Jones, Donn Landee, Eddie Van Halen, and Van Halen.
- 5150 hit Number One on April 26th, 1986 and held on to the top spot for three weeks.
- The album featured three singles — “Dreams” (#22); “Love Walks In” (#22); and “Why Can’t This Be Love” (#3).
CHECK IT OUT: Sammy Hagar & The Circle on September 25th, 2017 performing “Why Can’t This Be Love” live in Philly: