Guitar Gods Bless Dallas as Sammy Hagar Puts on Blistering Show With Joe Satriani

The Red Rocker can still rock. This we can confirm.

On a sweltering Thursday night at Dos Equis Pavilion, Sammy Hagar did what he does best, playing the hits that have made him one of the best frontmen in rock over the last five decades. At 76, he's still got the voice (dare we say one of the greatest rock screams in history), can still strap on and destroy us with a guitar and still knows how to work a crowd. It was a crowd that, heat be damned, was there to relive the rockin’ glory days.

Backed by an all-star band featuring lovable bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, pedigreed drummer Jason Bonham and Aussie Rai Thistlethwayte providing keyboards and backing vocals, Hagar belted out 23 songs (15 of which were from the Van Halen catalog) over more than 2.5 hours.

Mixed throughout was some of his mandatory solo work, including “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” “Eagles Fly,” “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55” with nods to Montrose and Chickenfoot thrown in as well. And for a man who has been involved in the tequila game for quite some time now, most recently with his Santo brand, you knew “Mas Tequila” from his Wabos group was coming.

But this night was all about Hagar’s time spent with Van Halen. Fittingly opening with “Good Enough,” the first track off his 5150 album debut with the brothers Eddie and Alex, he and the band then rolled right into “Poundcake” and “Runaround” before the audience could even catch its breath.

And to catch a breath wasn't easy, as the Dos Equis roof created an oven over the sunken stadium seats. Perhaps the breezy lawn seats didn't sound so bad, but these fans grew up in the '80s with grit and clearly didn't mind sweating it out.

Hagar even dipped into the David Lee Roth era of Van Halen with “Panama” and “Jump,” and took a break backstage to let Anthony handle lead vocals on “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” Complete with his signature Jack Daniel’s bass, Anthony paid tribute with a “This one’s for you, Eddie!” shoutout toward the end of the song.

Say what you will about his bass playing — and frankly, no one at that concert cares what you think — but Anthony can definitely sing, still hitting the backing high notes and hopping in to take lead vocals on several occasions.
And God bless Satriani. One of the greatest guitarists to ever plug into an amp, he has to spend his nights largely playing someone else’s riffs. At one point, he even brought out a version of Eddie Van Halen’s famed red, white and black Frankenstrat guitar.

Make no mistake, though, Satriani is up to the task, adding his signature flair to some of those timeless solos. He was allowed to shine throughout the night, most notably with a tear through his own “Satch Boogie.”

Still, it was Hagar who was front and center, signing autographs for those lucky enough to get their T-shirt to the stage (or, in one instance, a cowboy boot), holding up and then wrapping a Texas flag around his waist and passing out drinks (Santo Tequila, obviously) to a few thirsty souls on the front row. He even donned a cowboy hat at the end.

It seemed evident that Hagar and Anthony truly like coming to our fair city. After all, they’ve "been to Rome and Dallas, Texas" and thought they’d seen it all (look it up). Anthony said as much with a reference to Van Halen’s first appearance at Texas Jam and a “You’re the best!” after the final bows. (Yeah, we believe him.)

In a subtle nod, as sweat-soaked fans rolled out after the show, Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" played overhead, clearly a tribute to Jason's legendary father, drummer John Bonham.

If there was any complaint to be had, it’s that Hagar didn’t play more of his pre-Van Halen material. Hearing Montrose’s “Space Station #5” was a bonus, but where was “Bad Motor Scooter” or “Rock Candy”? Instead of playing deeper Van Halen cuts like “Judgement Day,” “5150” or “The Seventh Seal,” it sure would have been nice to hear “I Don’t Need Love,” “Three Lock Box” or, heck, the entire Side 1 of Standing Hampton.

Not to be forgotten was the opening act, Loverboy, who despite appearances, still has it. Singer Mike Reno led the charge through expected hits such as “Turn Me Loose” and our personal favorite, “Working for the Weekend.” The kid, or rather the grandpa, was indeed hot tonight.

It was a perfect warmup for Hagar, who knows what makes us happy. He proved yet again with another blistering performance, both literally and figuratively, that he continues to keep those glory days ever so fresh in our red rockin’ memories.