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June 21, 2026

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Sammy Hagar and his outstanding Best Of All Worlds Band returned to Blossom Music Center for an evening of classic rock and roll that featured songs from his illustrious career.

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Michael Anthony held down the low end while providing the high harmonies, Joe Satriani was a master on the fretboard, Kenny Aronoff was a beast behind the kit and newcomer Nathan Mercado fit in nicely behind the keys.

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Then of course there is Sammy Hagar.  The man is still in great shape and his voice is also in top form.  There aren't many rockers who can still hit the notes and screams in their late 70s, but Sammy Hagar is a man that can.

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Two years ago when Hagar last played Blossom, he tended to play some deeper Van Halen tracks like "Seventh Seal," "Poundcake" and "Judgement Day" which hard core fans like myself absolutely loved.  This time around, Hagar decided to play more of his Van Halen hits like "Why Can't This Be Love," "Runaround" and "Right Now" while also celebrating the 40th Anniversary of 5150 by playing "Love Walks In," "Good Enough," "Summer Nights"  and "5150."

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Hagar still knows how to work the stage.  He points people out in the crowd, high fives people in the front row, and holds up or wears shirts, hats and banners that fans throw up to him throughout the show.

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In the middle of the set, Hagar and the band took it back to 1988 by playing Van Halen's "Cabo Wabo" which is also the name of his bar in Cabo San Lucas.  While they song was being played, videos of Sammy and several famous guests performing at the club appeared on the screen behind him.  

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That song then segued into Hagar's own "Mas Tequila" where Hagar grabbed a bottle of his brand of Santos tequila and poured out shots and handed them to people in the front row.

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Sammy got a break from singing as Michael Anthony took over the mic on the Van Halen classic, "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" which then led into Joe Satriani taking over the spotlight on his instrumental, "Satch Boogie."

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It just happened to be Michael Anthony's birthday, so Sammy led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to one of the nicest guys in rock and roll.  Not to be outdone, during "Good Enough" Rick Springfield came out with a birthday cake for Anthony, where all the band members took a finger full and shared.

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It was time for some Hagar solo tunes and the trifecta of "Heavy Metal," "I Can't Drive 55" and "Eagles Fly" were played in succession. 

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The party came to a close with Hagar's tribute to Eddie Van Halen called "Encore, Thank You, Good Night."

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I've been seeing Sammy Hagar for the last 40 years and the man never disappoints.  Whether it be solo, with Van Halen, Chickenfoot, The Circle or The Wabos, the man always puts on a show!

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Rick Springfield opened the show with a great set of '80s classic tunes.

 

(Editors note: we are still waiting on approval by Rick's team to publish photos.)

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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