Adored Sammy Hagar Promises To Come Back
Sammy Hagar Wednesday, Aug. 13, Opera House
The crowd loved Sammy Hagar.
No, it adored him.
Indeed, at times it seemed the cheering, the whistling, the shouts of “We Love You Sammy” roared almost as loudly as this rock-and-roll dude’s guitar solos.
And certainly, he deserved the adulation.
When the 49-year-old former frontman for Van Halen played the Opera House Wednesday, he not only kicked out a high-impact show, he also treated his audience with a respect and return admiration you just don’t see much of these days.
He chatted frankly with the masses about his baby daughter, about his songs, about his break from Van Halen. He gamely wore the T-shirts and hats they threw to him. He read their handmade cards and signed autographs from the stage.
Between sets he didn’t leave the stage but instead mixed his favorite alcoholic beverage - the Waborita - and proceeded to pass it out to fans.
When a woman tossed him her engine-red panties and matching bra, he hung them with reverence from his microphone stand.
“I am the happiest man in the world,” he told his adoring fans. “This ain’t a job. This is a gift. You do not abuse this privilege.”
Hagar is back on the road for the first time since his split from Van Halen last year. He fronted the band for 11 years before it left him for its former singer, David Lee Roth.
“It was a good ride, but it’s kind of like you come home and find your old lady in bed with her ex-boyfriend,” Hagar told the fans.
Still, Wednesday’s show had little hint of bitterness as Hagar and his new band powered through songs that ranged from his days with Montrose back in the 1970s all the way through his new songs off the album “Marching to Mars.”
Hagar hits like “I Can’t Drive 55” along with the Van Halen tunes he penned like “Why Can’t This Be Love” drew some of the most frenzied and sing-along responses.
But “Marching to Mars” and “Little White Lie” from his new album also were well received.
The upbeat rock anthems found Hagar happily romping the stage with his new bandmates as though the Van Halen brothers never existed.
With Peter Pan style, Hagar himself seemed like a young man who has refused to grow up. His trademark mane of curly blond hair whipped about him as he executed ‘80s rock-style kicks in a pair of tight purple pants that few guys his age - or much younger - could carry off with such panache.
Before singing a song he wrote for his 15-month-old daughter, Hagar paused and told the audience about his baby’s birth.
“What it does is make you all soft. Not down there,” he said, quickly pointing at his crotch, “but up here. Anybody that’s ever witnessed a baby being born - that’s a miracle.”
Such sentiments may have been a bit much for a few of Hagar’s less-sensitive male fans, who quickly filed out to the lobby for a beer.
At another point, Hagar pulled a guy from the audience and let him take over on the drums for a song.
“It’s good for the guy, it’s good for the audience, it’s good for the band,” Hagar told the rooting masses.
After 2-1/2 hours of music plus an encore, Hagar announced, “I’ll play this town every time I tour.”
We’ll hold you to it Sammy.
, DataTimes