Sammy Hagar Plans to “Blow People’s Minds” in Las Vegas

People who are genuine fans of rock music undoubtedly know who Sammy Hagar is. After all, he has had a rather storied career on his own, not to mention the time that he spent with Van Halen and other famous groups. More recently, he has announced a residency at the Strat in Las Vegas, something that is sure to please his fans. In fact, he’s making an active effort to give every person that shows up something that is completely different and unexpected, with a little classic Sammy Hagar mixed in for good measure.

Background

If you are a fan of Sammy Hagar, then you remember the days of him performing with the likes of guitarist Vic Johnson, bassist Michael Anthony and even drummer Jason Bonham. If that gets you excited, then you would probably be happy to have a seat for one of these shows, as these same individuals will be performing with him. With the exception of Bonham, all of the individuals are scheduled to perform in all six shows that are currently scheduled. Bonham is only scheduled for the first two shows, although that may change in the future. It’s interesting to note that when these shows went on sale, it only took two hours for all six of them to sell out completely. As a result, it only stands to reason that there might be a possibility of additional shows being scheduled in the future. For the time being, Hagar has said that he wants to surprise people, but he also wants every show to feel a little bit like the annual birthday performances from Cabo Wabo. If that’s the case, there should be little doubt that these shows would be worth seeing, to say the least.

Classic Songs

While Hagar doesn’t necessarily want to reveal every detail about the residency, he has mentioned that the majority of the songs he will be performing will be from the classic era of the 1970s and 80s. That should be enough to make a lot of fans happy because it means that he will likely be performing quite a bit of material from both Montrose and Van Halen. Of course, there is likely to be plenty of his own material from solo albums included in the shows as well. As far as the rest of it goes, Hagar really prefers to allow fans to be surprised as opposed to telling them everything that will be included in a play-by-play fashion.

Tickets

As previously mentioned, tickets for the show sold out in about two hours. However, there is always the chance that there will be a few last-minute cancellations, thereby making a certain number of tickets available. The shows are scheduled to run from the end of October through the first week of November, with tickets selling for $100 each. That seems like a more than reasonable price tag for anyone who wants to go enjoy an exciting and sometimes nostalgic show from a genuine rock legend in one of Las Vegas’ most prestigious venues. It’s also worth noting that some material from his current group, The Circle, will also come into play throughout each of these performances.

A Long Time Coming

As it turns out, these shows have been in the planning stages for quite some time now. Hagar has wanted to do something in Las Vegas for a long time, but he hasn’t been able to find the right venue up until now. This is largely because he’s been very particular about the way that he wants the shows to be performed. He doesn’t want to do something that is exactly the same night after night, nor is he interested in giving a performance that is very rigid in its design. True to form, he far prefers to do something that gives him full creative control over the project, allowing him to change things at the last minute, bring in other famous musicians with little or no advance notice, and generally dictate how the show goes from beginning to end. It wasn’t until recently that he found a venue that would allow him to do all of those things while simultaneously providing the atmosphere that he was looking for. Now that he has found it, there is always the possibility that this residency will become something more permanent, provided that the first six shows go the way that Hagar hopes they will.

A Party Atmosphere

According to Hagar himself, it’s all about creating a party atmosphere. No one would argue the fact that he likes to party. As such, the majority of his shows usually feel like one big party that lasts for hours and hours. That’s precisely how he wants this particular engagement to feel, too. He doesn’t want fans to feel like they’re coming to a concert. Instead, he wants it to be an immersive experience where every individual there has the opportunity to feel like they’re actually taking part in something special. As far as he’s concerned, it’s all about having fun and doing the unexpected. The last thing he wants is for his shows to feel stiff or pre-planned. While he admits that a certain amount of planning has to go into effect in order to pull it all off, he doesn’t want to plan anything beyond what is absolutely necessary. Is there a chance that Hagar will actually perform additional shows beyond the six original shows that are already scheduled? As previously discussed, the possibility for such an engagement is always there. Many other individuals have started out in much the same manner and then ended up staying in Las Vegas on a long-term basis. However, it’s important to note that Hagar is still actively touring with his current band, The Circle. While it may not be impossible to do both, it definitely wouldn’t be easy. As such, only time will tell whether or not Hagar will become a semi-permanent fixture in Las Vegas. For now, fans can enjoy the six shows that are already planned.