The Kats! Bureau at this writing is Section 203 of the Dolby Live VIP section. The seat is soft and the music is hard rock as Sammy Hagar and his All Worlds Band runs through soundcheck.
As a non-professional audio consumer, I say the sound checks out OK. The band has delivered a terrific edition of “Voodoo Child,” not on the set list.
Hagar’s band returns to its residency run Friday at the Park MGM theater. The Red Rocker is looking over the set list. He recalls differences in what is planned for his Friday return to Park MGM, and what he’s played prior.
“I have a photographic memory,” he tells the band. “I am a genius.” There are nods and chuckles, possibly the sound of a descending bass note.
Hagar also reminds his band mates, “I’ll be 79 next month!” Remarkably correct, on Oct. 13. And within moments, he is soaring through a classic that will be retired after tonight’s opener. Just be seated by the second song.
Hagar is once more backed by hard-driving original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar wizard Joe Satriani, powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff and keyboard master Spider Cherry. After Friday’s reopening, the “Best of All Worlds” residency runs Saturday, Wednesday, and Sept. 25-26.
Since Hagar last appeared in March, he has invited David Lee Roth to the party. That will not happen. Hagar had offered the olive branch in July, after Roth dropped almost all of his tour dates. The resulting radio silence is but a footnote in the often-acrimonious, Hagar-Diamond Dave relationship.
Hagar is also crossed up with original Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen, brother of the late Eddie Van Halen. Alex Van Halen had recently referred to Hagar as “a complete idiot.”
Alex has reportedly been upset about unflattering accounts of Hagar’s Van Halen years in his 2011 book, “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock,” though the famed drummer claims not to have even read the book.
In a chat with Eddie Trunk of Trunk Nation on SiriusXM posted Thursday, Hagar said, “I don’t know what Alex’s problem is. If I wanted to get into a tug-of-war again, but you know, there’s so much clickbait going around now. It turns on you every time. And I’m always honest. I tell the truth. And I have never lied in my book … All those things happened. Whether or not anyone’s happy about some of the stuff that they did that, you know, that I brought up to the people in the book, I don’t know.”
Musically, Hagar’s band is superb and (based on the Thursday rehearsal) the sound inside Dolby Live has never been better. In his March run, Hagar went with “Top Of The World,” “Runaround,” “Humans Being,” “Right Now” and the closing, “Love Walks In.”
Hagar had not performed “Love Walks In” since 1993. “Amsterdam” from “5150” was uncorked for the first time since 2007. Collectively, the roster and set list is (searching the word) … genius.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.