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ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
June 19, 2002

Hagar Bests Roth in Pavilion Show

By Leanne Potts
Of the Journal

And the winner is … Sammy Hagar.

In the battle of the ex-Van Halen frontmen, Hagar left David Lee Roth in the
dust.

Hagar’s voice, which could probably break beer glasses in the next county,
sounds as good as it did 20 years ago.

As for Roth: Dave, call Eddie and beg him to take you back.

The two have taken turns opening on the tour; at the Journal Pavilion in
Albuquerque, it was Hagar’s turn.

He took the stage wearing baggy yellow surfer shorts and a yellow T-shirt
from his bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which judging from the pre-show
video and numerous on-stage plugs, is a metal Margaritaville.

The set was old school, just Hagar and his four-member band, playing in
front of a video screen and a stack of amps. At either end of the stage was
a bleacher section of fans; one of the fans was none other than Gov. Gary
Johnson. Hagar pointed out the governor about 10 minutes into his 75-minute
set.
“Anybody that wants to legalize dope is all right with me,” Hagar said,
embracing Johnson. The crowd of about 8,000 went wild.

Later in the show, Hagar asked the governor, “Gary, are you holding? You got
any on you, brother?”

Hagar, 54, looks 20 years younger. He still belts out gleefully mindless,
pop-tinged metal tunes about cars and girls like someone who genuinely
enjoys his work.

He sprinted around the stage like a teen-ager and during one song went down
to mingle with the fans in the first few rows.

Hagar played songs spanning his 30-year career. There was solo Sammy: “Heavy
Metal,” “Three Lock Box,” “There’s Only One Way to Rock,” and, of course, “I
Can’t Drive 55.” There was Van Hagar Sammy: “Why Can’t This Be Love.” There
was even Montrose Sammy: “Rock Candy.”

Roth, 46, came on stage in a blue lamé suit so tight it looked painted on.
He opened with a pair of tunes from his apogee as Van Halen’s frontman, “Hot
for Teacher” and “Panama.”

He then ran through VH classics like “Cradle Will Rock,” “Mean Streets,”
“You Really Got Me” and “Dance the Night Away.” He was accompanied by three
musicians who did a pale impersonation of his former VH bandmates. There was
none of the onstage acrobatics from his VH days and Roth’s voice has lost
its over-the-top power completely.

Despite this, the crowd cheered more loudly for Roth than for Hagar. This
could because opening acts always get tepid receptions, even if they are
Sammy Hagar. But the more likely reason is because for men (and some women)
of a certain age, Dave was once a god, hurling pop metal and attitude and
sex from the stage like lightning bolts.

Remember him that way.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 18, 2002

Hagar, Roth: And the winner is …
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

Settle into your seats, fight fans. The heavyweight matchup to decide who is
the greatest former lead singer of Van Halen is about to begin.

From the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion under a gorgeous night sky, the
8,000 fans of classic pop metal in attendance Sunday couldn’t have asked for
better conditions.

In one corner was “Diamond” David Lee Roth. The original Van Halen frontman,
Diamond Dave’s bravado helped make the group a mid-’80s rock giant. His most
lethal weapons are roundhouse kicks and arrogant smirks.

In the opposite corner is “the Red Rocker,” Sammy Hagar. Hagar had a
well-established solo career prior to taking over the Van Halen microphone.
He led the band through its most prosperous decade before finding the exit
in 1995.

This co-headlining tour is the first time Roth and Hagar have gone
head-to-head. As the $32 T-shirt at the concourse booth asks, “Who will be
left standing?”

Round 1: Even before the match began, there was chaos on the stage. The two
performers each boasted a 90-minute set, and had been flip-flopping who
opens and closes in each city. Houston was supposed to feature Hagar first,
but the drum roll beat of Hot For Teacher was definitely the calling card of
Diamond Dave.

Roth drew first blood with a solid three-song combination to open the show.
Hot For Teacher was followed by Panama, another gem from his Van Halen swan
song 1984. The crusher was the battle cry of early hit And the Cradle Will
Rock.

Hagar appeared a little intimidated by Roth’s powerful opening. He avoided
his best Van Halen punches early, starting his set with Red and Three Lock
Box, two early solo anthem staples. Still, Hagar appeared afraid of the Van
Halen mystique — giving the round to Roth.

Round 2: It turned out Hagar was just lulling Roth into a false sense of
security. Beginning with perhaps his greatest gear-shifting, solo
sing-along, There’s Only One Way to Rock, Hagar unleashed a series of Van
Halen haymakers.

The bubbling bass and drum beat of Why Can’t This Be Love? stirred the crowd
into a frenzy of electric nostalgia. The drill press melody of Poundcake
could have made for an early TKO, but his scratchy screams on Runaround were
like smelling salts for Roth.

For playing his own electric guitar (something Roth only tried for a few
minutes to introduce Ice Cream Man) through most all these songs, Hagar took
the round.

Round 3: With the exception of the schlocky Yankee Rose, Roth’s post-Van
Halen solo career was ignored in favor of early Van Halen (the decision to
skip Just a Gigolo was looked upon favorably by ringside judges).

His pomp and swagger were briefly well-served on Dance the Night Away and
the dark sulking tempo of Runnin’ With the Devil. Roth took this round for
strategic song selection.

Round 4: Hagar looked in trouble, dredging up the overlong solo ballad
Eagles Fly, but Roth countered meekly with the beer commercial catcalls of
Beautiful Girls and second-rate cover of the Kinks You Really Got Me. Round
to Hagar.

Round 5: In desperation, Roth unfurled a striking Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,
followed by the synthesized pomp of Jump. He threw his first roundhouse kick
to get off the ground.

The Red Rocker pulled out his secret rock ‘n’ roll weapons: fast cars and
alcohol (not to be used together, of course).

Pouring himself a Blue Curacao “Waborita,” he toasted the crowd with recent
party jam Mas Tequila, then slammed them with mid-’80s solo rebel salute, I
Can’t Drive 55. The Houston crowd, which drove 25 miles to The Woodlands,
could relate.

The knock-out punch was Hagar’s own set ending, synth-laden Van Halen
heart-tugger Dreams. It left Roth writhing in his spandex and the crowd
partying with Sammy.
Ladies and gentleman, the greatest former lead singer of Van Halen is: Sammy
“the Red Rocker” Hagar.

JUNE 16
FT. WORTH STAR TELEGRAM
June 16, 2002

Hagar, Roth give crowd plenty of reasons to jump

By STEFAN STEVENSON
DALLAS – You can take the rock star out of the 1980s, but can you take the
’80s out of the rock star?

Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth, ex-Van Halen front men, put on one heckuva
hit parade last night at the Smirnoff Centre, even if their stage antics
were lifted straight out of 1985 – Roth’s more so than Hagar’s.

Both relied heavily on Van Halen classics, which was the point of the tour
from the time both singers decided that it was too economically tempting to
let their egos get in the way.

As proved by the 17,500 in attendance, a large chunk of rock fans still
crave classic Van Halen sung live and loud.

Hagar took the stage first last night; the two are alternating those duties
on the tour.

A star well before he joined Van Halen in the mid-80s, just after Roth had
been booted, Hagar is also more than just a singer. Hagar can play some
nasty guitar as was evident on a solo during Three Lock Box.
His four-piece band held its own as well, nailing Van Halen staples from the
’80s and ’90s, such as Why Can’t This Be Love, Poundcake, and Top of the
World.

Hagar’s simple stage was flanked by 50 contest winners in grandstands giving
the show a Jimmy Buffet-type feel. Meanwhile, a large screen behind both
singers’ sets played old videos of the artists, along with live footage for
those on the lawn.

The “Red Rocker” also had the luxury of padding his set with several solo
hits, something Roth couldn’t do. Hagar got the crowd singing along to I
Can’t Drive 55, Only One Way to Rock and the power ballad Give to Live.

Roth stuck to the early Van Halen hard-rock classics that made the band
world famous – Runnin’ with the Devil, Unchained and Jump. Roth did play
Yankee Rose, one of his few hits sans Halen.

“Diamond Dave” gave the audience what they were clamoring for – whiskey
swigging, karate kicks and pelvic thrusts. His band – Van Halen cover band
Atomic Punk – also played Van Halen classics note for note. Who needs Eddie
Van Halen?

No matter how cliche, the crowd loved Roth’s turquoise bellbottoms and
matching jacket. They didn’t seem to mind his out-of-breath singing, either.

Maybe it was the extra two hours of drinking, but Roth’s 9 p.m. entrance was
greeted with more rabid applause and air guitar, despite Hagar’s more
musically satisfying set.

CONCERTLIVEWIRE.COM

June 10, 2002

Van Halen Party with One Too Many Hosts
Sammy Hagar / David Lee Roth
Alpine Valley Music Theater
East Troy, WI
Review and Photos by Terry Mayer

The history of Van Halen almost seems like a soap opera. Original
vocalist Dave Lee Roth was in, then out. Then ‘red rocker’ Sammy Hagar was
in only to later surrender his job to some unknown singer. But wait, that’s
not all. Dave came back, although only for a mere two songs. Then it was
rumored that Sammy was coming back again but then didn’t, and yadda,
yadda… But recently, out of the blue, these two former employees of Van
Halen decided to join forces and leave the prospects of their former band
behind.

At their recent visit to Milwaukee, Hagar opened the night with his
high energy numbers “Cabo Wabo” and “Red,” which set the pace for the rest
of his show. With a somewhat new twist, the V.I.P. fans were seated onstage
behind Hagar in the peanut gallery. As cocktail waitresses kept refreshing
Sammy’s drinks he hammered out old favs such as “Runaround,” “Lockbox” and
“Poundcake” to the delight of the crowd, before holding up a sign about two
brothers that can’t find forgiveness – taking an easy jab at Alex and Eddie
Van Halen. Putting the pedal-to-the-metal on his signature number “I Can’t
Drive 55” Hagar and his band souped the show into overdrive, before the song
“Mas Tequila” kept the evening’s party frenzy flowing. “Dreams” and “Right
Now” ended his turn at bat, and now it was David Lee Roth’s turn.
Roth strutted out and immediately went into the Van Halen hit “Hot
for Teacher.” Shedding the one piece jump suit from his last time here, Dave
looked better then he has in years. The Van Halen favorites “Running With
the Devil” and “You Really Got Me,” which went into a funk style guitar
improv, had the fans dancing in the seats. But on the song “So This Is Love”
the first ex-V.H. singer stumbled for his lyrics, before the crowd realized
that he had forgotten not only these lines, but quite a few others
throughout the evening as well.

“Pretty Woman,” the song that was originally made famous by Roy
Orbison was next. With his nimble leads the guitar player, who ironically
looked and sounded like his former bandleader, seemed to carry a
conversation with Roth as they went back and forth with one another. When he
broke into “Yankee Rose,” the only song performed that night from his solo
material, he made it known why his career floundered since his departure
from Van Halen. The slowest part of the night came as Roth strapped on an
acoustic guitar for a little medley that flowed into a completely different
version of Chicago bluesmen John Brim’s “Ice Cream Man.” This lull in the
night’s performance was short lived as the rest of the band pitched in and
picked up their boss’ slack.

The end of the night, however, brought on the one song everyone was
waiting for “Jump.” With Eddie’s annoyingly dated keyboard part replaced
with a refreshing lead guitar, it was fun to hear the 1984 hit once more.

In the end, Sammy was great – the kind of guy you would actually
like to go out and party with. He had a great mixture of solo stuff, along
with his great covers from his work with Van Halen. Roth, on the other hand,
seemed like a self-absorbed performer who only proved he could work an
inebriated crowd. With missed cues -both lyrically and musically, his
buffoonery wore thin and quick. Although coming from the same band at
different points in their careers, the two seemed polar opposites when it
came to their performances this night. Hagar made you want to grab a drink
and join in the party, while Diamond Dave left the crowd thinking of excuses
on how they could get out of attending his next invitation.

ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
June 6, 2002

SAMMY TALKS TO ST. LOUIS,
“THE MOST LOYAL CITY IN THE WORLD”

Compiled By Kevin C. Johnson Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic

Red Rocker Sammy Hagar, staying true to giving just a little bit more to his
most loyal fans — those in St. Louis — agreed to something different to
pump up his concert Friday with David Lee Roth at UMB Bank Pavilion.

He took questions — any question about anything — from fans here. Redheads
responded eagerly to the invitation, posted on redrocker.com, to question
him via a reporter (some questions were edited for clarity or length).

We chose not to ask Hagar whether he’d ever seen Eddie Van Halen’s wife,
Valerie Bertinelli, naked, as one local fan needed to know.

JAN GACA NILES, ILL. If you could pick one artist to cover one of your
songs, what song would it be and who would you like to cover your song?

S.H.: “I’d like to hear Tom Jones sing “Let Sally Drive,” because he’s the
only one with that powerful voice like I have. He’s one of the old guys who
can really belt it out. I dig his voice. If Elvis were alive today, I’d love
for Elvis to do whatever he wanted. But he’s not around, so I’ll go with
Tom. Financially, I’d like to see Britney Spears do one of my songs.”

DAN BAYBO FENTON
In the Tyson vs. Lewis fight, who do you pick to win and in what round?

S.H.: “Definitely Lennox Lewis, and I expect it to be by the fourth or fifth
round. But how it ends up could be a disqualification as well. We all know
that. If it’s a fair fight, Lewis will kill him. That’s where my money would
go.”

LANETTE NORDQUIST AND ANGIE WAGENFUEHR ST. PETERS
What do you think of the Sammy Hagar conventions that have become an annual
event?

S.H.: “I’m totally honored. I think they’re wonderful. My fans are just
fantastic. They just got it going on. They treat each other so good, with
the camaraderie and the way they make sure somebody from out of town gets a
ticket.”

DAVE STARICH ST. CHARLES
Can St. Louis look forward to yearly summer concerts, Jimmy Buffet style?

S.H.: “Absolutely. That’s what I’m working toward everywhere, not just St.
Louis. But St. Louis certainly is already there.”

CHERYL REICHLING ST. LOUIS NATIVE LIVING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
Is it true you once said St. Louis has the rowdiest and most loyal fans?

S.H.: “Yes. I think for me, anyway, in my career, St. Louis is the most
loyal city in the world. When it comes to St. Louis, I care more (for it)
than any other place in America. I’ll always care wherever I go, but I’m
always concerned that I do something great for the fans in St. Louis.”

MICHELLE STALLMAN ST. LOUIS
Since St. Louis is your biggest market, why haven’t you ever written a song
about St. Louis or the fans there, or at least mention them in a song?

S.H.: “It’s a funny thing. I don’t know why. I never try to write songs .
Songs come through me and write themselves. But you’re right. It hasn’t
happened yet. Give me some time. We’ve got the rest of our lives here.”

CHRISTI NAUSLEY FARMINGTON, MO.
When you’re in St. Louis, is there a favorite place you can’t leave town
without visiting?

S.H.: “It seems so, but I’m trying to think. I have so many friends in St.
Louis, and I don’t get to spend much time there. Whenever I come there,
someone insists on taking me to some new restaurant or something. I used to
love to check out the planetarium and the Zoo. I love a zoo. A zoo or a
botanical gardens is refreshing to me, after being in an airplane or a
hotel. I get to go back to nature.”

CATHY BROWN ST. PETERS
You once said you would never play for Van Halen unless it was for charity.
Would you consider joining Van Halen again?

S.H.: “I would consider it, but there’s so much that would have to happen
first. First, I would never do it just for business. I would do it because
we’d become friends again first, before the music. I’d have to hang out for
a few days and find out if we like each other still. They (Eddie and Alex
Van Halen) would have to prove they would be loyal friends again. We’d have
to do it for the fans, and the music would have to be as good as it ever
was.”

JENNIFER SIEGEL KIRKWOOD
You’ve said Elvis Presley had a large influence on your decision to become a
musician instead of following in your father’s footsteps and becoming a
boxer. Is this true?

S.H.: “Yeah, because I was very young the first time I saw Elvis on TV. I
had two older sisters who were teen-agers at the time, and I was watching
their reaction to Elvis on TV. I said hell, I’m gonna do that. But it was a
subconscious thing, because I was like 4 or 5 years old. But I knew it
looked like fun.”

JOSHUA DAKE EDWARDSVILLE
What does the follow-up material to “Ten 13” (released in 2000) sound like?

S.H.: “It’s a lot different from ‘Ten 13.’ I think my new CD is going to be
called ‘Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas: Not for Sale.’ It’s really jus t
leaning toward heavy grooves. It’s very groove oriented, really powerful.
It’s not just frantic, crazy energy. It’s settled down, hopefully in the
pocket. I’m working on it today as we speak.” (Hagar is looking at an August
release).

MATT FULSOM ST. LOUIS
I heard rumors you were a big fan of Living Colour (the band) and wanted to
produce their second release. Is that true? Have you ever jammed with any of
those guys?

S.H.: “It’s true. When I left Van Halen, I had many conversations with
(Living Colour’s) Vernon Reid about joining before I got Vic Johnson. He
(Reid) was in New York, and I was in San Francisco, but it wasn’t just the
physical distance that stopped us, but distance in direction. Vernon wanted
to go fuse out, I wanted singer-friendly tunes. We never took it to the next
level and jammed, but we talked about doing it. I liked that band a lot.”

VICKY WHITEHEAD ST. LOUIS
What is the one thing you would want people to know about you, or something
that even the biggest Red Rocker fans doesn’t know about you?

S.H.: “In this day and age of the Internet, I don’t think there’s anything
that everyone doesn’t know, including my personal business. But I hope
everyone knows I’m a very loyal and sincere person in everything I do. I’m
not just some flaky rock star. But my fans already know that.”

JULIE DECLUE HIGH RIDGE, MO.
If you could jam with any one person, who would it be? And what is your
favorite color? (Who knows, it might not be red?)

S.H.: “In Cabo (the Cabo Wabo Cantina, his club in Mexico), Keith Richards,
because of the down and dirtiness of what we could do at the Cabo. It would
be a night to remember for the rest of your life. In a big stadium somewhere
I want to jam with Jimmy Page. Jimmy in a stadium ripping off some Led
Zeppelin riffs and me singing it, I could kill it. I love Robert Plant, but
I would love to have the chance to do that. In the studio, I’d love to sit
in a room with Eric Clapton. Other than that, I’ve jammed with everyone
else. … My favorite color is a tossup between red and yellow. I love
yellow because it’s so happy. It makes me feel good.”

DAVID KAISER O’FALLON
Why don’t you change your set list around? It’s the same old concert.

S.H.: “I play two-and-a-half hours-plus sometimes, and I’m playing basically
all the songs I want to play. I disagree with that question. I change my set
list all the time. There are so many songs I have to play. I change up the
Van Halen stuff. I change it up all the time, and added some strange tunes
back into the set, Van Halen songs I don’t normally do. So I disagree.”

RICK FULSOM JR. WEBSTER GROVES
Where’s the best place in Maui, Hawaii, to get a fish sandwich?

S.H.: “Maybe Mama’s Fish House.”

RANDY WILKERSON ST. CHARLES
If you had your career to do all over again, what one thing would you do
differently or change?

S.H.: “I don’t think I would do anything differently. I don’t think I would
want to do anything differently. Maybe I would have quit Van Halen after the
last show from the ‘Balance’ tour in Tokyo. I would have said goodbye to
those guys before it got ugly. But I have no regrets. I’d sound like a
sniveling snob to complain about my career.”

CABO TOMBO ST. PETERS
Do you ever think about retiring? At what age do you think you would retire?

S.H.: “100. I’m thinking about planning my retirement when I turn 100.
There’s no such thing as retirement in my vocabulary.”