Concert Review: Sammy Hagar's Best of All Worlds Tour in New Jersey

Hard rock stalwart Sammy Hagar brought his Best of All Worlds tour to PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on July 27, 2024. During and after the show, Hagar referred to the venue as “Home-del”, alluding to his connection to the venue and local fans after many performances at the 17,500 capacity amphitheater during his illustrious Van Halen and solo careers, including when it was formerly known as the Garden State Arts Center.

Backed by his companion of nearly forty years – bassist Michael Anthony – as well as guitar legend Joe Satriani and Hagar’s longtime drummer Jason Bonham, the quartet thrilled the sold-out audience with twenty-three songs spanning Hagar’s fifty-plus year career as vocalist (and occasional guitarist) the iconic Van Halen, Montrose, Chickenfoot, and his eponymous solo band. For those who never had an opportunity to see Hagar and Anthony perform with Eddie and Alex Van Halen during their VH careers, this was almost certainty the closest anyone will come to capturing the magic they created from 1986-1995.

Van Halen’s last performance was in 2015 (with David Lee Roth on vocals and Wolfgang Van Halen on bass), but Hagar and Anthony last performed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band was during the 2004 Best of Both Worlds tour. Hagar was at the helm for many of the band’s biggest commercial successes, including 'Right Now', 'When It’s Love', 'Dreams', and 'Why Can’t This Be Love?” Anthony was renown for providing some of the best backing vocals in rock during his four decades with the band, including on classics 'Somebody Get Me a Doctor', 'Unchained', and 'Dance the Night Away.'

After they departed Van Halen, Hagar and Anthony continued to tour together and remain close personal friends. On this summer’s trek primarily celebrating the “Van Hagar” era but also showcasing several Roth-era tracks performed during Hagar-era tours and popular choices from Sammy’s solo material.

The  setlist was reminiscent of Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 5150 tours. Hagar and co. performed twelve songs featured by VH during the 1991 tour, while nine songs played during this tour were a part of the 1986 tour. Many of the tracks showcased during the Best of All Worlds tour have not been performed by Van Halen or Hagar in decades.

The band opened with 'Good Enough' from Hagar’s VH debut record, a song that was not performed by VH in thirty-eight years. The quartet followed with 'Poundcake', 'Runaround', and 'Judgment Day' from the band’s penultimate Hagar release (with Hagar staple 'There’s Only One Way to Rock' from Standing Hampton mixed in); 'Runaround' was performed in 2004, but 'Judgement Day' was performed since the 1995 Balance tour.

Other rarities included 'The Seventh Seal' and 'Top of the World' (last played by Van Halen in 2004), as well as 5150’s 'Summer Nights' and title track (not played by VH since 1995). Hagar’s solo band sparingly performed these songs, with 'Seventh Seal' debuting in a Hagar solo set and several others returning to the live setting for the first time since the early-2000s.

The Best of All Worlds band delighted the crowd with three Roth-era songs – 'Panama,' 'Ain’t ‘Talkin ‘Bout Love', and 'Jump.' These were among the select few DLR-penned songs performed by Hagar during his Van Halen tenure, as the band sparingly played Roth-era tracks with Hagar at the helm. Hagar and Anthony shared vocal duties on 'Jump' and 'Panama', while Anthony sang 'Ain’t Talkin’…' in its entirety.

Another highlight of the evening was the consecutive performances of 'Right Now' and 'Why Can’t This Be Love?', a pair of VH classics routinely performed by Sammy & co. With Satriani performing with Hagar and Anthony, the band also played Chickenfoot’s 'Big Foot', a song they performed together while members of that band with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith. The show closed with the crowd-pleasing staple 'When It’s Love.'

Although the ageless Hagar and Anthony regularly tour and perform many Van Halen songs, this tour is the greatest celebration of their careers as members of the band since their departures. Satriani was electric throughout the evening and “stole the show” at times, displaying his mind-blowing skills while doing justice to the incomparable EVH. Bonham was, as usual, a powerhouse on the kit. The Best of All Worlds Tour will continue through August across the Midwest, South, and West Coast, and any fan of Van Halen, Hagar solo material, or hard rock is encouraged to check out one of this summer’s best amphitheater tours.