Well, after all the brouhaha about cancelled arena shows and downsized venues, Sammy Hagar, the Red Rocker, finally landed on UK shores and is playing solo shows here for the first time in 44 years.
Sammy Hagar
British Airways ARC, London – 9 July 2026
Words: Ian Sutherland
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Those rearranged and cancelled shows are a rare business misstep for Sammy, as he has been a very successful man both in music and outside of it. Check the history of his Cabo Wabo tequila brand for evidence.
That tequila connection was the basis for a lot of solo shows over the last couple of decades, but tonight’s theme is a tribute to Eddie Van Halen, so it is a different vibe for the most part.
With a backing band featuring VH cohort Michael Anthony and surfing alien Joe Satriani, Mr Hagar himself says all he has to worry about is singing, and he does not even seem to worry about that.
He is more of a grey rocker than a red one these days, but his real age of 78 is still a shock to the system when you see how dynamic a frontman he still is up there.
As for the vocals themselves, he had taken criticism over some recent performances. But over a near two-hour show, I heard very few rough spots. He is not perfect, but he is damn good.
The setlist had a lot of 5150-era Van Halen contained within it, and opening up with Why Can’t This Be Love is a message that they have so many good songs to play that they do not need to conserve any until later in the set.
Best Of Both Worlds, twinned with F.U.C.K.’s Top Of The World, are stomping, raucous singalongs early in the show, and the crowd are right up for it.
The ARC is a pristine, new venue, and that, added to the fact that the ‘stalls’ section was all seated, made me wonder how the atmosphere was going to be. I need not have worried. The London Hagar massive were up on their feet from the first note and ready for a long, long-awaited party.
There was plenty of party up on the stage too, Sammy giving a nod to his old Wabos tours, drinking and dealing out the tequila to the point of pouring it into willing audience members’ mouths.
Mas Tequila was the great celebration it was designed to be, and the other solo tunes from Mr H’s career, like Heavy Metal, and especially There’s Only One Way To Rock, and I Can’t Drive 55, really hit the spot too.
Oh, for a solo material tour to savour one day.
There was a spontaneous moment where someone threw a Chickenfoot t-shirt on stage to be signed, prompting the inclusion of a stage-thumping Big Foot, which was a nice addition to the set.
The only nod to Roth-era VH was when the main man took a break, and Mikey sang lead on Ain’t Talkin Bout Love before Satriani also got a Satch Boogie showcase number.
I did like that during an impassioned Right Now, there were various messages put up on the big screen at the back of the stage, and one of them was “Aliens walk among us, and Joe Satriani is one of them!”
The spontaneity surfaced again in Good Enough, a little segue to Yes’ Owner Of A Lonely Heart being built in.
This was a band with great chemistry, everyone really enjoying themselves and more than 150 years of rock ‘n’ roll experience on the stage showing up and proving that class never gets old.
An emotional Eagles Fly and Eddie VH tribute tune, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, and it was all over.
After a decades-long wait for another Sammy Hagar solo UK tour, he did not disappoint, at least on the stage. While the cancelled arena shows rankled with many, I managed to catch two of these shows in smaller halls, and they were so much better than any arena events would have been.
Controversial opinion, but I am glad that is how it worked out in the end.
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