Sammy Hagar Concerts Setlist

From Salinas, USA, Sammy Hagar, also known as the Red Rocker, is a singer who gained fame in the early 70s with Montrose and later had a successful solo career. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 as a member of Van Halen, Sammy also founded Cabo Wabo tequila and Sammy's Beach Bar rum. He's currently the lead singer of Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle and hosts "Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar" on AXS TV.

Even though Sammy had an extremely successful career, the singer endured some tough hardships when he was younger. His father, an abusive alcoholic boxer, caused the family to move to other places from time to time, with Sammy living in nine different homes. At ten, his mother finally left his father, taking the children with her. Despite these challenges, Sammy rose to fame in music with Montrose and later had a successful solo career and joined Van Halen.

While playing in a San Francisco cover band, Sammy was discovered and joined Montrose, formed by session guitarist Ronnie Montrose. Sammy appeared on their debut and sophomore albums, writing his first song, "Bad Motor Scooter." After conflicts during a European tour, Sammy was fired. Bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi, who also left Montrose, joined Sammy's backing band as he started his solo career.

By the late 1970s, Sammy had moderate success as a solo artist, with albums like "Nine on a Ten Scale" and the hit "Red," earning him the nickname "the Red Rocker." However, he felt A&R man Carter didn't play to his strengths and instead aimed for Top 40 hits, which didn't succeed. Sammy opened for Boston's "Don't Look Back" tour but was replaced by the Knack in San Bernardino. He split with Carter for his 1979 album "Street Machine," which he self-produced, but after it and 1980's "Danger Zone" didn't break out, he felt Capitol wasn't supporting him enough.

In 1983 and 1984, Sammy and guitarist Neal Schon of Journey formed HSAS (Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve), a supergroup with bassist Kenny Aaronson and drummer Michael Shrieve. They did a Christmas tour for charity and released the album "Through the Fire," featuring live recordings with crowd noise removed to sound like studio tracks. HSAS was short-lived, but their cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" gained airplay, peaking at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, while "Top of the Rock" was a favorite on AOR stations like those in Seattle.

In 86, after parting ways with David Lee Roth, Van Halen auditioned and quickly hired Sammy as their new vocalist. Under Sammy's lead, Van Halen released four multi-platinum, number-1 Billboard albums, along with numerous chart-topping hits, including nine number 1 Mainstream Rock singles.