Category: Van Halen

Hagar puts Cabo on tour, shots included
NASHVILLE (Billboard) – When Sammy Hagar is fired up, he tends to talk kind of fast.
Exhibit A: “Cabo-esque looking, a bunch of tents, with poles and all that, and we’re filling all these little booths up with fun stuff, like taco stands, margarita stands, shot stands, and some outdoor grills with people grilling chickens and carne asada and making tacos out of ’em, and salsa, wandering mariachi bands, sand all over the place, we’re putting up volley ball courts, it’s all about bathing suits, bikinis, no shoes, no shirt, no problem, it’s a whole different kind of concept.”
Phew. It turns out he’s describing the shed version of the Cabo Wabo Village.
Hagar is bringing Cabo north of the border this summer. The Red Rocker’s summer trek even has a Cabo San Lucas-themed concourse attraction — the Cabo Wabo Village — on each date, beginning with a sold-out show June 3 at the Hyundai Pavilion in Glen Helen, Calif.
Hagar’s shed tour comes on the heels of six sellouts at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe, Nev., where he opened his first U.S. Cabo Wabo Cantina in 2004. He launched the first Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in the early ’90s.
Hagar is still talking breathlessly. “It starts at 3 o’clock with karaoke stages and body builders, like you’re just going down to the beach in Cabo to see what’s going on. So I’m just bringing that whole feel and look and sound and smell even to this village. People can start partyin’ at 3, 6:30 the doors open, you go inside and continue to party inside the venue, I come on at 7:30 or 8:00, depending what the curfew is because we do a three-hour show.”
Hagar’s band the Waboritas will play first, then Hagar will hit the stage with his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony in an outfit they call the Other Half. “Michael kicks off his classic Van Halen bass solo on steroids, then (the band and) I come out and do an hour of classic Van Halen. We’re just trying to have some fun with it.”
The band rips through around 10 Van Halen standards. “Eddie (Van Halen) and I wrote every one of those songs together,” Hagar continues. “If those guys don’t wanna come out and do it or make it difficult to do, whichever way you want to look at it, the fans deserve to hear ’em, I deserve to sing the songs I wrote, so I feel good with Mike doing it that way. Otherwise I’d never do an hour of Van Halen in my show.
“Then we do a big grand finale with anybody in town that wants to come up and jam with us. I’m going to invite a lot of different people, kinda make it an open mic kind of situation, then we bust the pinata. If people can still walk, we’ll come back with an encore.”
He and Anthony are joined onstage by guitarist Vic Johnson, drummer Bro Lauser and background singers.
To Hagar, this summer’s run is “just a new way of doing a tour and a concert, instead of just doing the same show you did the night before, packing up and leaving. It ain’t that kind of show. It’s an all-day event and it’s user-friendly.
“If you’ve never been to Cabo, this will really put the hook in you. If you’ve been to Cabo, you’re gonna sit there drinking shots and go, ‘Man, it sounds and smells like I’m in Cabo.’ It’s just got a vibe we’re trying to re-create.”
Sounds like fun. Hagar will wrap up his tour with a performance, Cabo Wabo Village and all, at the Rock’n the Rally festival August 10 in Sturgis, S.D. Hagar gave 650 tickets to the Sturgis performance to winners on his “Are We Having Fun Yet” cruise to Cabo.

Post-Van Halen Hagar Is ‘Livin’ It Up’
Sammy Hagar is gearing up for summer with a new album and a tour about to begin. Two years removed from a Van Halen reunion tour, the Red Rocker says he realized the importance of performing the band’s classic material, so he’s bringing VH bassist Michael Anthony out on the road for a nightly mid-set digression, billed as “The Other Half,” into all things Van Hagar.
“We’re really having fun with stuff and after the last Van Halen reunion, it doesn’t feel much like that may ever happen again for all kinds of reasons,” Hagar says. “But I just think I need to play those songs, the fans need to hear those songs and it’s just unfair to let it sit and die.”
Current plans call for Anthony to arrive on stage about an hour into the Hagar and Wabos (recently shortened from Waboritas) set with his legendary bass solo extravaganza, before the two Van Halen members jam for 60 minutes in a retrospective filled with hits and even a few obscure tunes. Hagar says the idea for “The Other Half” stems from last year’s annual Cabo Wabo Cantina birthday party in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when Anthony showed up onstage unannounced.
As for his next studio album, dubbed “Livin’ It Up,” the 58-year-old artist says he’s shopping it to labels. However, fans will hear about a half-dozen of the songs on the 36-date tour, which begins May 5 in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
“‘Livin’ it Up” is really a lifestyle record,” Hagar says. “It’s not a metal record at all. I would say it’s more American country rock than heavy metal rock, which is the type of music I’ve always played from Montrose through Van Halen. My intention was to just make a real honest record.”
Written over the past year at his home in Cabo San Lucas, the album features original songs such as “One Sip and You’ll Surrender” and “The Way We Live,” as well as a rocking honky-tonk cover of Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” and his version of the Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There.”
While Hagar’s solo prospects appear bright, that’s not the case with Van Halen.
“There were some real problems in the band,” Hagar says, referring to the reunion tour. “I have to tell you, there were nights I didn’t know what song Eddie [Van Halen] was playing. There were times I wanted to kill that guy for what he was playing. I would have left that tour in the middle of it if it wasn’t for the professional aspect. He’s never going to see my ass again unless he goes and gets himself some help.”

‘Rock Star: Van Halen’ Rumors Unfounded
Persistent rumors that Van Halen will audition new singers on the upcoming season of CBS reality series “Rock Star” are untrue, according to the network.
“All it is is a rumor, we deny it,” a CBS Entertainment spokesperson tells Billboard.com. “We don’t even have [an act] firmly established yet, though, hopefully we will shortly.”
A spokesperson for Van Halen referred Billboard.com to a previously published report in which the band’s involvement with the show was vehemently denied.
Speculation of the “Rock Star”/Van Halen pairing has been running wild since the fall when, in an interview, the series’ producer Mark Burnett (“Survivor”) used the group as an example, along with Queen, as an act appropriate for the show’s mission of filling vacancies.
The story got new legs during this morning’s (Feb. 14) broadcast of the syndicated David Lee Roth radio show as the former Van Halen frontman declared, “They really are gonna do it, I think. It’s the ‘Rock Star’ open call schedule. They just handed me the schedule… they won’t say who it’s for, but I think it’s for Van Halen.”
“Rock Star,” which is co-hosted by former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, has indeed announced its audition schedule. Tryouts will be conducted throughout North America for about a month, starting March 1 in Austin. An announcement about the featured artist is forthcoming, according to the CBS spokesperson. The network plans to air the program’s second season this summer.
The first season bowed last year as “Rock Star: INXS.” The Australian band ultimately crowned J.D. Fortune as its new lead singer, recorded an album and is on the road in North America, playing Reading, Pa., tomorrow night.
Since Roth exited the band in 1985, hard rock crew Van Halen has been helmed by Sammy Hagar, who left the band in 1996, and former Extreme singer Gary Cherone. Attempts to regroup with Roth failed, and the band has been quiet since guitarist Eddie Van Halen began battling cancer around the turn of the millennium

Van Halen: The Next ‘Rock Star’?
Sources tell TMZ.com that Van Halen is in the market for a new lead singer, and the marketplace will be the upcoming reality show ‘Rock Star: The Series.’
Last October, Van Halen reps vehemently denied the band would use ‘Rock Star’ in a talent search for a new lead singer. The reps are now singing a different tune. Van Halen publicist Larry Solters told TMZ: “I’m not denying it. I’m not going to answer any questions about it.”
Last year, the band INXS used ‘Rock Star’ to find a new lead singer. J.D. Fortune won the competition, and the band is now making a comeback with a hit new album and a sold-out tour.
As for Van Halen, the group has had three lead singers since it hit the scene back in 1978: David Lee Roth, who left the band in 1985, Sammy Hagar, who split in 1996, and Gary Cherone, who did just one album and tour with the band in 1998.
The next season of ‘Rock Star,’ produced by Mark Burnett for CBS, is scheduled to air during the summer. Neither Burnett nor CBS would comment on the Van Halen buzz.

Bertinelli Divorcing Rocker Eddie Van Halen
LOS ANGELES – Valerie Bertinelli and her rock star husband, Eddie Van Halen, are divorcing after 24 years of marriage, Bertinelli’s publicist confirmed Tuesday.
“Yes, that’s true. They have been separated for four years and it’s amicable,” Bertinelli spokeswoman Heidi Schaeffer told The Associated Press. She said the actress would have no further comment.
A divorce petition that Bertinelli, 45, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday cited irreconcilable differences.
The couple wed on April 11, 1981, and have one son, 14-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen. According to the petition, they separated on Oct. 15, 2001.
Bertinelli shot to fame as the sexy 15-year-old daughter of Bonnie Franklin on the hit television show “One Day at a Time,” which aired from 1975 to 1984. She rejoined Franklin and Mackenzie Phillips, who played her sister, for a reunion show earlier this year. She was also a regular on television’s “Touched by an Angel” from 2001 to 2003.
Van Halen, 50, is one of the most celebrated lead guitarists in rock music. He rose to fame in the late 1970s, along with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony as members of Van Halen.
The group was known for wild excess both on and offstage in its early years, and Van Halen, once a heavy smoker, was treated for cancer in 2000 and 2001.

Van Halen Will Not Be The Next ‘Rock Star’ Band
Van Halen will not be taking INXS’ lead by participating in a possible second season of the reality television series “Rock Star,” according to the band’s spokesperson.
MTV News erroneously reported Wednesday (SEE STORY BELOW) that a source close to the program claimed that if “Rock Star” does return for a second season, that the core Van Halen trio √≥ Michael Anthony and brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen √≥ would be the band auditioning potential singers. The band flatly denies any involvement in the show.
MTV News had also previously reported that a spokesperson for Van Halen said the band had no comment regarding pending projects. However, that spokesperson was never asked specific questions regarding the group’s hypothetical involvement with the “Rock Star” show; MTV News regrets the oversight.
Van Halen had been the subject of recent speculation concerning potential “Rock Star” second-season bands. The same rumors swirled about Alice in Chains, but a spokesperson for guitarist Jerry Cantrell scoffed at the notion the band would even consider appearing on the show.

Van Halen reportedly will front possible second season of Rock Star
CBS has yet to renew Rock Star, which found a lead singer for INXS during its first season. However, MTV reports that Van Halen is on board for a possible second season.
According to MTV.com, ìa source close to the show claimed that the core Van Halen trio ó brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony ó will be auditioning potential frontmen and women for the showís still-hypothetical second season.î Previously, the band was fronted by David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and Gary Cherone.
MTV says that ìif the series is added to next summerís CBS lineup, expect to see Van Halen tapping into Americaís rock and roll pipeline for a new singer.î Itís also possible the show could move to a different network if CBS rejects a second season.

Sammy Hagar to mount spring ‘Cinco de Cabo’ tour
Reinstated Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar returns to the solo circuit this spring during his Mexican-themed “Cinco de Cabo” tour.
The veteran rocker and his band, The Waboritas, launch the outing with a three-night stand at his Cabo Wabo club in Lake Tahoe, NV; the April 29-May 1 run marks the one-year anniversary of the venue, a spin-off of the Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, nightspot that Hagar and Van Halen opened in 1989.
A half-dozen subsequent dates are set through mid-May, and tickets for most shows will hit the box office Friday and Saturday (2/18-19), according to Hagar’s website.
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony–who often toured with Hagar in the years leading up to Hagar’s 2004 return to Van Halen–will again join the singer during the upcoming roadtrip.
Last year, Hagar re-teamed with Anthony, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen for a North American tour that kicked off in June and ran until November. The reunion also spawned a two-disc hits set titled “Best of Both Worlds,” which featured three new cuts.
Last November, Alex Van Halen told a Kansas newspaper that the group planned to take a break after the tour, and would then head into the studio to record a new album with Hagar on vocals.
A late-December message that Anthony posted on his own website, however, raised some question marks about the state of Van Halen.
“I’m not sure what the future holds for Van Halen, but I can tell you Sammy and I will be out there rocking together with the Wabos in 2005,” Anthony wrote.
April 2005
29, 30 – Lake Tahoe, NV – Cabo Wabo @ Harrahs (on sale 2/19)
May 2005
1 – Lake Tahoe, NV – Cabo Wabo @ Harrahs (on sale 2/19)
6 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel/Casino (on sale 2/19)
7 – Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Casino (on sale 2/18)
10 – Green Bay, WI – Oneida Casino (on sale tba)
12 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre (on sale 2/19)
13 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre (on sale 2/18)
14 – Maryland Heights, MO – UMB Bank Pavilion (on sale 2/19)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AT 7:15 AM – September 3, 2004
VAN HALEN TO ROCK IN SASKATCHEWAN
Eddie, Alex, Michael, and Sammy Set Credit Union Centre (Saskatoon) Concert
For Thursday, October 28
Tickets On Sale September 11, 2004 @ 9:30AM
VAN HALEN: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Sammy Hagar will be performing in Saskatoon on Thursday, October 28th at the Credit
Union Centre. Tickets are set to go on sale to the public on Saturday,
September 11th at 9:30 AM.
Since Van Halen’s seminal debut album in 1978, the band has set the template
for hard rock and heavy metal, continually attracting legions of fervent
fans. Van Halen in concert will be performing songs from their 25-year
career including hits from their current double CD, The Best Of Both Worlds,
Top of the World,” “When It’s Love,” “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Right Now,”
“Dreams,” “Jump,” “Best of Both Worlds,” “Panama,” and “Love Walks In.”
Sammy Hagar was the Van Halen front man from 1985-1996. During that period, all Van Halen studio albums, 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance, as well as Best of Van Halen Volume I, went straight to #1 on the Billboard charts. Live: Right Here, Right Now peaked at #5. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge won a GRAMMY Award for “Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal” in 1991.
The GRAMMY Award-winning band has sold more than 75 million albums
worldwide. Twelve Van Halen albums have been certified multi-Platinum.
Additionally, the band’s eponymous debut album and 1984 have both reached
Diamond status, recognizing sales in excess of 10 million units each. The
band holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most Number One rock
tracks (11) at album radio.
Van Halen has teamed up with iloveallaccess.com to offer the ultimate fan
experience featuring a variety of premium ticket packages. For more details
go to www.iloveallaccess.com.
General public tickets will be on sale on Saturday, September 11th at 9:30
AM.
Tickets available through all Ticketmaster Outlets,
Charge By Phone at 306-938-7800 or 1-800-970-7328, or order online at
www.ticketmaster.ca