Does Sammy Hagar really mean he’s “done with being the Van Halen guy”?
For the last two years, Sammy Hagar’s Best Of All Worlds project has breathed new live into Van Halen classics. Every night of tour has been a love letter to Hagar’s past, aided by the likes of ex-bandmate Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and other top talents in his backing band. However, the I Can’t Drive 55 singer is now keen to put Van Halen firmly in the rear-view mirror, and move on.
In a new interview with SiriusXM‘s Eddie Trunk, Hagar explains that, while the tour has been “so damn successful”, he doesn’t want to dwell on the past forever. “I’m kinda done with being ‘the Van Halen guy,’” he says [via Ultimate Classic Rock].
READ MORE: “These are recordings that were going to be the next Van Halen record”: Alex Van Halen sheds light on upcoming “Van Halen” album featuring Steve Lukather
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Hagar is ashamed of his musical history; he’s proud of his Van Halen legacy, and vows to “always keep some [Van Halen tracks] in my show”. However, his Best Of All Worlds project was only meant to be a one off – he never intended it to grow into two years of touring. “Originally, the Best of All Worlds tour with Joe Satriani was supposed to only be once in 2024,” he says.
Hagar hadn’t anticipated just how much the masses wanted more Van Halen. It lead to touring across the US, Canada, a (downsized) UK tour, and even a five night Las Vegas residency. But, even if people will keep begging for Van Halen, Hagar knows that it’s best to quit while he’s ahead.
The tour has also put Hagar’s creativity on hold. Back in 2024, Hagar teased that his Best Of All Worlds band were keen to track some new songs, and that’s still not happened. And, even outside of that, Hagar is keen to get in the studio and make some music for his own band, Montrose. “I’ve got so much Montrose – great songs and fun stuff,” he reveals.
He also takes a second to call out all the music that’s been pushed to the sidelines by focusing on Van Halen. Because he’s not just “the Van Halen guy”. He points to his 1977 debut album, as well as all his work pre-Van Halen, as well as his releases with Geffen Records. “I want to do so many things, I don’t want to just go out there and just do Van Halen!” he says. “Mike and I are kind of obligated. I like it, but I feel like I owe my old fans more than that.”
Hagar’s interest in moving on from Van Halen comes at a very interesting time. Alex Van Halen is currently working on a new Van Halen record, unearthing fully tracked demos (which feature full, unheard Eddie Van Halen riffs) in order to release them in the near future.
In 2025, Hagar previously wondered whether Alex was upset over him touring with his ex-Van Halen bandmate, Michael Anthony. “He doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore, and he can’t go write a new record…” Hagar told Rolling Stone. “I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it. I would feel bad. If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Even beyond music, Hagar is keen to do more outside of music – like writing a “science fiction” rock opera, apparently. “I don’t know how many shows I’ve got left in my life – but I wrote this space opera when I left Montrose in 1975,” he explains. “Every album I ever did had a space song on it. Silver Lights, Someone Out There, Space Station #5, Space Age Sacrifice. Crack in the World was the one that really predicted what’s going on in 2025… even in Van Halen: Love Walks In.”
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