“Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band – The Residency” is the new live album by singer Sammy Hagar. In May this year, the singer performed a series of shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, joined by several renowned musicians.
Michael Anthony (bass, vocals), Joe Satriani (guitar), Kenny Aronoff (drums), and Rai Thistlethwayte (keyboards, vocals, guitar) joined Hagar who had his breakthrough with Montrose in the early seventies. He has also fronted a few other bands, and his time with Van Halen was the most successful period of his career. This is reflected in the choice of songs played during the Las Vegas shows.
The album opens with a song whose title is more fitting for the end than the beginning. “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight” is the opener and it is a rather new song, inspired by a dream Hagar had about Eddie Van Halen. Next are two Van Halen songs: “Top of the World” and “Panama”, the latter of which is one of the band’s greatest hits from the David Lee Roth era. Most of the songs, however, are from the years between 1985 and 1995, when Hagar was the frontman of the legendary US hard rock band. “5150” and “OU812” are records that reached platinum status, and songs like “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Love Walks In” are milestone songs in rock. These songs are without a doubt part of the live album as well as the rocking “5150” and the blistering “Poundcake” with Joe Satriani’s guitar play shining brightly which is a great asset when it comes to give these songs an authentic feeling.
Alongside the big hits from Van Halen, the album also features the Montrose classic “Rock Candy”, while “Heavy Metal” and especially “I Can’t Drive 55” reflect Hagar’s solo career.
Photo: Rob Shanahan
So, to sum up: “Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band – The Residency” is a well-done retrospective on 80s and 90s rock and an homage to the Hagar-era of Van Halen. Hagar’s voice and Joe Satriani’s virtuoso yet rocking guitar playing are a treat for fans of sophisticated and captivating hard rock, and these tunes have an infectiously positive vibe.
Tracklist:
- Encore, Thank You, Goodnight. (Live)
- Top Of The World (Live)
- Panama (Live)
- Summer Nights (Live)
- There’s Only One Way To Rock (Live)
- Humans Being (Live)
- Right Now (Live)
- 5150 (Live)
- Poundcake (Live)
- Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (Live)
- Eagles Fly (Live)
- Best of Both Worlds (Live)
- Why Can’t This Be Love (Live)
- Rock Candy (Live)
- Mas Tequila (Live)
- Heavy Metal (Live)
- Can’t Drive 55 (Live)
- Love Walks In (Live)
- When It’s Love (Live)
Label: Universal
Genre: Hard Rock
Release Date EU: October 10th, 2025
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