“The music is going to outlive us all… It’s time we go out and serve the fans that music while we still can”: Joe Satriani to perform Van Halen classics with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Jason Bonham on epic 2024 US tour

Sammy Hagar has just announced that Joe Satriani join him and Michael Anthony for an epic tour of the US next year playing Van Halen classics of all eras, and some choice cuts from the Red Rocker’s storied discography.

Not only that, but the lineup will feature Jason Bonham on drums, and Satch’s regular collaborator Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboards and backing vocals. This isn't Chickenfoot mkII. The Hagar-fronted supergroup made a point of not playing Van Halen and this tour will be the first time that many Van Hagar era tracks will be performed live since the 2004 reunion tour.

It was and remains a bummer that the whole will they/won’t they talk of a Van Halen tribute tour to salute Eddie Van Halen’s legacy fizzled out into nothing but this is pretty huge, and for those jonesing to hear Van Halen tracks played live, at high volume with a bona-fide GOAT on electric guitar, it is as good as it gets.

The Best of All Worlds Summer 2024 Tour kicks off on 13 July 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and comprises a coast-to-coast 28-date run, with Loverboy in support.

The setlist will be culled from tracks such as – and we quote – “Finish What Ya Started, 5150, Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy, Best Of Both Worlds, Poundcake, Sexy Little Thing, One Way To Rock, Right Now, Good Enough, Eagles Fly and more”.

Tantalisingly, the poster lists Runnin' With The Devil, Panama and Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love along the bottom, suggesting we will hear tracks from all eras of Van Halen alongside classic Hagar solo material and of course the odd choice cut from Chickenfoot.

Okay, we’re sold. Hagar says he was sold on the idea at his 76th birthday party, when it dawned on him that this was something of a now or never deal, and it sure was a long time coming.

The commercial success of The Collection II, which was released on 6 October, collecting remasters of Hagar’s four albums with Van Halen – 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance – suggested that perhaps this was overdue. People had waited long enough to hear those songs again.

“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the ’04 Best Of Both Worlds Tour,” he said. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I.

“We were at my Birthday Bash in Cabo for my 76th and looked at each other and high fived, like ‘let’s do it.’ We pulled out a couple of them and it was an instant lovefest with the fans from our first riffs. The music we created is going to outlive us all. They deserve to be heard so it’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.”

You’ll find tickets and dates and all that sort of stuff over at Hagar’s official site Red Rocker. Presale is open tomorrow (15 November).

It is looking like 2024 is going to be huge for Satriani, who will tour the states with the original G3 lineup of Satch, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson booked in for January, with spring seeing the historic Satch-Vai tour as the two guitar legends share the stage for the first time ever – and will collaborate on new music.

You can find out more on the Satch-Vai Tour at Steve Vai.