From Atlantic City Weekly:
The Red Rocker is co-owner of an Atlantic City beach bar, and will be performing at the resort town’s Boardwalk Hall with Aerosmith later this summer.
Cases are rampant of those who rise out of modest means to hit the heights of stardom only to crash hard. Sammy Hagar climbed that ladder, but his life could serve as the antithesis, the archetypal opposite of a celebrity train wreck. He’s a humanitarian, a successful businessman, and of course a rock ‘n’ roll hall-of-famer who’s enjoyed prosperous careers as both a solo artist and as a member of several bands, most notably as Van Halen’s frontman from 1985-’96.
He currently tours with two groups — Chickenfoot and the Waboritas — the latter of which will perform in Atlantic City with Aerosmith at Boardwalk Hall in August. A close friend of Harrah’s Eastern Division president Don Marrandino, Hagar and Harrah’s teamed to open Sammy Hagar’s Beach Bar (formerly Bally’s Beach Bar) over the 2010 Memorial Day weekend.
Hagar is also the founder/proprietor of the Cabo Wabo brand, which includes a premium line of tequilas and three Cabo Wabo cantinas, including the original in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He recently spoke with Atlantic City Weekly by phone.
Where did your nickname, The Red Rocker, come from?
I wrote this song called “Red” back in 1976 and I have a fixation with the color red. When I get into a red
Cabo San Lucas is pretty damn hot folks. The sun shines there about 350 days out of 365, and at night when that great ball of fire dips behind the famous arch of Land’s End, it only gets hotter. It was never hotter than the 3 tequila-soaked nights of April 22, 23, and 24th, as these days marked the 20th Anniversary of the famous “Cabo Wabo Cantina”. For those of you who have made the trek, you know what kind of off the chart party’s can occur when Sammy appears unannounced and tears up the stage for an awestruck crowd. Redhead and VH fans know to expect the unexpected as countless rock icons have shared the stage with Sammy over the past 2 decades. I myself have taken the long road to Cabo twice, but each time sadly missed the ‘Wham of Sam’. My first trip I missed him by a day. My second trip I actually missed him TWICE in one week! ( Can you believe that??? ) But as they say, the 3rd times’ the charm. Rightly so, for this trip was a going to be a little extra special as this time around I was actually invited to witness Sammy and Chickenfoot rock the house as thanks from the band themselves for conceiving and directing the animated video for “Get It Up”.
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