VAN HALEN NEWS DESK

Cabo Wabo Cantina’s 20th Anniversary Party (April 2010)

sam_ed_cabo_90

Sammy Hagar posted the following message today. The PHOTO & VIDEOS are from the Grand Opening of the Cabo Wabo Cantina in 1990. Cantina Anniversary!! Redheads, Sure, I love my birthday, and you know I love the Birthday Bash, but this year let’s celebrate the Cantina’s birthday! That’s right, twenty years of the Cabo Wabo [...]

VH reference on No Reservations

There was a unexpected Van Halen reference on a recent episode of No Reservations. In 1989, Panama’s military dictator, Manuel Noriega, fled from US troops during the US’s invasion of Panama. A manhunt ensued. Eventually he was discovered hiding inside the Vatican embassy in Panama, and U.S. troops set up a perimeter outside the building. [...]

The Recording Of OU812, In Sammy Hagar’s Words

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This interview with Martin Popoff, Sammy Hagar gives a thorough retrospective of Van Halen’s OU812 album. The interview is from MartinPopoff.com. The photos are from the VHND archives. Enjoy! Van Halen – OU812 (Warner ’88, 25732) Kinda breaking my own rule here about really reserving this column for albums I think are sterling, fetching or [...]

Holiday greetings from Sammy

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Holiday Greetings 2009 – Sammy’s special message to all the Redheads:

Sammy Hagar KSHE Interview

Sammy KSHE Interview

Favazz from St. Louis’s KSHE interviews Sammy Hagar in Las Vegas. Sammy Talks about the Foot tour & DVD, and makes a concert announcement for St. Louis. Click the photo to hear the 8 minute interview.

Sammy Hagar’s 18-year journey from Baja to the Strip

From Las Vegas Sun:

Sammy Hagar's grand opening of Cabo Wabo Cantina at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile on Dec. 4, 2009.

By Robin Leach

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 | 6:02 p.m.

Rocker Sammy Hagar has finally opened his Las Vegas flagship outpost of Cabo Wabo Cantina that he founded in 1991. It’s taken 18 years to bring the party playground up from the Mexican Baja to Sin City. Just hours before its official weekend opening in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops, Sammy flew in from his San Francisco Bay Area home to give me a tour and chat about his near two-decade journey:

Robin Leach: For a man who loves the rock and roll of Las Vegas, why the heck did it take you so long to bring Cabo Wabo here?

Sammy Hagar: Tell me about it. I have been trying to make different deals in this town, and something would always happen. Maybe the guy I was trying to do it with would get fired or the building would get repossessed. It’s crazy, and I didn’t want to be attached to just anything because Cabo Wabo has such a vibe, its own energy and theme, that it doesn’t go along with some of the other themes of the hotels. And these other theme hotels were trying to get me to put a Cabo Wabo in, and I was like no, it doesn’t work there, it has to be kind of standalone. I have just been too uppity.

RL: How long has Cabo Wabo been in Cabo?

Click here to read the rest and view all the photos.

Kenny Chesney Jams With Sammy Hagar in Vegas

From TheBoot.com: One could only imagine the collective gasp of millions of heartbroken fans all across the country earlier this year, when Kenny Chesney announced he wouldn’t be touring in 2010. But last Friday night on the Las Vegas Strip, there was a collective gasp of quite a different kind, when Kenny strolled onstage unexpectedly [...]

Van Halen songs in the movies

Better Off Dead

The following is a list of all the Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Sammy Hagar songs that were featured in movies throughout the years.  A “*” indicates that the song was released on the official soundtrack for the film. Thanks to Dave Vincent and to the Van Halen Encyclopedia for this list. This is [...]

Sammy Hagar rocks Cabo Wabo Cantina with surprise performance during Vegas visit

From Examiner.com: Sammy Hagar poses with the sexy staff of Las Vegas’ Cabo Wabo Cantina. The Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar, paid a visit to his newly-opened Las Vegas restaurant and nightlife experience Cabo Wabo Cantina at the Miracle Mile Shops inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Sat., Nov. 14. Hagar delivered his official seal of [...]

Maxim video: A Drink with Sammy Hagar

From Maxim.com: The “Red Rocker” talks about Cabo, his new band Chickenfoot and why he still can’t drive 55.

Gibson Interview: Sammy Hagar Talks Chickenfoot, Guitars, And Songwriting

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chickenfoot_logo_5150_design

Gibson recently conducted an in-depth interview with Sammy Hagar:

By Russell Hall, Aug. 28, 2009

To paraphrase a well-known ad slogan, with a name like Chickenfoot they had better be good.

And are they ever. Comprised of guitar maestro Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and Van Halen alumni Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, the star-studded Chickenfoot is one of those rare supergroups whose whole is better than the sum of its parts. First and foremost they are a band – a well-oiled unit that sounds as if its members have been playing together for years rather than just months.

Released in June, Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut rocks with a vengeance, mixing scorched-earth metal with good-timey riff-rock in ways that bring to mind more virtuosic versions of, say, AC/DC or Grand Funk Railroad. On tour, the band has been treating fans to a well-rounded set that includes such treats as the Montrose classic “Bad Motor Scooter” and Deep Purple’s “Highway Star,” as well as all the songs from the Chickenfoot album.

While recording the studio disc, Hagar left all the six-string duties to Satriani, but on-stage the charismatic frontman breaks out his trusty Explorer Pro and his Les Paul for several songs. In this first installment of a two-part interview, the veteran singer talks about the Chickenfoot’s chemistry, how Satriani differs from Eddie Van Halen, and his go-to guitars.

Click “Read the rest” for the full interview with Sammy.

Sammy Hagar’s 2009 Birthday Bash!

Mike, Sam, Emeril & Matt Sorum - 2009 Bash

Welcome to the Van Halen News Desk’s “Cabo Wabo Birthday Bash” recap, which features setlists of all 5 of the wild concerts during the bash, videos of Chickenfoot’s soundcheck at the Cantina, and newly imported Cabo Wabo merchandise. Enjoy! First, here’s what Sammy Hagar had to say after the bash: “Wow….I am sitting on the [...]