The “Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Presents: Sammy Hagar and the Wabos featuring Michael Anthony” tour will come to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 5 at 10 a.m.
For almost 40 years, Sammy Hagar has been one of rock music’s most dynamic and prolific artists. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band Montrose to his multiplatinum solo career to his ride as the front man of Van Halen, the “Red Rocker” has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written—songs like “I Can’t Drive 55,” “Right Now,” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.” He’s earned the highest respects of the music industry including a Grammy award, an induction alongside Van Halen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is currently on his fourth platinum run with the super group Chickenfoot. Along his journey, he’s also become a dedicated philanthropist, a New York Times bestselling author and an auspicious entrepreneur.
The Red Rocker scored the 11th Billboard Top 25 album of his career this week when his new album Sammy Hagar & Friends debuted at #23 on the US Billboard 200. The album marks the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s highest charting solo album in 18 years, since 1997’s Marching To Mars. The album also scored the #7 Rock Album and #5 Independent Album release for Frontiers Records this week.
Hagar burst onto the scene in San Francisco as the lead singer of Montrose. Following a string of eight solo albums, culminating in several platinum efforts and hundreds of sold out concert appearances across the country; Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985 and took the band to unprecedented heights, including four consecutive #1 albums before the band broke up in the mid ‘90s. He later returned to Van Halen to lead a triumphant 2004 reunion tour.
Aside from making his mark as a hit songwriter and lead vocalist, Hagar has played with a succession of genius guitar players from Ronnie Montrose and Neal Schon to Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani from his current group, Chickenfoot, which also features former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
In 2011, he released his highly anticipated autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, which reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Hagar’s hardscrabble upbringing instilled in him an unstoppable work ethic that’s been the driving force behind his rise to the top as a musician and entrepreneur – and continues to fuel his dedication as a philanthropist.
“Being a poor kid is a little humiliating and it instilled in me a desire to be somebody,” Hagar remarked. “It’s where all my drive comes from. I was willing to work hard to ensure I was never poor again. And now, it’s like, I still got that feeling but now it drives me to wanna give back and to show kids that if you work hard there’s gonna be an open door out.”
Hagar, who celebrates his birthday in epic fashion, every year, with his friends and fans known as “Redheads” at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, expanded his Cantina brand with locations in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. He also has successfully launched seven Sammy’s Beach Bar and Grill restaurants, of which he donates his proceeds back to local charities and in September, 2012, he bolstered his restaurant businesses once again, opening the first Sammy’s Rockin’ Island Bar & Grill in Roseville, CA.
In his quest to find a tequila worthy of the Cabo Wabo name, Hagar began a partnership with a local multi-generational family of tequila makers in Mexico – and the rest as they say is history. 15 years later, having already conquered the tequila market, he’s turned his attention to rum. The part-time Maui resident maintained his “act local” philosophy, partnering with one of the Island’s Master Distillers, Mark Nigbur, to cultivate the very best rum. In its first year on the market, the Spirit of Aloha is again on Hagar’s side with Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum garnering praise and awards including being named “Best of Show” at the highly competitive 2012 Nightclub and Bar Show in Las Vegas.
He continues to tour the world with Chickenfoot and Sammy and the Wabos, donating back to the local food banks in every city they play.
Tickets cost $74, $64, $54 and $44*; all seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.myhrl.com, www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.