Matt Wardlaw of Ultimate Classic Rock reports:
If Sammy Hagar has his way, he’d like to give his fans the best of both worlds with a tour that would feature both of his supergroups, the Circle and Chickenfoot, on the road as a touring package.
“My dream is is to do a Circle/Chickenfoot tour together. We each play 50 minutes or maybe an hour each — [we’ll] see how long I can sing like that — Mike [Michael Anthony] can play bass all night, you know? [Guitarist] Vic [Johnson] and everybody else, we just switch out with Joe [Satriani] and Chad [Smith] and Jason [Bonham], two drum kits up there so that everybody’s playing their own s— and I think that could be the coolest tour I maybe have ever done.”
For Hagar, the pairing would do a lot to help keep all of his fans happy, especially the ones that want to see him tour and make new music with Chickenfoot.
“To go in the studio and spend a half a million dollars to make a great record that’s going to sell forty or fifty thousand….maybe a hundred thousand records, [you] basically pay to play and you’re going to lose money on that,” he says. “And then you go out and tour with a band that could sell two or three thousand tickets in any city in the world, but you know, flying around in a private jet and staying in Four Seasons hotels and all of that and with these four guys, we’re all rich, so it’s like, we don’t need the money, but at the same time, to go out and do 60 or 70 shows and come back and make as much as I make in one night after a year of that, is pretty hard.”
“I don’t do things for money, but it’s pretty difficult to put everything else aside. Because I’m saying, “Okay, if I’m putting a year of my life aside, I’m not going to make any money, number one. Which I don’t need money, it’s okay, I can get away with that. But the energy that it takes to do all of that and my fans sit there and hound me, as much as they love Chickenfoot, they hound me to go out and do [the songs from my history]. “We want to hear this song, we want to hear that song,” and I’m going, “F—, now I’ve gotta go back out and work again, I’m f—in’ beat,” you know?”
Happily, there is new music in the works from both groups, which Hagar is really excited about, including a new Chickenfoot song called “Before I Die.”
“What we decided to do [with Chickenfoot] is casually write a record the way we’re doing now. Like, Joe and I get together and get the song and then Chad put drums on one song already and Mikey put bass on it and we did the vocals. We’ve got one f—ing finished song that to me, is the coolest song that we’ve maybe ever had. It’s really bluesy and edgy and modern and it’s f—ing cool.”
He’s quick to praise his Chickenfoot bandmates and share the reasons why he knows he’ll continue to make music with the band.
“I love Chickenfoot. It’s just that for me, being able to play my whole career with the Circle is so important to me,” he says. “I’ve gotta tell ya, the chemistry in the Circle is right up there with the chemistry in Chickenfoot, when Chad’s in the band, Chad, Mike and I. It’s the same kind of thing — it’s just a little bit different. Chickenfoot, I think may be the most creative band I’ve ever been in. I think it’s even more creative than Van Halen was in a sense. Joe is so prolific that Joe can write 20 pieces of music, beginning to end, bridge, chorus, solo section, intro, outro and just bring it and say, ‘How do you like this?’ And we go, ‘Wow, that’s great,’ or ‘Eh, it don’t feel right to us — it sounds like Joe solo.’ You know, whatever!”
“Having a guy like that in the band that is so freakin’ prolific — I’ve never seen a musician in my life [like that] — because he reads and he writes and he studies…he’s a professor, so he’s theorizing with music,” Hagar explains. “I say, how about some mid-tempo thing like ‘Every Breath You Take’ by the Police. Joe walks in the next day and he’s got it. How about something like ‘Black Dog,’ which was ‘Soap On A Rope,’ with the breaks where the vocal is and the next day Joe walks in with that. I mean, not just an idea….that whole f—in’ piece and all I had to do is write lyrics and come up with a melody and that f—in’ song was done. That’s the way Joe is. Being in a band with that kind of creativity and the engine of Chad and Mike on the rhythm section is second to nothing. You know, Mike and Jason [Bonham] are bad-ass too, don’t get me wrong, but I have to do another record with that band, because it’s so creative.”
Read more at Ultimate Classic Rock.
In news story posted here on September 10th, guitarist Joe Satriani confirmed that Chickenfoot were working a new song. Satriani stated, “I think all my complaining and foot stomping really had an effect“I think all my complaining and foot stomping really had an effect.”
source: ultimateclassicrock.com
4 Responses
They never toured extensively with Chickenfoot as a full band to begin with. Chad Smith always left to play with that other band he founded.
I think that idea of touring with Chickenfoot and the Circle would be pretty cool. Yeah, I know people don’t like Hagar era VH, but a whole lot of other people do. Vic Johnson doesn’t get enough props for his guitar playing either.
I love Van Hagar. But as I have said before, I still and will always prefer Van Halen with Roth, and Sammy solo/Montrose/Waboritas/Chickenfoot/Circle. Sammy & VH made a lot of great music together, and just imagine if Sammy never joined VH, who would have stepped in, Daryl Hall? Patty Smyth? Nothing against them, they’re both great at doing their thing, but could you imagine what Van Halen would have been like without Sammy?
Great idea touring with Chickenfoot and The Circle, “Best Of Both Worlds,” absolutely!
And your right Michael, Vic Johnson is a very underrated guitarist/musician, I’ve seen him live with The Wabos and The Circle, absolutely amazing player, and a damn good voice as well!
Sammy’s a smart guy. He’s loaded but he’s definitely not dumb with money, like a lot of people with that much net worth can be. The first Chickenfoot album went gold in the US. The second one one sold a fraction of that. I think enough time has passed and so many people have been outspoken about how they’d like a new Chickenfoot album that if they made a great one and promoted it right, it’d do good, at least better than the last one. But they’d have to really commit and if the the end results are losing money and putting stress on the guys in the band, then it’s not worth it. They can still tour, definitely. Do some shows, play some festivals, have some fun. Remember, Sammy will be 70 in a little over two years from now. He’s earned the right to do whatever he wants that makes him happy. I just think it’s cool that at his age, he as good of a singer and performer as ever. There’s guys who are 10, 15 even 20 years younger than him who are struggling and can’t sing like they once could.
I called it!
Led Hot Chickenfoot
Jason AND Chad would be awesome!
The Circle can open, some Zep and Sammy history.
Then Chickenfoot closes, bringing Sammy’s career retrospective full “Circle”
Count me in!