Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer, Sammy Hagar, recently announced the long-awaited The Best of All Worlds 2024 tour. Hagar will be joined by rock heavyweights and longtime bandmates Michael Anthony (bass, backing vocals), Jason Bonham (drums) and Joe Satriani (guitar). 

Satriani recently spoke with Guitar World about how he became involved in the tour and recebntly performing Van Halen classics on The Howard Stern Show. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: What's your mindset like preparing for The Best Of All Worlds tour?

Satriani: "It's daunting to suddenly think, 'How am I going to get this stuff under my fingers?' I explained this to Sammy by saying, 'Look, I can't start learning this stuff until I finish these paintings I’m commissioned for.' But afterward, I had a few days to review the ever-changing setlists thrown my way by Mike and Sammy, who were so enthusiastic and have been playing these songs forever."

Q: Was it difficult to play catch up? 

Satriani: "I kept saying, 'I've never played that one, or I don't know it yet,' and that's what I explained to Howard Stern. After being a super-fan of Van Halen when they first came out, I realized that if I learned how to play this stuff, it would seep into my playing. So, around ‘88, I consciously decided not to figure it out. I'd put it on and have a good time, but I never looked to figure out what Eddie was doing."

Q: What songs are you most excited to tackle?

Satriani: "I'm looking forward to playing songs like 'The Seventh Seal', where Eddie had a huge, cinematic approach to the compositions. There are some great grooves, and then there's the gorgeous guitar sounds, and when you play them, like when playing '5150', you look at your fingers and say, 'Man, this is beautiful.' It's one thing to listen, but when you play them, you go, 'This is so much fun; it's no wonder Eddie had so much fun playing this.' What Eddie accomplished with all-encompassing rhythm and melodic guitar parts is just so great. So, I look forward to that. And, of course, I want to do 'Panama' and 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love', too."

Check out the complete interview here.

Hagar, Satriani, Anthony and Bonham guested on the The Howard Stern Show on November 14th as news of the tour began ramping up. Check out clips from the extensive interview below.

"Best Of Both Worlds"

"Good Enough"

"Summer Nights"

What's Eddie Van Halen’s Most Difficult Guitar Riff to Play?

"Right Now"

Produced by Live Nation and featuring special guests Loverboy, the 28-date Best Of All Worlds tour will commence on July 13 in West Palm Beach, FL and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, MO. For tickets and more details, go to RedRocker.com.

The tour follows on the heels of the chart-topping success of The Collection II, the box set released October 6 featuring newly remastered versions of the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era of Van Halen: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988),  For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge  (1991), and Balance (1995). A reminder to fans of the arsenal of hits, many which haven’t been played live since the band’s 2004 reunion tour. Collectively, Anthony, Satriani and Bonham have played together in nearly every phase of Hagar’s career including Van Halen, Chickenfoot and The Circle, so fans can expect a setlist which draws from some of the biggest rock anthems of the last 4-decades, including, "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. They’ve also enlisted legendary Australian musician, Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboard and backing vocals. The tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their career.

“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,” said Hagar. “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."

Tour dates:

July
13 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
14 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre          
16 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre                                   
19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
20 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
22 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC  
24 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater                       
26 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
27 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center                                
29 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center                                
31 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage                             

August
2 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
3 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena                         
11 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre               
13 - Spokane, WA - Airway Heights, WA BECU Live at Northern Quest
14 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resort Amphitheater            
16 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
17 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord            
19 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre           
22 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion   
25 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP                      
27 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
28 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena                          
30 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
31 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

(Photo - Timothy Morris)