The electrifying anticipation surrounding Sammy Hagar's Best Of Both Worlds tour has been escalating at a fever pitch since its initial announcement last November. The excitement has only intensified in the wake of the also recently disclosed unsuccessful attempts to orchestrate an all-star Van Halen tribute. Finally, on a typical South Florida hot evening, a passionate crowd of 11,000 eager fans converged upon West Palm Beach's sprawling iTHINK Amphitheater. They were there to witness a truly remarkable spectacle: a powerhouse ensemble featuring two legendary Van Halen veterans (Hagar and Anthony), joined by virtuosic guitar wizard extraordinaire Joe Satriani, thunderous drummer Jason Bonham, and the nimble-fingered Australian keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte. This quintet tore through a 21-song setlist that not only ignited joy but also evoked poignant tears from hundreds of enraptured attendees.

 

To address the burning question on everyone's minds: did Satriani's fretwork do justice to Eddie Van Halen's immortal guitar licks? The resounding answer is an unequivocal yes. Not that anyone harbored serious doubts about Satriani's prowess, but his performance was nothing short of both truthful and mesmerizing at times. The explosive triple-threat opening salvo of "Good Enough," followed by the thunderous "Poundcake" – complete with a drill that deftly changed hands from Satch to Sammy at the song's inception – and the rollicking "Round around", dispelled any lingering notions of skepticism. I honestly think that the cohesive sound emanating from the stage was indistinguishable from what Van Halen might have produced had they continued touring to this day. It was, quite simply, that good.
 
Sammy sounded on point, gliding across the stage with the mic in his hands, and throwing hats, t-shirts, and jackets with his name and other several stuff at the first rows, in many cases signing them on the spot before sending them out into the crowd. Anthony’s high vocal register pierced the airwaves whenever he approached the mic to join Hagar, or when he took over to deliver an overcharged rendition of “Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love”, and both Bonham and Thistlethwayte added their parts with aplomb and accuracy, the latter also joining the background vocals.

 

If one were to voice a minor quibble, it would be the relative scarcity of early Van Halen material in the setlist. Only the iconic "Panama" and a substantial portion of "Jump" (as part of the climactic final medley) represented the band's early catalog. While many fans undoubtedly yearned to hear Satch's interpretation of classics like "Mean Street," "Unchained," or even a rendition of the legendary "Eruption," it's crucial to remember that the tour's primary focus was a celebration of Hagar's era with the band. Thus, despite our wistful desires, the carefully curated song selection fulfilled the tour's original purpose and served as a homage to the long career of one of the most successful rock and roll frontmen in the last 50 years. As a bonus, the inclusion of a nostalgic Montrose’ “Space Station No. 5”– the band that introduced Hagar to the limelight in the late 70s – and Chickenfoot’s rocker “Oh Yeah!” provided delightful variety to a selection that obviously touched on Sammy’s solo work via “There’s Only One Way To Rock”, “Eagles Fly”, “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55”.
 
To encapsulate the essence of the night in a mere handful of words: if you harbor a bit of affection for Sammy Hagar's illustrious tenure with Van Halen, or just wish to relive some of those durable generation-defining anthems that put Van Halen at the top of the tree of rock 'n' roll royalty, you are not going to want to miss this tour. This may as well be the last opportunity to watch these timeless hits being belted out again, and performed with passion and authenticity by two of the very architects who breathed life into their inception.