I'm sorry but this is NOT Van Halen. Not by a long shot. David Lee Roth was THE major force in getting Van Halen noticed and marketed and recognized in their swag and attitude. Sammy was great, but this is Van Hagar.
I prefer the original Van Halen with Dave Lee Roth -the original band, but I gotta admit Sammy Hagar is a helluva singer. He's got a better voice than Roth, of that there is no doubt, but he doesn't have Roth's attitude and swagger.
HA...anyone who only likes VH with Dave must be a lunatic. Sammy could sing ANY VH song. They are soooo limited with Dave. I like Dave and Sammy songs but come one. Watch their last tour with Roth. Ugh, awful. He sounds worse than ever and looks like a fool.
No. Sammy Hagar can definitely NOT song every VH song. Absolutely not. Sammy would suck singing "atomic punk" "outta love again" and pretty much any baddass VH song.
I dont understand why people hated Van Halen (the band) when Sammy stepped in... without him Van Halen would have stopped existing. He sings really well. besides it's not all about the vocals.. it's about the thrilling shows, wicked guitar riffs, and high energy.
i honestly think if eddie were forced to be honest, he wishes sammy was back with them, and hopefully, mike too. as much as i'm sure he enjoys playing with his son, he knows that sammy is the better singer than dave. some of those 2012 live vids of dave singing are just a joke. but he's not going to admit it. it's great to hear the classics but sammy pushed ed musically as mike has stated. mike was smart to go with sammy.
I've always defended the original Van Halen lineup and said this lineup was totally pansy. It's time to eat my words. Sammy Hagar can SING, and David Lee Roth cannot. I just watched the "Van Halen Live In Indy 2012" video and was horrified.
Agreed. David Lee Roth had this aura to him. He was a natural born showman. Born to rock. Now put DLR's swag together with Eddie's godly guitar skills and you have one hell of a band. With Sammy, it all just seemed so bland and boring. There's only a few hagar era songs that I find tolerable. Even then, I don't think much of them. The early Van Halen material is on a way higher level. Up there with Zeppelin, and Floyd.
In my opinion Van Halen with Sammy was great, but VH with DLR is superior. Dave was born to be the VH frontman. If Sammy played a concert with Van Halen tommorrow he would have to sing at least 10 Roth era songs. Roth doesn't have to sing a single Hagar era song with Van Halen currently. Sammy is a great singer though so no disrespect
I wish there were bands around the mainstream like this nowadays. All the good bands are tucked away in obscurity. Such a shame so much of the current scene really is shit.
Man, I am a big fan of the Roth era, but Sammy definitely kills it on this song, and the more I hear performances like this the more I am leaning towards the Van Hagar era!
@jnryfn Thanks. I think Van Halen rocks with both singers but I am huge Hagar fan I must admit. I don't honestly think that Van Halen would be relevant today if the roles were reversed and Sammy had been the first singer and Roth replaced him. Some people don't age well and I think DLR is one of them. Be interesting to see how their new album with Dave does after the nostalga haze wears off. By the way Journey Rocks also too!!
@cell9song Agreed - There are some 78/79 clips of Dave actually singing live but anything later Mike held it together - I'm guessing there'll be a LOT of pre-recording for their next tour...
To those bashing what Sammy is weariing.. It's music.. not fashion and also on that note... what could be worse than David Lee Roth prancing around in tight leather assless pants? And you want to knock Hagar, seriously? The Red Rocker Rules!!
