Review: Sammy Hagar & The Best Of All Worlds Band – The Residency
Sammy Hagar & The Best Of All Worlds Band – The Residency
Format: CD – Digital / Label: Universal
Release: 2025
Text: Martien Koolen
If you want to party and rock and roll, then this is the perfect album to do so. Sammy Hagar released a live album with performances from his Las Vegas residency, and he plays with the Best of Both World Band, featuring Joe – Satch – Satriani (guitar), Michael Anthony (bass guitar), Kenny Aronoff (drums), and Rai Thistlewayte (guitar, vocals, keys).
This a 100% pure, high-energy rock and roll live album, featuring eighteen tracks celebrating Sammy Hagar’s legendary music catalogue. The album kicks off with Hagar’s latest single called Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, starting with snippets of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic instrumental track Eruption and yes, Satch really nails those arpeggios for sure!
Top Of The World from Van Halen’s 1991 ‘F.U.C.K. (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge)’ album follows and it is a blast, while other Van Halen songs like Right Now, 5150, Poundcake and Best Of Both World also give the audience lots of energy and warm memories indeed. The oldest Van Halen song played is the Roth-era track Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love from their debut album, released way back in 1978!
The setlist also contains some Sammy Hagar solo songs, like Eagles Fly from the ‘I Never Said Goodbye’ album (1987), Rock Candy from the ‘Montrose’ album (1973), Heavy Metal from ‘Standing Hampton’ (1982) I Can’t Drive 55 from the ‘VOA’ album (1984) and Mas Tequila from Sammy Hagar & The Wabos album ‘Red Voodoo’.
Highlights, at least for me, are: Why Can’t This Be Love, Humans Being, Love Walks In and When It’s Love, the latter ending this great album almost perfectly indeed! ‘The Residency’ is a living tribute to over forty years of rock history and so turn this album up very LOUD indeed and enjoy, as there is only one way to rock, right?
Tracks:
CD 1
01. Encore, Thank You, Goodnight
02. Top Of The World
03. Panama
04. Summer Nights
05. There’s Only One Way To Rock
06. Humans Being
07. Right Now
08. 5150
09. Poundcake
10. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
11. Eagles Fly
CD 2
01. Best Of Both Worlds
02. Why Can’t This Be Love
03. Rock Candy
04. Mas Tequila
05. Heavy Metal
06. I Can’t Drive 55
07. Love Walks In
Website: https://www.redrocker.com/