Why Sammy Hagar Is Changing His Mind About Touring

Sammy Hagar’s new song, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” might sound like he’s about to hang it all up, but don’t be fooled. He’s not waving goodbye anytime soon.

“Well, there ain’t going to be a tour. I’m doing a residency, and it’s not a farewell residency,” Hagar laughed during a chat on the UCR Podcast. “But I must tell you, I’ve been hinting at this. I would never say I’m retiring, because I don’t know how to do that, number one, and I don’t want to do that, number two. I’d probably be lying if I said I was and did — and then I’d come back like everybody else. I don’t want to do all that.”

Instead of a farewell tour, Hagar is embracing the idea of settling in one place for a bit.

“I took the residency, which I’d been hesitant about playing the same place, same building, that many nights in a row, early on in my career. But now I love it.”

Why a Residency Works for Hagar

In the past, Hagar hated doing multiple nights at the same venue, even when he was with Van Halen. He shared:

“I used to hate it when Van Halen played four nights at Madison Square Garden. I’m going, ‘F**, I gotta worry about what I said last night.’
“You know, I don’t want to play the same songs and we don’t have time to rehearse. I’m one of those kind of guys. I’m very nervous about repeating myself.”

But these days, he sees the upside of staying put. He explained:

“If I don’t have to travel, I’ll be fresher, I’ll be able to eat better, I’ll be able to sleep better and I’ll be fresher for the shows.
“I think maybe it’s time for me to do that and see if that works. If that works, I can continue on.”

More Residencies? Yes. Full Tours? Probably Not.

Hagar’s Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency kicks off April 30 and runs through May 17, and he’s already thinking ahead. If all goes well, he’d love to do “two or three residencies a year,” but he’s steering clear of full-blown tours. He admitted:

“I don’t want to do that to myself, my body and my voice.
“I’m too emotional. If I get sick and I have to cancel shows, f**, I lay in bed and cry like a baby. I hate it. I feel so sorry for my fans.”

While fans might argue that playing live is a way to show love, Hagar’s concern runs deeper.

“I care so much about my fans that I just don’t want to go on tour. … I care too much to go out there and maybe do a bad show or have to cancel.”

As for the idea of a farewell tour, Hagar is crystal clear: “Those sound like a money grab to me. I would just do [a tour] and then I would say bye after I did it.” In other words, if he ever decides to walk away, he’ll do it his way—with no gimmicks.

The Story Behind “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight”

Hagar first teased this song back in 2022 when it was simply called “Thank You.” Now fully finished, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight” features an all-star team: longtime collaborator Joe Satriani, former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, and drummer Kenny Aronoff.

The story behind the track is just as emotional as the title suggests. Hagar shared that the song actually came to him in a dream where the late Eddie Van Halen appeared and showed him a guitar lick. That became the foundation of the new song. Hagar said:

“I’ve been living with this song for two years. I sing it constantly. I wake up in the morning. I sing it. My wife sees me sitting on the couch, you know, with the guitar, singing the verses and the choruses.
“That’s all I had. I had verse/chorus/verse, but I didn’t have all of the lyrics.”

Thanks to Satriani’s help, the song blossomed into something truly special. Hagar gushed:

“Joe wrote this unbelievable musical piece from it, the intro and the bridges, the exit and the solo section, oh my God. I mean, it’s so channeling Eddie. I can’t believe it.
“He and I decided to write it about the whole experience.”

Listen to “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight” now and see why Sammy’s still at the top of his game: