“I don't think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that”: Sammy Hagar reveals his touring days are over

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Hagar clarifies this does not mean he's retiring – but at 77, he prefers residencies over the stresses of touring

Sammy Hagar performs at the grand opening of Caspian's Cocktails and Caviar at Caesars Palace on January 10, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada
(Image credit: Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caspian's Cocktails and Caviar at Caesars Palace)

Touring for over five decades might be enough for Sammy Hagar – especially after traversing the States, Canada, and Japan with the Van Halen-coded Best of All Worlds Tour last year, alongside Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham.

“I don't think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that, because I don't want to piss my fans off,” the 77-year-old Hagar tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal, ahead of a recent guest appearance at Caspian’s Cocktails & Caviar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

“I'll go out and do a one-off show and do things like that, but the residency is going to give me a good extension of my career. That's what I'm hoping for.”

The Red Rocker points to his upcoming Las Vegas residency – The Best of All Worlds Tour: The Residency, scheduled for April 30–May 17 at Dolby Live – as his ideal format to continue his stage career without being forced to retire.

“With this, I don't have to travel, I don't have to unpack and pack and get on an airplane every day,” Hagar explains. “You know, at my age, it hurts my shoulders to do all this. And I have to perform. I'm a performer, at the end of the day.

“I keep telling my manager, ‘Don’t take any tours, let me do this residency. If I like it enough, I’ll do another one. And if that’s successful I’ll do another one, and I can squeeze a few more years out of my career.’”

Last November, Hagar shared plans to continue paying tribute to Eddie Van Halen via a song he's written with Best of All Worlds bandmate Joe Satriani and Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and Sammy Hagar and the Circle bassist Michael Anthony.

Janelle Borg
Janelle Borg

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.

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