Sammy Hagar says Van Halen remains central to his career, but he wants to perform more material from Montrose, Chickenfoot and his solo years to satisfy longtime fans. He shared these thoughts via Billboard.
Hagar explained that his fans who have followed him since his early years deserve to hear songs from different periods of his career. He said performing too many Van Halen songs prevents him from including music that matters to these fans.
“The Van Halen stuff…is a great torch to carry, but I don’t want to be just that,” Hagar said. “I’m never done with Van Halen. I’ll always play five or six Van Halen songs. Van Halen was the pinnacle of my long f–kin’ five-decade career.”
“But that Montrose material’s as important to my heart as anything, my fans who have followed me since then deserve to hear a couple more Montrose songs and stuff from the Red (Rocker) years — a song like ‘Red’ or ‘Marching to Mars’ and stuff like that. They’re important to those fans who have followed me, and I can’t do that if I’m playing 14 Van Halen songs. So a little more Montrose, a little more Chickenfoot, (solo) stuff from the post-Van Halen years. People have let me know they want to hear it.”
Hagar described his current plans as uncertain. “I don’t know where or when I plan on doing that. I’m kind of in a limbo, confusion state [about what he wants to do, admittedly planning] a long break…to see what I want to do, and then go do it. [I’ve turned down] all these wonderful opportunities for next year in order to just chill and see what happens.”
Beyond music, Hagar expressed a desire to pursue work that could benefit others. “I could do anything I want. I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world. My career has been phenomenal. I’ve had such a fantastic run. I think what I’m looking for now is something I can do to help people and make some sort of statement or impact like that. It may not be musical, or maybe it’s something I can do with me and an acoustic guitar. I do things like that quietly and on the side now, but I’d like to make that front line.”
“That would be a wonderful thing if that light went on and, ‘Wow, I have an opportunity to help people that need help.’ That’s my goal. I’m being transparent right now because I don’t know what I want to do yet. I need some time off to figure it out, but I’ll do something.”
Hagar is currently taking a break from touring to reconsider his direction, having declined performance offers for the coming year. His goal is to determine what he wants to pursue next.
Hagar’s career spans multiple decades and includes work with several major acts. He joined Montrose in the summer of 1973 and appeared on the band’s self-titled debut album later that year, though guitarist and bandleader Montrose fired him in 1974 over disputes about the band’s musical direction. After leaving Montrose in the mid-1970s, Hagar launched a solo career and released his debut album Nine on a Ten Scale in 1976, followed by his 1977 album often called The Red Album, which features the song “Red” and gave him his nickname “The Red Rocker.”
Hagar joined Van Halen as the band’s second lead singer in 1985 and first performed with them during their tour in March 1986. He remained with Van Halen through 1996, returned from 2003 to 2005, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2007. His first post-Van Halen solo album, Marching to Mars, came out in 1997 and represents another chapter in his solo work that he now wants to highlight more in his performances.
Chickenfoot, formed in 2008 from impromptu jams at Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina, brought him together with Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Joe Satriani. The band released its debut album in 2009 and a second album, Chickenfoot III, in 2011. These projects represent the kinds of material Hagar believes his longtime supporters want to hear alongside Van Halen songs.
Most recently, Hagar completed a 2026 tour with Rick Springfield and the Best of All Worlds Band, which included Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and drummer Kenny Aronoff. That tour ran through June 2026, and Hagar now plans an extended break with no tour scheduled for 2027, the year he turns 80. His statement about taking time away to figure out his next direction comes after this tour concludes.
