SAMMY HAGAR Admits 2026 U.K. Tour Itinerary Was 'Revised' After He Couldn't Sell Out Originally Announced Shows

In a new interview with "The Neil Jones Rock Show" on U.K.'s TotalRock, rock icon Sammy Hagar discussed the upcoming U.K. leg of his "The Best Of All Worlds" tour. Inspired by the success of his recent Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live, the July 2026 dates were recently reconfigured to prioritize similar venues across the U.K. The updated routing also allows for a special multi-night run in London, where Hagar and his band will be among the first artists to headline the British Airways ARC.

Addressing the fact that the upcoming shows will mark his first live performances in the U.K. in three decades, not counting his appearance at the "Back To The Beginning" concert in Birmingham last July, Hagar said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the Ozzy [Osbourne] concert [at Villa Park] was what really provoked me to say, 'I have to get back over there.' When I walked out on stage, I was so nervous because I hadn't been there in so long. I was saying, 'Do these people remember me? Do they even know who I am?' Sharon [Osbourne] and Ozzy personally asked me to be on that show, and I wouldn't have turned it down for anything. But honestly, I was a little nervous about it. And when I went out there, I really felt a little bit under… It wasn't like, 'Sammy Hagar, yeah!' It was, like, 'Okay, let's see what this guy's still got.' So, I told my manager the next day, I said, 'I wanna go play the U.K. I have to,' because there's so many fans over there that probably grew up on my music, that are probably kind of too old to be going to concerts, and the younger people that really don't know who I am. I can't live with that. The music that I made with VAN HALEN, with MONTROSE, with CHICKENFOOT, my solo stuff, I think it's too valuable to those that grew up on it to not go support it. So here I come."

Asked about the setlist for the U.K. shows, Hagar said: "Well, [it's going to be] the best of all worlds. That's what the whole thing is about. I love the fact that we get to do three shows in London. I love the fact that we've moved it to a smaller venue so it'll be full instead of playing some big giant place that holds 12 [thousand] but there's only 6,000 people there. The ambiance of that is so much different, and that's why we changed it. Guilty as charged — we didn't sell it out. I thought, 'Oh, we'll sell that out, no problem.' I'm an honest guy, so I'm telling you that the idea of doing more of a residency like what we've been doing in Las Vegas where I have 400-plus songs I've written in my life, and I'm not gonna go out and play 14 songs, have an opening act. No, you only get to play an hour and a half, and the show's over, I'm going, 'Uh, this is not sitting right with me.' So, the idea of playing three nights, especially in London, where we can do five or six different songs each night, and I just think that that's... For someone that can afford to buy three tickets, which I know it's tough, but they're gonna get a lot. They're gonna go, 'Wow, I can't believe they played that,' 'cause we play deep tracks. We play a little MONTROSE, a little 'Rock Candy' or 'Space Station #5' on a different night and whatever, play some of my solo stuff, 'Heavy Metal', '[There's Only] One Way to Rock', 'Mas Tequila', of course, that has to be played."

Referencing the fact that the U.K. leg of "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will once again feature 15-time Grammy nominee and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, Hagar said: "The idea of having Joe Satriani in the band is because he understands what Eddie Van Halen does. I don't know if you saw an interview he did recently — I saw the interview, I'm going, 'He fricking gets it. He gets it.' And so we dive deep into VAN HALEN. And songs like '5150', the 'Twister' soundtrack [song], 'Humans Being', deep tracks like that, we go into that. Not just the hits, not just 'Right Now', not just 'Why Can't This Be Love' and 'Top Of The World' and those things. But we play those songs too. So the setlist is gonna be deep, and it's gonna have a CHICKENFOOT song. Some nights we'll play 'Oh Yeah', some nights we'll play 'Sexy Little Thing', some nights we'll play 'Big Foot'. So I really think that it's gonna be hard to try to squeeze it all into one night anywhere, but we're gonna play a pretty long set, like what we did in Vegas."

In addition to Satriani, Hagar's backing back for the U.K. shows will include fellow Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Michael Anthony (also formerly of VAN HALEN) and powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff.

Next month Sammy will return to the U.K. for his first tour since 1996, with a setlist celebrating his legendary 50-plus-year catalog of hits, including the deepest dive yet into his tenure with VAN HALEN. The U.K. tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their careers. Fans can expect a setlist featuring hits like "Why Can't This Be Love", "5150", "Best Of Both Worlds", "I Can't Drive 55" and more. This will be the first time Sammy Hagar has performed VAN HALEN classics in the U.K. since the band's iconic Wembley Stadium shows 30 years ago. The supergroup will take to the stage at three venues in the U.K.: University of Wolverhampton at the Civic Hall, Manchester O2 Apollo, and finally the London British Airways ARC for a three-night residency.

Sammy Hagar's "The Best Of All Worlds" 2026 U.K. tour:

July 6 - Wolverhampton, UK - University Of Wolverhampton At The Civic Hall
July 7 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo Manchester
July 9 - London, UK - British Airways ARC
July 11 - London, UK - British Airways ARC
July 12 - London, UK - British Airways ARC

For more than five decades, Hagar has been recognized as one of the best and most accomplished lead singers and songwriters in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band MONTROSE, to his multi-platinum solo career, to his ride as the frontman of VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT and his latest best-selling supergroup, THE CIRCLE, Hagar has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. Along his journey, he has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written with songs like "I Can't Drive 55", "Right Now" and "Why Can't This Be Love", and earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Since launching his flagship Cabo Wabo Cantina in 1990, he's turned a lifelong passion for great food, music and spirits into a thriving and iconic lifestyle brand. A pioneer in the spirits industry, Hagar's development and nine-figure sale of his Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari in 2008 is widely credited as the start of the celebrity-owned spirits trend. His portfolio of spirits now includes Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, Santo Tequila and Sammy's Beach Bar Cocktail Co., as well as several restaurants. Never one to hit the brakes, he's also found success in publishing, TV, radio and beyond, including five seasons of his hit TV show "Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar" and as host of "Sammy Hagar's Top Rock Countdown", his syndicated radio show that's broadcast on over 90 U.S. stations. He's also a New York Times bestselling author, a dedicated philanthropist and since January 5, 2022, the first Honorary Ambassador to Los Cabos, an honor he was bestowed in recognition of his longtime investment in the people and economy of Mexico.