Sammy Hagar Beats the Storm and Delivers an Unforgettable Michigan Show
Legendary rocker Sammy Hagar brought his The Best of All Worlds Tour to Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, on June 17.
The tour stop marked the third night of a nine-show summer tour that began in St. Louis, Missouri, and will wrap up in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Sammy's trek also featured a stop at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, on June 19.
The show in Mt. Pleasant began a bit early in an effort to beat potential rain and storms later in the evening. Local Detroit talent The Tano Jones Revelry opened the show. The musical trio warmed up the crowd with their American soul sounds performing songs “Daisy,” “Light It” and their breakout single “What About Me” from their debut album, “Spinning North.”
Rick Springfield Proves He's Still a Crowd Favorite
Next up was a high energy performance from 1980’s heartthrob musician/actor Rick Springfield. Rick and his band performed all the hits that crowds loved him for, including his Top 10 singles “I’ve Done Everything For You,” ”Affair Of The Heart” and “Love Somebody.”
Is Rick still a heartthrob? Judging by the reactions of female fans as he took a stroll through the crowd while performing “Human Touch,” the answer is yes. Rick ended his set going shirtless during his 1981 #1 single, “Jessie’s Girl.”
Sammy Hagar's All-Star Band Steals the Spotlight
After a brief intermission, headliner Sammy Hagar took the stage with an all-star cast of musicians including background vocalist and bassist Michael Anthony, guitar phenom and 15-time Grammy nominee Joe Satriani, in-demand drummer Kenny Aronoff, and keyboardist Nathan McConnell. Each band member had moments to show off their respective crafts, making Sammy's concert as much an exhibition of talents as it was the songs themselves.
READ MORE: Who Else Is Rocking Michigan? Check Out MMQ's Concert Calendar
Most of the show, Sammy stayed at the front of the stage with his microphone in hand, pacing back and forth from side to side. Every once in a while, he'd grab his guitar to jam out with his “brothers.” Early in the show, he told the crowd that “when you have a guy on stage like Satriani, you don’t need to touch a guitar or even want to. The guy is a masterful genius with the strings.”
Sammy’s set was filled heavily with hits from Van Halen including “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Summer Nights,” “Right Now” and “Good Enough.” He didn’t shy away from adding some of his own originals such as “There’s Only One Way To Rock,” “Mas Tequila,” “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55.”
With the looming threat of severe weather, Sammy joked with the crowd early on that "we all have to play nice and keep the 'rain gods' happy so that we can get the show in." As the show began to wrap up, he told the crowd “we have one more song to perform but we don’t want the show to end. We have been dealt a blessing with the weather holding off, but we all know that as soon as the show is over, the 'rain gods' are going to make us pay for making them wait.”
An Emotional Tribute to Eddie Van Halen
The show came to a close with a video showing Sammy laying in bed and having a dream filled with memories. He awakes from the dream and sees Eddie Van Halen from behind, standing "in front of the light." Sammy begins to write down notes from the dream and other memories. Sammy said he'd worked on it for years and it finally became a song in a tribute to Eddie. He ended the Soaring Eagle show with the tribute song, “Encore, Thank You, Good Night,” and a chant of “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!” filling the venue.
And just as the crowd began to make its way to the exits, the sky opened up and poured rain for the rest of the night.
Photos From Sammy Hagar's Soaring Eagle Concert
Sammy Hagar - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, 6/17/26
Gallery Credit: JR
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Gallery Credit: JR
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