SAMMY ROCKS!! That's all there is to it. The man's voice and performance was incredible. As for DLR, the show was good and his band was great, but his singing SUCKS!!!! It seemed to take DLR about 4 or 5 songs to even get to the point were he sing MOST of the words. Yankee Rose was probably the WORST thing (vocally) I have ever heard in concert.

Sammy won this one hands down!

CGA

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Sammy was one of the first concerts I ever went to way back in 1983 (Three Lock Box tour)......I remember it like it was yesterday cuz Molly Hatchet opened and it was just a barrage or sound so cacophonously loud my buddy Shaun and I went to sit way in the back of the UND Fieldhouse to watch Sammy's set. Silly boys we were back then! I've had the fortune of seeing Sammy 4 times now (1983, 5150 tour, Marching to Mars at Red Rocks and this show at Nissan Pavilion). This was bar none the most memorable for me!!!!!!!!

Now, having 5th row center seats certainly helped for this one....Sammy rocked and it was great to see him in full form, blasting through his whole musical career with songs from his early solo days, VH and of course, later on. I sang myself hoarse and got some great photos over the course of the set. Sammy was bang on for lyrics, notes and pure fun-factor. I loved his bantering w/ Mona during Three Lock Box who wouldn't let him borrow her mic when he approached! Coulda done w/o the topless waitresses (personal pref), but, hey, fun was had by all and I got to sample a drop or 2 of Waborita when it got flung my direction! Thanks Sammy for wonderful and unforgettable set!

DLR, on the other hand.......oh.....my.......god..........
I don't think I will EVER forget his pathetic antics w/ his bottle of Jack at the front of the stage (unfortunately, right in front of me) "spouting love" all over some trollup in the front row. Why do women find Dave so magnetic........he's SOOOOOOOOOO crass and just plain butt-ugly IMHO. Now I have to admit having fun for the first few songs.....it was great to hear some of those old Fair Warning and Women & Children First stuff, but Dave's clownlike stage presentation, goofy, incessant grinning and 1/2 a$$ed attempts at high kicks were just scary. Some of the Sammy devotees around me were in tears laughing as was I........I left after about 6 songs in and was VERY glad Sammy opened the show.

Come back to the east coast soon, Sammy.......NEVER forget you have a devoted fan base over here that loves to party hard!

Rick in DC

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After reading all the other reviews, what can I say?

Sammy opened the show - so I'll start with Dave:

His band rocked. Period. Dave was pretty much the same as he was when I saw VH on the Diver Down Tour - -minus VH, of course - but they were all rockin and having a good time . . .Dave sings as well as he ever did . . .and played the rockstar part to it's glittery - heights. No dissapointment, no suprises - just a hard rockin show, well played, with plenty of nastilgia for any of us old VH - Dave era fans.

Now to Sammy - in the past 10 years or so, I've came to the conclusion that there were very VERY few acts I would pay current concert prices to go see . . .I did see the VH Balance tour, ahppily so . . most anything else I got in free . . . I'll pay to see the Waborita's A-N-Y-T-I-M-E !!! Hell - I might even travel to see them. 100% Rock. 100% Party. 100% Fun.

Sammy and the band loved what they were doing, and loved that the fans loved what they were doing. If at any point they were'nt having a great time - they didn't show us, and I'm pretty good at pickin that stuff up!!! For a good solid rock show, Dave did it, no question. For a good time rock and roll party of fun with unstoppable music - Sammy and the Waboritas are the champs. as a side note - where do I go to join the "Mona Fan Club"?? Look at me - as old as I am, and a crush on a rock and roll bassist!!!!

-Ray

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I went to my first ever Sammy Hagar concert at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA last Friday with my husband who is a huge Sammy and Van Halen fan!

I am now a true Sammy fan! HE WAS AWESOME!! He looked like he was really enjoying himself on stage, he signed t-shirts and hats for fans throwing them on stage during one song. He belted out the tunes like I have never heard before - we were on the 6th row and it seemed very personal! I can't say enough about Sammy's performance (or his tummy!!).

DLR, on the other hand, I thought was absolutely awful!!! In my younger days, I liked him. He just looked worn out, he couldn't and didn't sing - he was up there for show only it seemed. The music was also too loud and you couldn't understand the words that were coming out of his mouth. That was immediate. He did not really look like he was having fun, although he may have been. He did nothing for me at all. I know a lot of fans stayed and watch, but I just could not handle how horrible the music and his singing (or lack of) sounded.

WAY TO GO SAMMY, YOU HAVE ANOTHER NEW FAN!!!

DENISE GAUTHIER
WOODBRIDGE, VA

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SAMMY SAMMY !!! Without a doubt the most energy of any stage act out their touring. Wow the Waboritos rocked , playing some of their songs , Sammy's and of course Van Halen. Sammy played constantly without a break for over 90 minutes . The crowd was energized by the Red Rocker for sure , especially the lucky ones that were selected to be on stage with him the whole concert. A concert not to be missed by any fan of Sammy or VH . Sammy opened the night and after seeing DLR > No wonder , as Dave looked like some old drunk trying to just get thru the night missing lines in the songs and trying to do the "old leg kick " from his days with VH. Please Sammy next tour just you and your Waboritos . Of course I would like to see the real Van Hagar one more time.... Thanks for a awesome night !!!!

Shawn Udovich
Baltimore , Maryland

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Nissan Pavillion:
I went to the Hershey show also, but I have to say Sammy stunk at Hersey, I don't know if anyone else was there but he was terrible. Dave was much better that night. Went to the pavillion also Hagar was much improved he sounded more into it. Roth was great that night also. All in all I'm glad I went to nissan to see them it was an excellent show, I'm glad they are doing this tour for the fans. I have to say Roth did a better job at both shows I saw.

-Gimp81

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If I left after Sammy's set, I would have gotten my money's worth!!!

As usual, Sammy was all about the people and the party. And after 2+ hours of rock and roll, my voice was toast (and I still had to see Diamond Dave!).

Thanks for the party, Sammy. I'm booking a trip to Cabo so that I can do it again!

-Lee P.

PS - I didn't get my shirt back that was tossed up on stage, but thanks for the effort!

PSS - Thanks for the waitresses. I didn't know they were serving milk along with the margaritas!!!

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That show blew away all the previous Van Halen shows I have seen, Sammy and the Waboritas were tight, as soon as Sammy took the stage he won the crowd over, the only part that the crowd went a little dead for was Eagles Fly, but I think everyone needed a chance to catch their breath. Sammy made everyone recall his glory days with Van Halen, but the band, wow, the Waboritas were as good as I've ever heard them. Who was that guy who used to play guitar with Sammy.....Eddie who? Vic was the motherf@ckin' man.
Watching Dave go through the motions was a struggle, you could occasionally see the shadow of his former self come through, but that was rare. His band was off in the beginning of the show and seemed to be overwhelmed by the material they had at their disposal.
Thanks Sammy for one hell of a ride, I definitely look forward to seeing you in Cabo one day.
Brian

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Last night was my second time seeing Sammy on this tour. The first time was in Pittsburgh and the show was absolutely incredible! So Incredible in fact, that a friend of mine and myself drove 12 hours roundtrip to See Sammy and the Waboritas once again, and once again they did not disappoint us! We have been fortunate enough to be in the front row for both shows.

I have been a fan Of Sammy for many many years and have attended many shows and he just keeps getting better and better.

Sammy and the band sounded fantastic last night at the Nissan Pavilion in Virginia. From the start with Shaka Doobie to the final song Dreams they rocked the place! They only thing I would certainly liked to have seen different is Sammy Closing the show instead of opening! I would certainly like to have the last thing I see, to be Sammy and the Waboritas rather than David Lee Roth!

We listened to about 6 of David's songs (only because my friend wanted to!) and then took off, there were a lot of people leaving the show after Sammy performed. David just doesn't have it, and it is all I can take to watch a performer that is so arrogant and thinks he is the shi*$ on stage when he is not!

I would like to personally Thank Sammy for being so loyal to his fans. I have paid good money to get tickets up front to almost every show and the interaction with the fans is absolutely fantastic, unlike nobody I have ever seen! You are truly a wonderful person who has a very obvious admiration for your fans and we certainly appreciate it.

You ARE without a doubt the indisputed heavyweight champ of Rock and Roll!!!

I am looking for tickets for a couple of New York Shows and trying to make the trip to Cabo, if no Cabo this year DEFINATELY next year!!! We Love You! Thanks for Rockin our world!!!

Gina - Lisbon, Ohio

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I gotta tell ya, I'm a fan of both the Sammy and Dave era's, so I went into the show remaining fairly objective. Having said that, that DLR Band wasn't bad....they just need a new lead singer!

GOOD LORD, MAN! Somebody tell Diamond Dave it's time for him to retire!

Sammy clearly won the bout. Everything about his set was better - the energy, the stage set-up, and most of all, Sammy's performance, including his presence with the crowd. Sammy Hagar's Standing Hampton tour back in '82 (at the Orange Pavilion in San Bernardino, CA! HEY FONTANA!) was my first Rock n' Roll concert. As an 18 year-old late bloomer, Sammy's energy kicked my ass in '82 and got me hooked on rock concerts forever. Last night, I took my wife, who had never seen either of these two live, and SHE was blown away by Sammy's energy and his ability to "sound just like the record." The voice is still strong. On the other hand, DD clearly struggled all night with the vocals. It was so fun to hear all the great old VH tunes, but Roth's vocals just ruined them. You could literally see him working way too hard to sing, and do the screams and howls, like he used to. He had no stage energy whatsoever. Like my wife said, if we had to see him attempt...yes, I said ATTEMPT... that freakin' round house kick one more time.....needless to say, we left the show early, as did many.

It's a shame you know, Sammy really got the place fired-up and in a frenzy. All's Dave had to do was come in and do an adequate job and show some love for his loyal fans. He failed to do neither. I'll bet dollars to donuts that more than a few DD fans were converted last night. Sammy comes off as down-to-earth and genuine. DD comes off as neither (never has, in all fairness). DD is still trying to be the quintessential rock n roll superstar. C'mon Dave, gimme a break. I'll give him credit for starting that whole look and rock n roll attitude thing back in the late 70's that every rock band had to imitate in the 80's, but this is 2002 man, get with the program.

Sammy, Sammy, Sammy...you still kick my ass brother. I'm proud to say you were my first. Perhaps that's made me a bit biased. You and the Waboritas are on it, man. A good-time RnR band that can drop on by any time.

Sorry Dave, I think I'm busy that night.

It's too bad Dave didn't make a better showing, but you know....when you watch a fight, you wanna see somebody get their ass kicked. Ladies and gentlemen, the undisputed heavyweight champ of Rock n' Roll....Sammy "The Red Rocker" Hagar!

See ya in Cabo!

Rick

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Both my 17 year old son and I attended the show at Nissan.

It's probably not worth writing to a biased environment, but I've noticed this site has no problem printing reviews that slam David Lee Roth, so it
will be interesting to see if this one shows up.

David Lee Roth absolutely stole this show without any doubt in our minds.

Sammy's set was unfortunately boring to us. We don't relate, #1 to the drunk Parrothead cliché of Cabo Wabo, and to us, the Waboritas sound like a bar band and in our opinion do not belong in arenas.

My son, in particular felt that the only Van Halen song Sammy did not "butcher" was "Right Here". He commented to me, in particular that "Dreams"
was his favorite Sammy Hagar song, and that the song was ruined in concert.

Sammy has a beautiful high range as a singer, and technically is very accurate, but he does not hold an audience, in our opinion, past the first rows. Again, the conveyance comes of as a bar band. There is no star presence. There is no majesty. There wasn't even an anticipation in the air
prior to the start.

The film that opens Sammy's set is conceited and egocentric. We would not camp out, I assure you to get in Cabo Wabo. I also respectfully think Sammy should realize that he would not be on any concert circuit at present, had he not been a lead singer for Van Halen.

Sammy is very suited to a Jimmy Buffett sort of audience, of which we are just not fans of .

The set was very crowded looking. The audience on two risers was folksy and not without appeal, but the sightlines are poor and there is no theme. The lighting was generic and did not create contrasting mood.

In general there is no flow of concept in the set. It is a stream of songs that fail to transport the listener. Time is not bent. There is no magic. It
is a bar band in all essence.

Much of Sammy's fan base were clearly intoxicated, albeit with quite a bit of encouragement from the stage.

The topless waitress bit was fun. We both laughed. We are not prudes, by the way, with language or implied behavior, for purpose of clarification.

Sammy's stage banter is comforting, if only in the sense that I feel like I could walk up to this guy at 7/11 and feel right at home. I also feel he
lives a life, by his own clear admission, of drink and drugs being prioritized. All I can say is, most of us have been there, done that and
have grown out of it. Whatever folksy environment exists is far subjugated by a clear and present "burnout" factor.

Now, I will say others in the audience seemed content. I feel that they also would be attendees at a Jimmy Buffet show. They were parrotheads sans
chapeau.

I did not feel once that I was watching a rock star until David Lee Roth took stage.

The first thing that re-imbued a salvaging hope for the evening was that a cluttered stage was suddenly opened wide. We saw white lights, spotlights.
The wedges were replaced by side fills. We saw room being made for a showman to have stage to work with.

Dave's band is incredible. His lead guitarist, in particular has every bit of flash one could desire to hear. The tempos were breakneck. "Hot For
Teacher" was an amazing opening.

The bare bones stage serves Dave well, as it is an intended concept that conveys quite to the far rows. The message being, this isn't a themed night
club anymore, it's now pedal to the metal rock and roll. This implied energy was fully capitulated upon in a bang bang bang rendition. The energy level held constant and continued to build for easily the first half hour of Dave's set.

He is in fine form vocally, which saying so, is a major contrast to what I have read on this site. He is not the technical singer that Sammy Hagar is.
What he does have is power. He has star presence and he captures and holds his audience. He also does not hide himself behind sunglasses (of which Sammy couldn't even take them off for the ego driven filmed self narratives).

Dave also has a sense of humor about himself, and seems to revel in his own caricatures. His purple outfit looked great and says "Rock Star" all the
way.

Will I say Dave hit every note and did not lower phrases to give his voice a bit of rest? No, I won't. He knows his limits and does not stay in pitch
ranges he cannot sustain. I will say that he has a strong and intuitive sense of phrasing and works a song from the inside out. Such is another
technique, which is equally as valid as possessing a high range. Dave stillcan do his trademark screams, though more paced than in younger days. His voice has aged more than Sammy's, but the ageing is more comparable to being of a vintage.

A minor disappointment was that Dave did not play anything from his very strong DLR Band album, but Dave did present his Van Halen material in a faithful and true to form sense, being supported phenomenally by a power trio.

We left the concert feeling that Dave made it worth the money.

It is good that Sammy has his club in Mexico and material that is his own. It lets me know that he will have a place for himself, should Eddie Van
Halen decide to make money again by reforming Van Halen with David Lee Roth.

Dave is the lead singer for Van Halen and he proved it repeatedly tonight.

-Chuck W.