FAN REVIEWS

What a memorable night!

During the earlier acts (BOC, CCR, El Tri) the crowd was genuinely optimistic the rain would stop just in time for the start of Sammy's set. Although the rain didn't stop (continuing on and off through the entire show), no one's spirit was dampened. The plastic trash bag I received (with some cervezas) in exchange for an extra ticket fit me just perfectly, allowing freedom of movement for rocking and dancing, and keeping me somewhat dry. Those Hagar fans are my kind of people; with the attitude (and action) that if it was going to rain we must have another drink!

The music was amazing, and the Waboritas were very tight. I've seen Sammy now four times; 1979, 1987 (w VH), 2002 and this time, and he has always exceeded my elevated expectations in every area. I particularly enjoyed the songs Bad Motor Scooter, Runaround, and Halfway to emphis in this show.

I was a bit disappointed not hear the songs A Little Bit More and also Stand Up (some of my favorites). Also, a real encore (with more than half a song) would have been nice...

Overall a great show that will keep lots of us coming back for more.

- Jamie Morris

--------------------

Originally I bought myself a ticket through the general public sale on Ticketmaster. I ended up with a seat 3rd row in the PIT, which is the best seat I’ve ever got for any concert! Then I found out that Sammy was offering fans the chance to buy “on stage” tickets, a whole packaged deal, so I bought myself one of those tickets. My mom is a big Sammy fan, so she got my 3rd row ticket.

I was pretty excited to get the chance to buy an “on stage” ticket because I never get that kind of opportunity. I had already seen Sammy twice anyway, so I figured I’d get to see the show from a different perspective, and boy was I right!

A few days before the show the news was reporting massive rain for Saturday night! That figures. To prepare for the rainy night, on Saturday we bought raincoats, dressed warm and headed out to the venue.

I had to pick up my packet at will call, but I didn’t know which one. The venue has a parking lot/entrance/will call window to the north, as well as the south. We ended up parking in the north parking lot because it was free, and turns out it is closer to the entrance and it is paved! The south parking lot is grass. So we go to the will call at that entrance and I tell the dude I’m supposed to pick up my ticket there. He asks if I bought it from Ticketmaster and I say YES. So after a few minutes he hands me a ticket…that’s in the same row as my mom’s ticket….oh wait, he printed out the same ticket! So I tell him that I have a special “on stage” ticket that should be waiting for me, and that I did not buy it from Ticketmaster, I forgot. He proceeds to tell me that I have to pick up my packet at the other will call. Great…it’s raining and of course I have to be walking all over the damn venue!

So I get to the right will call, they give me my packet with the information on what to do. I was to meet by the inflated Cabo Wabo Tequila bottle at 8PM with this yellow wristband. Also included was a regular ticket in the “Golden Circle” seating to see the opening bands. At this point I’m getting kind of nervous because I don’t know what to expect, it’s raining and I don’t want anything to go wrong. Then we decided to go inside and check out the merchandise and the food/drinks. Sammy’s tour merchandise was mostly stuff from last summer, which I already had. I was kind of disappointed I wouldn’t be going home with souvenirs, but that would soon fade away.

As we were walking around we saw that CCR was already on stage. Not being a fan, I didn’t really care. However, the ticket said the show started at 7:30PM and it was about 6:30PM! I don’t know what happened, but apparently we missed Blue Oyster Cult because we never even saw them on the stage! No biggie, we were there to see Sammy Hagar.

After a little while we decided to check out our seats. My “Golden Circle” ticket was 5 rows back and my mom’s ticket was where it should be! Both tickets were very close, closer than I’ve ever been for a concert. At this point the band El Tri was on stage, so we just stood in some random, empty spots pretty close to the stage.
At about 7:45PM I decided I would go wait by the inflated Cabo Wabo Tequila bottle because I was becoming anxious to see what was going to unfold! A few others gathered around and we formed a line. Then someone says they are ONLY letting those of us with yellow wristbands in at this point. So I get in and a group of about 25 of us were taken into a large gazebo, which everyone was happy about because yes, it was still raining. Under the gazebo was a table, a couch and a Cabo Wabo Tequila backdrop.

The organizers had all of us crowd together in front of the backdrop and it looked as though they are going to take pictures of us. They had numerous cameras, and finally I realized that they were going to take a picture of us and give us the cameras! Then Sammy and the band come in! I got to shake his hand! I’ve never been that close to a celebrity before, and it was him! Needless to say, the excitement starts to pick up! The band gets in front of the group of fans and the organizers start taking pictures of us. Then Sammy and the band depart, and they give each one of us a camera. The cameras had a covering around them that was all Sammy-ized, very nice! I had no idea we would be taking pictures with the band and getting cameras!

Then they give each one of us a red “On Stage Fun Addicts” t-shirt! I quickly put that on because yes, it was still raining and cold. Then they give us a laminate for the show with a Cabo Wabo neck string! For some reason I love laminates, they’re so official. THEN they give us these tall, blue margarita cups with the Cabo Wabo logo on them. We got to put some margaritas in those babies, made with real CWT! So they give us all this cool stuff and we’re ready to go on stage! The excitement is quickly building…

I think to myself that at this point how it has already been worth my money. I’ve never had the chance do something like this and, as corny as it sounds, Sammy and the Waboritas made me, as a fan, feel special. I’ll never forget that feeling…

Finally they lead us backstage and onto our riser on the stage, right behind the drum kit. The stage set up is a little different from Sammy’s last few tours. Those of us who bought the “on stage” tickets were on this riser, while two other risers on either side of us had other fans bouncing around on them too!

Finally Sammy and the band came on stage and grabbed their instruments. Almost immediately everyone starts to interact with all of us.

Then the lights go down, the band starts playing…and they curtain pullers are having technical difficulties! THE CURTAIN IS STUCK! HAHA So they quickly move that thing out of the way and we catch our first glimpse of the audience! Immediately I looked for my mom and much to my surprise she was in front row, right in front of Mona! Come to find out she got lucky enough to get to stand up there.

Throughout the whole show I had a blast! I was right…I got to see a concert from a completely different perspective…from Sammy’s perspective! The band continued to interact with us through the whole show, giving smiles and just enjoying themselves. Sammy kept looking at us too, and I kept my eye out for nice photo ops! The cameras they gave us ad 15 exposures, so I wanted to use them wisely. I had them developed the next day, but unfortunately they didn’t come out too well. Oh well, a few are nice and clear.

I also noticed three hand-held cameras on Sammy almost the entire night. I wonder if this has something to do with the movie he is making…his “Rattle and Hum.”

In the middle of all the excitement, Michael Anthony comes on stage with a chili pepper hat! I had completely forgotten that he would be joining Sammy on stage! They did a few Van Hagar songs with MA, the highlights for me being “Best of Both Worlds,” “Runaround” and “The Seventh Seal.” Wow, what a treat it was to hear that last tune. It sounded great live, and it made me want to bust out “Balance” since I haven’t listened to it in awhile.

The show seemed a bit short that night, and it was. They didn’t do an encore, which I think was due to the pouring rain. He did tell us that he would do a free concert for us because of the rain, and he said he keeps his word. I thought that was a nice gesture! I’m so there! Hahaha

I had a blast being on stage! It was such a rush; I wish I could do it more often. I definitely plan on getting an “on stage” ticket the next time Sammy comes to town, and so does my mom! My mom ended up getting one of Mona’s picks too! It is pink and says “Pink Voodoo” on one side, with her name on the other. We took home a lot of cool and unique souvenirs that night!

Thank you Sammy for giving me the chance to be on stage! You really took care of us; it was well worth the money. I wish more bands would offer their fans this type of experience!

-Dustin D.