SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE will embark on a summer 2020 U.S. tour with WHITESNAKE and NIGHT RANGER. Hagar and his CIRCLE bandmates Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson will be promoting their debut studio album, "Space Between", which came out last May.
Produced by Live Nation, the outing will kick off July 9 in West Palm Beach, Florida at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre and make stops in Tampa, Cincinnati, Dallas, Phoenix and more, before wrapping September 20 in Chula Vista, California at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.
"I love some friendly competition onstage, and that's exactly what this is going to be," Hagar said in a press release. "David [Coverdale [WHITESNAKE singer] and I have nothing but the highest respect for one another, but we would also like to blow the other guy off the stage! Add in NIGHT RANGER and the fans will have one hell of a night of music."
"The Red Rocker and the Snake??? OMG ... I wanna see that show myself!!!" Coverdale added. "I'm a big fan of Sammy Hagar, Michael [Anthony], Vic [Johnson] and Jason [Bonham]. ...We're gonna have a blast together!! See y'all there, people!!!"
Ticket pre-sales with the code "THECIRCLE" begin Tuesday, January 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Public on-sales begin Friday, January 31.
Tour dates:
July 09 - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
July 11 - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds - Tampa, FL
July 14 - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre - Alpharetta, GA
July 15 - Coast Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek - Raleigh, NC
July 18 - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach - Virginia Beach, VA
July 19 - PNC Music Pavilion - Charlotte, NC
July 22 - BB&T Pavilion - Camden, NJ
July 23 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA
July 25 - Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino Outdoor Venue - Salamanca, NY
July 26 - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre - Wantagh, NY
Aug. 07 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Maryland Heights, MO
Aug. 08 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 11 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
Aug. 12 - Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Aug. 14 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Tinley Park, IL
Aug. 15 - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center - Noblesville, IN
Aug. 18 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
Aug. 19 - S&T Bank Music Park - Burgettstown, PA
Aug. 21 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Aug. 22 - Xfinity Center - Mansfield, MA
Sep. 02 - Dos Equis Pavilion - Dallas, TX
Sep. 03 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - The Woodlands, TX
Sep. 06 - Ak-Chin Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
Sep. 08 - FivePoint Amphitheatre - Irvine, CA
Sep. 10 - USANA Amphitheatre - West Valley City, UT
Sep. 13 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
Sep. 15 - Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre - Ridgefield, WA
Sep. 16 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
Sep. 18 - Toyota Amphitheatre - Wheatland, CA
Sep. 20 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre - Chula Vista, CA
Hagar broke the news of the trek during an interview with People TV on Friday (January 24) prior to his appearance at the MusiCares Person Of The Year gala honoring AEROSMITH.
"In my whole career, with VAN HALEN, we had all No. 1 albums, but as a solo artist, I never had a Top 10 record," he said. "And we had No. 4 in one category and No. 1 in three categories. And that was a big deal for me, so I'm gonna support that record again this year. We did 30 shows last year. And we're gonna do 39, 40 shows [this year].
"The reason I'm doing [more touring] is because I feel really good," he explained. "I wanna go out and see if I can have the energy and enthusiasm to sing every night — not every night, but three or four nights a week — and still wanna do it. So I committed to a 39-city tour, which will end up [being] 45 or 50 [shows]. And WHITESNAKE's on the tour with us and NIGHT RANGER. It's kind of classic rock. When you've got two singers like David Coverdale and my voice — we've got the same fans."
THE CIRCLE released a concert album, "At Your Service", in 2015. Recorded on tour in 2014, it featured live performances of hits from Hagar's four decades of rock (MONTROSE, solo, VAN HALEN, THE WABORITAS, CHICKENFOOT) as well as classic tracks from the LED ZEPPELIN catalog.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
i'll be at one of the va shows
"SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE Announces U.S. Tour With WHITESNAKE And NIGHT RANGER"...that may be one of the most frightening headlines I've seen in a while!
Thanks. Always up for Sammy, not so much the other two. I'll be @ Shoreline Amphitheatre 9/13 thanks to your post.
Brad Gillis of Night Ranger shredding on his pretty red Fender Stratocaster with black headstock.
Gregg Allman said Brad was the wildest and fastest guitar player he had been around. Gregg sang on a couple tracks on Brad's solo album back in the 90's.
Thanks again for the heads up, Scott! Your timing was perfect, I saw this yesterday when you posted it and it was the first I knew about it. Turns out the pre-sale for Shoreline Amphitheatre started today. I was able to get second row upper reserved for $69.50 each. Sitting up that close in upper reserved is really just as good as a lower reserved ticket but for $30 per ticket less. Service charges were a RIP, $20 per ticket but we all know that we are just stuck with that. Since I saved $60 over lower reserved I used it to buy a premier parking pass. Parking is always a huge headache at Shoreline so now I can get a date and make it a hassle-free evening.
I'm going for Sammy but I'm also interested to hear if David Coverdale can still sing. I loved what he did with Deep Purple. Not much into Whitesnake but they did put out a few good tunes............I consider Here I Go Again a classic.
And does anyone know anything about Sammy's guitarist, Vic Johnson? Everyone knows who Jason Bonham and Michael Anthony are, just curious to hear some reviews of Johnson's playing because I don't think I've ever heard him.
Thanks again for the heads up, Scott! Your timing was perfect, I saw this yesterday when you posted it and it was the first I knew about it. Turns out the pre-sale for Shoreline Amphitheatre started today. I was able to get second row upper reserved for $69.50 each. Sitting up that close in upper reserved is really just as good as a lower reserved ticket but for $30 per ticket less. Service charges were a RIP, $20 per ticket but we all know that we are just stuck with that. Since I saved $60 over lower reserved I used it to buy a premier parking pass. Parking is always a huge headache at Shoreline so now I can get a date and make it a hassle-free evening.
I'm going for Sammy but I'm also interested to hear if David Coverdale can still sing. I loved what he did with Deep Purple. Not much into Whitesnake but they did put out a few good tunes............I consider Here I Go Again a classic.
And does anyone know anything about Sammy's guitarist, Vic Johnson? Everyone knows who Jason Bonham and Michael Anthony are, just curious to hear some reviews of Johnson's playing because I don't think I've ever heard him.
Vic has been with Sammy pretty much since he left van halen in the 90's
Thanks again for the heads up, Scott! Your timing was perfect, I saw this yesterday when you posted it and it was the first I knew about it. Turns out the pre-sale for Shoreline Amphitheatre started today. I was able to get second row upper reserved for $69.50 each. Sitting up that close in upper reserved is really just as good as a lower reserved ticket but for $30 per ticket less. Service charges were a RIP, $20 per ticket but we all know that we are just stuck with that. Since I saved $60 over lower reserved I used it to buy a premier parking pass. Parking is always a huge headache at Shoreline so now I can get a date and make it a hassle-free evening.
I'm going for Sammy but I'm also interested to hear if David Coverdale can still sing. I loved what he did with Deep Purple. Not much into Whitesnake but they did put out a few good tunes............I consider Here I Go Again a classic.
And does anyone know anything about Sammy's guitarist, Vic Johnson? Everyone knows who Jason Bonham and Michael Anthony are, just curious to hear some reviews of Johnson's playing because I don't think I've ever heard him.
Welcome.! Vic Johnson use to play with the Bus Boys.
Sam is always good.
I assume he is the headliner or is it a dual headline show?
I am wondering how well it will sell those big outdoor sheds? He is playing here outside of Indy and its a 25,000 seater. He played he a little less than yr ago at a small outdoor theater downtown it holds about 4,000...I think.
Whitesnake I like, more so the earlier stuff through Slide It In. That's a really good album. Not really a clunker on there. If you get a chance listen to the Super Deluxe version. The US mix, The UK mix with Mel Galley on guitar and others, some remixes and some live stuff.
[Edited on 1/29/2020 by jszfunk]
[Edited on 1/29/2020 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I am wondering how well it will sell those big outdoor sheds? He is playing here outside of Indy and its a 25,000 seater. He played he a little less than yr ago at a small outdoor theater downtown it holds about 4,000...I think.
Shoreline is a 25,000 seat shed as well. Yes it will be interesting to see how it sells but due to the lack of big name rock stars left in my age group (I'm 65) I'm thinking it will sell. The demographics have changed a lot around here though.............it's all tech, tech, tech, and tons of foreigners...........lots of white rockers have moved out of this area due to the cost of living here. In fact I'll be gone before long.
Vic is a solid player, but gets an unfair bad rap from Van Hagar critics. He's no EVH and doesn't pretend to be, so of course he doesn't sound like EVH when playing VH songs. And he gets criticized for it. But as long as the main artist is still seeking relevance with new material, new band, trying to have an ongoing artistic voice, etc., then I much prefer this approach rather than going for the tribute band route.
If Hagar were going to focus pretty much exclusively on his 1985 - 1995 material, then I'd say go get a EVH clone like what DLR is doing. But Hagar is playing material from Montrose all the way up to new material from 2019, so I like that he is trying to be his own self. And having fun with it, while still sounding really good doing it.
And does anyone know anything about Sammy's guitarist, Vic Johnson? Everyone knows who Jason Bonham and Michael Anthony are, just curious to hear some reviews of Johnson's playing because I don't think I've ever heard him.
It's a good band, and always a super fun show.
Vic's a good player. He's been with Sammy since his first post-Van Halen tour and on all of his albums starting with Red Voodoo. He's not flashy and he sometimes struggles with some of the more complex EVH stuff. I think one tour they did Summer Nights, and that was a rough translation to his guitar from EVH's Steinberger.
Sammy's voice was still strong a couple of years back, but he is losing a step in recent years.
Bonham is good, but lacks the swing of his dad. It's like he read all of the articles about his dad's power and just went with that.
The only Whitesnake I liked was the original one with Paice & Lord. Once he made the change in crew, sound and image I only like a song or two here and there. It worked for them though.
[Edited on 1/29/2020 by WarEagleRK]
Vic is a solid player, but gets an unfair bad rap from Van Hagar critics. He's no EVH and doesn't pretend to be, so of course he doesn't sound like EVH when playing VH songs. And he gets criticized for it. But as long as the main artist is still seeking relevance with new material, new band, trying to have an ongoing artistic voice, etc., then I much prefer this approach rather than going for the tribute band route.
If Hagar were going to focus pretty much exclusively on his 1985 - 1995 material, then I'd say go get a EVH clone like what DLR is doing. But Hagar is playing material from Montrose all the way up to new material from 2019, so I like that he is trying to be his own self. And having fun with it, while still sounding really good doing it.
That's a great critique and I especially liked what you said about Sammy being himself and not going the tribute band route. LOTS to be said for that. I saw where Sammy said that they will be playing a lot from the last Circle record on this tour. He thinks there is potential for a hit from it so he wants to promote it. I'm going to pick it up well before the show and give it a good listen.
I've seen Sammy 2 or 3 times over the last 20 years so I must have seen him with Vic Johnson but just didn't realize it.
One more thing: I nominate Sammy Hagar for most well preserved 72 year old on planet earth.
[Edited on 1/30/2020 by robslob]
