Sammy Hagar Talks New Music Las Vegas Residency and Star Collaborations

Sammy Hagar gave fans a scare earlier this year with the release of his new single, "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight." The song led some to speculate that Hagar, 76, might be signaling plans to retire from music.

Hagar quickly clarified that the track serves as a tribute to his late bandmate Eddie Van Halen and is "a goodbye to that part of my life." He emphasized that he still has more music ahead. This year, Hagar launched a new residency in Las Vegas, which will be commemorated with a live album due out Oct. 10.

The album, "Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band - The Residency," features 18 songs recorded during the residency. The lineup includes bassist and vocalist Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani, drummer Kenny Aronoff and keyboardist and vocalist Rai Thistlethwayte. The setlist focuses heavily on Hagar's years with Van Halen but also includes material from his solo career and his time with Montrose.

Hagar's residency in Las Vegas is scheduled to continue in 2026, with performances beginning in March. He also confirmed that he is working on new music, though he expressed uncertainty about when it will be released.

"I do have some new songs I've written," Hagar said. "I'm just not motivated to block out the time and do a new record, and I would never do it for business reasons. I've got to wait until I'm totally motivated. I finished about three songs just out of the ether. They came, and I'm in love with one of them so much that it's starting to motivate me to write more songs so I can make a new record, so people can hear this one song called 'Addicted.'"

Hagar added, "I don't know why I'm even telling you that title, because you may not hear it for a year, but I love making music. It's just that, every time I make music, then all this stuff I have to do around it - taking the photos, making the video - it takes so much of my time. I want to spend more time on the beach and more time on stage."

Hagar also recently recorded a new collaboration with Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. While details remain limited, Hagar said Kroeger wrote a song with him in mind, using artificial intelligence to mimic Hagar's voice before reaching out to him to record the final version.

"He called me and said, 'Dude, you know what a fan I am. I've been listening to you my whole life and you've been such an inspiration. You always write these really upbeat songs, about making people feel good and giving them encouragement, like 'Dreams,'" Hagar said.

Kroeger asked Hagar to sing on the track and brought in Lee to play drums. Hagar said they have not decided on further details or a release plan.

"Chad and I have been laughing about it ever since, because when you put up an Instagram post with no premeditated thought and it's interesting enough, it blows up," Hagar said. "It was just meant to be a quick little silly thing. Honestly, we don't know what we're doing. Who knows if it'll even come out? We just went in the studio and recorded a song."

Sammy Hagar's The Best of All Worlds residency in Las Vegas resumes March 11 and runs through March 21. Additional dates are set for Sept. 18 through Sept. 26. Ticket information is available at Hagar's official website.


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