Yes, Virginia, rock and roll lives, as evidenced by Friday night’s Cinco de Cabo concert at the Rosemont Theater. The Red Rocker Sammy Hagar performed an awesome sold-out show of almost three hours for loyal fans like ourselves. Sammy’s band, the Waboritas, were stupendous, and it was very nice to see Mona, the bass player, as an integral part of the show. There were two drummers and the sound was excellent. Sammy’s voice was great and he did a very nice retrospective selection of his almost thirty years of solo and group material.
The crowd was older than I expected, and some had traveled from places like La Porte, IN. Very few young people in attendance; I guess I expected more teen headbangers, but this was a Waborita crowd, decked out in Hawaiian wear, more reminiscent of a Jimmy Buffet concert than a metal fest. Surprisingly, many concert goers did have Van Hagar shirts on, something I know the Van Halen purists out there feel is a sore spot. I loved Sammy before Van Halen, and I respect the Roth days, but loved Sammy with the band as well. And what have they done without him??? Hmmm.
Although hubby was disappointed he didn’t do Space Station #5, I was pleased he hit most of my all time favorites: Red, Best of Both Worlds, Bad Motorscooter, Heavy Metal, and the one that brought the house down – I Can’t Drive 55. I was kind of surprised that one got the largest crowd response, if only infinitesimally.* Sammy basically wore out the crowd, playing with just one brief intermission. After the intermission, the band was known as Los Tres Gusanos, as Michael Anthony joined Sammy and drummer David Lauser. I never noticed how short Anthony was until he stood next to Sammy, who I don’t think is particularly tall. We’re talking Hobbit here. Wizard of Oz extra.
Anyhoo, Sammy was more than gracious to the fans, signing every shirt, hat and banner thrown at him on stage while putting on a heck of a show. This is one area where I must admit amazement at the Country Western music industry, and how fan-oriented the performers are. They hold fan appreciation events and always acknowledge their debt for the support of the public that buys their music and attends their shows. When’s the last time the Rolling Stones deigned to sign autographs? Being the Bad Boys of rock and roll means charging $200 for a ticket and getting away in a helicopter before the fans figure out there won’t be an encore.
Tickets were $50, but the real rip-off was $15 for parking! That’s ridiculous. It was $20 for ‘valet’ parking, and some took advantage of that option. At least I felt like I got my money’s worth and would see him again (this was the third time for me, and it’s still fresh).
*The computer spell check says two ‘l’s, the dictionary one. Which is it?
What I’m Reading: Life&Style magazine
What I’m Watching: Fox
What I’m Listening to in the Car: Not 4 Sale
What I’m Recommending: It’s Only Rock and Roll, But I Like It
Stay away from: Ticketmaster tyranny
1 comment:
Personally, speaking as a tenor, I think the unreal thing about Michael Anthony is some of the notes he can hit singing. His upward range is amazing.
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