In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, legendary rocker Sammy Hagar opened up about his decision to step away from life on the road. The 77-year-old, who is preparing for a nine-show Las Vegas residency in the spring, admitted that touring no longer appeals to him. “I don’t think I want to go on tour anymore,” Hagar confessed. “I hate to say that, because I don’t want to piss my fans off. I’ll go out and do a one-off show and do things like that, but the residency is going to give me a good extension of my career. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Hagar’s upcoming residency, Best of All Worlds Tour – The Residency, will take place from April 30 to May 17 at Dolby Live. Reflecting on the benefits of this new format, he explained: “With this, I don’t have to travel, I don’t have to unpack and pack and get on an airplane every day. You know, at my age, it hurts my shoulders to do all this. And I have to perform. I’m a performer, at the end of the day.”
While Hagar’s fans may be disappointed by his decision to step back from touring, he’s hopeful that the residency will provide a fresh avenue for his music career. “I keep telling my manager, ‘Don’t take any tours, let me do this residency,'” he said. “If I like it enough, I’ll do another one. And if that’s successful I’ll do another one, and I can squeeze a few more years out of my career.”
Last November, Hagar admitted to People magazine that the thought of retirement had been weighing on him for years. “Retirement has crept into my head for 10 years,” he revealed. “I get insecure in between shows, in between tours, and I think, ‘Gee, do I still have it? Can I really still do all that?’ And I get out there, and it’s like it’s riding a bike or having sex.”
He emphasized, however, that he would only retire when he felt incapable of delivering the high-energy performances his fans expect. “I’m going to retire when I can’t do this, when I can’t sing anymore… I’m not going to have people pay the kind of money that it costs to see these concerts these days and not deliver. So that’s where my retirement is. It’s in the hands of the higher being.”
For now, fans can look forward to Hagar’s upcoming Las Vegas residency, a new chapter in his storied career that promises to offer both comfort and creativity as he continues performing without the pressures of a traditional tour.
