During a typical performance, Sammy Hagar & the Circle run through a fast-paced setlist of Hagar solo hits, some favorites from Hagar's time as the lead singer of Montrose, a few classic rock standards and, of course, a healthy helping of Hagar-era Van Halen cuts.
Comprised of Hagar on vocals and electric guitar, fellow former Van Halen member Michael Anthony on bass guitar, guitarist Vic Johnson and drummer Jason Bonham, the band recently took the stage at the Wish Farms Soundstage in Plant City, Florida, at which they surprised the crowd with a rendition of the David Lee Roth-era Van Halen hit, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love.
Wishing to give his voice a short break, Hagar let Anthony take center stage and sing lead vocals for the cover, which you can check out above.
Anthony has quite a bit of fun with his turn in the spotlight, even letting the fans help him out with the song's third verse. Johnson, meanwhile, remains faithful to the frenetic lead guitar work and fills of the original recording.
That evening (March 6), the Circle also played a number of other Van Halen hits, including Right Now.
During a recent interview with Guitar Player, Hagar revealed that – once he fit the song's lyrics to Eddie Van Halen's long-in-the-works piano part – Right Now came together "came together like magic," with the guitar solo in particular coming to Eddie spontaneously.
“Usually, Eddie had solos pretty locked down before we started recording,” Hagar said, “but on this song he winged it. He came out of the house in pajamas and slippers, went into the studio and played whatever came out. And as you might expect, it was pretty damn great.”
By Hagar's recollection, Eddie took two passes at the solo, which both “sounded awesome, because as everybody knows, Eddie never played a bad solo.” The end result was a comp of the two takes.
