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Melfssa Jansson/The Hawk EyeRocker Sammy Hagar shakes hands with his fans at the beginning of his show Saturday night at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington. The last stop for the tour is Nov. 16 in Reno, Nev.Hagar parties on at auditoriumChris CurryThe Hawk EyeThe man Van Halen abandoned, the city of Burlington chose to embellish.Sammy Hagar, on the last leg of a five-month tour, took center stage Saturday night at Memorial Auditorium — raising the roof and, at the same time, his blood alcohol level — giving the masses a heavy dose of the best three-chord rock the rock world has to offer.With one shot after another, the man who can’t seem to drive 55 showed his ability to perform his life’s work while intoxicated. Waitress after waitress came from backstage to serve Hagar and his entourage of two dozen party goers, w got to share the stage with the band, a drink which resembled a BlueMaui.With the waitresses frequenting the stage between almost every number, one would wonder if an IV would be worth packing on the next tour to ensure Hagar has enough Blue Maui, enabling him to so many breaks between songs toconsume his liquor.As the might wore on, the partygo-ers privileged enough to share the stage with Hagar and his four-piece band formed a conga line around the stage, making the atmosphere seem more like Hagar s Cabo Wabo bar in Baja, California, Mexico.sheet after bed sheet withtie-dyed messages commemorating singer found their way on stage via fans, the entourage hung them up whereever there wras space. And, with women’s underwear and a life-size blow-up doll making its way on stage, there was no slowdow n in the singer’s stage antics.But the show was not without a mission or purpose. Midway through the set, Hagar lashed out at the “non-believers” w ho feel rock ’n'roll will finally meet its maker in the dawn of the new century.“We are here tonight,” Hagar said in a solemn, yet energetic voire, “to stop the nonbelievers who think rock ’n’ roll is going to die in2000.”After the defender against the rock n’ roll Y2K bug finished hisspeech on music in the new millennium. he let the standing-room-only crowd know just how much he enjoyed performing.“Man, w e re two weeks away from the end of the tour and I’m having so much fun, don’t be surprised if I start it all back over again,” Hagar said. “Well, maybe Christmas day I won’tI lt;wnHagar then showed the crowd hisenergy level with his rendition of “Poundcake,” originally recorded in his days with Van Halen, by interacting with the crowd.“He was really energized,’’ Amber Moss, Burlington, said, “especially for howr old he is.”After endingshow' with Van Halen’s “High ’n’ Dry,” Hagar left the many die-hard fans wondering about his feelings on his former band’s recent break-up with lead singer, Gary Cherone, who left the group withoutyear a lead singer for the third time.
Newspaper Details
Burlington Hawk Eye
Burlington, Iowa, US
Sun, Nov 07, 1999
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Las V.
NV, USA 09 Jan 2023
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