Sammy Hagar significantly downsizes venues for first UK tour in 30 years
Sammy Hagar is significantly downsizing his first tour of the UK in 30 years, with him claiming that he wants a more “intimate” experience for fans.
The singer and his band, made up of guitarist Joe Satriani, bassist Michael Anthony, and drummer Kenny Aronoff, had been originally scheduled to perform in arenas during their stint in the UK this July, visiting Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and London.
However, they have now downsized their dates to the 3,400-capacity Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 3,500-capacity O2 Apollo in Manchester, and the new 3,800-capacity British Airways ARC in London, which Self Esteem will open on June 16th before Hagar plays there on July 9th, 11th, and 12th.
Despite not having played in the UK for the past three decades, the former Van Halen frontman said he was inspired to downgrade his tour due to his recent experience of performing a residency in Las Vegas.
Along with the announcement of the new dates, Hagar released a statement which said: “After waiting 30 years to come back, we really wanted to get this right.”
He continued: “Several factors pushed us toward revising this tour but after wrapping our Las Vegas residency last month at Dolby Live where the sound, the technology, and the more intimate size really lets us connect with the audiences, it was clear that we wanted to deliver an experience like that for our fans in England.”
Hagar also added that he was keen to play the new British Airways ARC in London, as it was a “tech-forward venue” where he could play, “Three nights, a fresh set every night, and I get to stay in London, one of my favourite cities in the world.”
Similarly. AEG, the promoter for the gigs, said the decision was taken off the back of Hagar’s “immersive” Las Vegas shows as they want to “prioritise similar venues across the UK.”
Fans who already had tickets for the original arena dates will be contacted with priority access to the new dates, as well as a 10 per cent discount on merchandise.
General sale for the new shows will begin at 10am local time on April 24th.
Sammy Hagar’s new UK dates:
July
- 6 – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
- 7 – O2 Apollo, Manchester
- 9 – British Airways ARC, London
- 11 – British Airways ARC, London
- 12 – British Airways ARC, London
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.