One of the most versatile and admired hard rock vocalists, Sammy Hagar s first great success came between the era that made his name and the era that sealed his fame. After achieving recognition with California hard rockers Montrose during the early 70s, Hagar embarked on an eleven year solo run during which he was elevated to superstardom upon accepting an invitation to join Van Halen in 1985. Hagar s eventual solo success was in large part attributable to his decision to relocate from Capitol Records to Geffen in 1981.
The change of label paid instant dividends, with his first Geffen release, Standing Hampton , breaking the top thirty, spawning no less than five hit singles, and going on to be certified platinum. Capitol Records opportunistically sought to capitalise on Hagar s popularity by releasing Live 1980 , a live album from the Danger Zone tour that met with largely dismissive reviews. And so to this recording, the performance that any Hagar live album from the early 80s should have captured. On the 12th of October 1984 Hagar gave a concert at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. It was a landmark gig, coming off the back of Hagar s recent album VOA , the last release before he joined Van Halen the following year, and was broadcast live on WLLZ. Billed as Detroit Wheelz , WLLZ was a local Michigan station that had re-launched in the early 80s with a programming schedule dedicated to hard rock and had gone on to become one of the most successful regional broadcasters. The performance captures Hagar at his absolute best, at the height of his solo career, with songs from VOA , Three Lock Box and Standing Hampton , demonstrating exactly why Van Halen came calling just a couple of months later.
Disc: 1
1. WLLZ’s Doug Podell Intro
2. Trans Am
3. This Planet’s on Fire
4. Dick in the Dirt
5. I Don’t Need Love
6. Three Lock Box
7. Baby’s on Fire
8. Two Sides Of Love
9. I Can’t Drive 55
10. Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy
11. I’ll Fall in Love Again
12. Sammy’s World Series Update
13. Swept Away
14. Remember the Heroes
Disc: 2
1. The Girl Gets Around
2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
3. Heavy Metal
4. Star Spangled Banner
5. VOA
6. One Way to Rock
7. Sammy Takes Requests
8. Rock Is in My Blood
9. Red (Drum Solo) / Rock n Roll
10. Bad Motor Scooter
11. Space Station #5
12. Closing Credits