Sammy Hagar is gearing up for The Best of All Worlds Tour this Saturday (July 13) in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tour already promises to be an all-out extravaganza, with the Van Halen frontman assembling an all-star lineup. Longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony will join the Red Rocker onstage, along with guitar icon Joe Satriani and Jason Bonham (son of the late Led Zeppelin legend) on drums. Now, Hagar has announced a fifth band member.
Sammy Hagar Adds Australian Multi-Instrumentalist To Tour
To get fans amped up for The Best Of All Worlds Tour, Sammy Hagar has posted a series of videos on his social media pages featuring him and the members of his touring band answering some questions Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a fifth member in these videos: Australian musician Rai Thistlethwayte.
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Thistlethwayte has toured with Satriani’s band for several years. Since 2002, he has been the lead singer and main songwriter of the Australian pop-rock band Thirsty Merc. He also performs solo under the name Sun Rai and in jazz bands with a variety of award-winning artists.
Thistlethwayte is pitching in on guitar and singing background vocals, Hagar told UCR. “His voice sounds so good with Mike’s and mine,” said the “I Can’t Drive 55” singer. “It sounds so much like the record, the vocals, more than anything.”
He added, “It’s above and beyond what I expected. I thought it was going to be good and we all had high expectations, but it’s chemistry, you know?”
Hagar Is Excited To Focus On Singing
Thistlethwayte is taking on some of Eddie Van Halen’s most iconic riffs, which allows Hagar to focus more on singing. “You know, I hope the fans don’t get pissed,” he said. “Because a lot of my fans want me to play more guitar. But I don’t have to play more guitar.”
He added, “You know, Eddie’s guitar parts are not vocal friendly. It’s not easy, in the sense that you can’t play those parts and sing what I sing at the same time. I mean, I’m sorry, Jimi Hendrix would have been saying, ‘No, f— this!’”
Featured image by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Palms Casino Resort
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