Sammy Hagar on What Makes Joe Satriani Right for Van Halen Tour

Sammy Hagar explained why he was convinced that Joe Satriani was the right guitarist to represent Eddie Van Halen on the Van Halen tribute tour that kicked off this week.

The pair have known each other for years and were been members of Chickenfoot together, alongside Michael Anthony.

But in a new interview with Classic Rock, Hagar said there was more to it than just hitting the road with an old friend.

READ MORE: Joe Satriani: Playing Van Halen Songs is ‘Really Frightening’

“A million guys could’ve done it – well, not a million,” the singer explained. “But you walk into a music store, and you see a 12-year-old kid sitting on an amp with one of Eddie’s guitars, and he’s playing ‘Eruption.’ These genius little kids can do it now, but he doesn’t necessarily know what he’s doing.

“You ask him to write a song like that, and he’s going, ‘Ah, I don’t know how.’ You say, ‘Joe, write me a song like that’ – Joe will write you a song like that, ‘cause he knows where it’s coming from.”

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Hagar did agree that his experience with Chickenfoot gave him confidence in Satriani’s abilities. “Joe’s the professor,” he said. “He’s a scholar. … Every time I’ve ever worked with Joe … I knew he knows what he’s playing.”

He added, “Joe can play a shredding solo – just on fire – and then he stops and is like, ‘Hold it. I fucked up.’ I’m going, ‘Where did you fuck up? How did you even hear it, you’re playing so fucking fast?’ ‘Oh, that one note right there.’

“And it’s like, ‘Holy shit! He knows exactly what he’s playing.’”