Former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar recently opened up about the reconfiguration of his upcoming U.K. tour dates, addressing the change in a candid interview shared on Total Rock.
Hagar explained that the July 2026 dates for ‘The Best Of All Worlds’ tour were restructured to move to smaller, more intimate venues after he was unable to sell out the originally announced shows. He also touched on his preference for a residency-style format that allows for a deeper, more varied setlist each night.
“Well, [it’s going to be] the best of all worlds. That’s what the whole thing is about,” Hagar said. “I love the fact that we get to do three shows in London. I love the fact that we’ve moved it to a smaller venue so it’ll be full instead of playing some big giant place that holds 12 [thousand] but there’s only 6,000 people there.”
Hagar was candid about the reason behind the venue change, acknowledging the shortfall in ticket sales directly.
“The ambiance of that is so much different, and that’s why we changed it,” he continued. “Guilty as charged — we didn’t sell it out. I thought, ‘Oh, we’ll sell that out, no problem.’ I’m an honest guy, so I’m telling you that the idea of doing more of a residency like what we’ve been doing in Las Vegas where I have 400-plus songs I’ve written in my life, and I’m not gonna go out and play 14 songs, have an opening act.”
He went on to explain his frustration with the limitations of a standard touring format and the appeal of spreading material across multiple nights.
“No, you only get to play an hour and a half, and the show’s over, I’m going, ‘Uh, this is not sitting right with me,'” Hagar said. “So, the idea of playing three nights, especially in London, where we can do five or six different songs each night, and I just think that that’s… For someone that can afford to buy three tickets, which I know it’s tough, but they’re gonna get a lot.”
Hagar also highlighted the kind of deep-cut material fans attending multiple nights can expect to hear.
“They’re gonna go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe they played that,’ ’cause we play deep tracks,” he said. “We play a little Montrose, a little ‘Rock Candy’ or ‘Space Station #5’ on a different night and whatever, play some of my solo stuff, ‘Heavy Metal,’ ‘[There’s Only] One Way to Rock,’ ‘Mas Tequila,’ of course, that has to be played.”
The reconfigured U.K. leg of ‘The Best Of All Worlds’ tour is scheduled for July 2026.
The venue changes are now confirmed, with the revised itinerary taking shape around a more focused run of dates across England. Rather than stretching across large arenas, the tour has been tightened into a format that Hagar believes will deliver a better experience for both the artist and the audience.
Hit The Lights reported that Hagar announced a revised itinerary for the U.K. run, bringing ‘The Best Of All Worlds’ tour to a series of more intimate venues. The updated schedule runs from July 6 to July 12, 2026, kicking off in Wolverhampton before moving through Manchester and culminating in a three-night London residency.
Blabbermouth noted that the itinerary was revised specifically because the original venues were too large for the level of demand. Hagar made clear he preferred a full room over a half-empty arena. The shift reflects a broader philosophy the rock veteran has embraced in recent years, prioritizing atmosphere and fan engagement over raw capacity numbers.
The London residency will take place at the British Airways ARC, a smaller and more intimate setting that aligns with Hagar’s stated vision for the run. In a conversation on the Neil Jones Show on Total Rock, as covered by Parade, Hagar disclosed that several performances had been shifted to smaller venues due to lower-than-expected demand. The admission stands out as one of the more transparent confessions from a major touring artist in recent memory.
Tickets for the revised dates went on sale on Friday, April 24 at 10am via AEG Presents. For fans willing to commit to multiple nights, Hagar has made clear that the experience will be well worth it. The rotating setlist draws from over 400 songs spanning his career with Montrose, his solo work, and his time with Van Halen.
