Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar addressed criticism from fans after sharing a throwback photo from his 1979 performance at Oakland Stadium, where he opened for Boston. The image, posted on Instagram, sparked comments about a Confederate flag visible in the crowd, prompting Hagar to respond.
In his post, Hagar first recalled the memory behind the photo before turning to address the backlash over the flag.
“1979, Oakland stadium day on the green opening for Boston someone just sent me this bad ass shot. My guess I was playing,” Hagar said.
He then pushed back against the criticism directed at him over the image.
“Anyone commenting on the Confederate flag is killing me!” Hagar continued. “That was 1979. There were over 50,000 people in Oakland, California stadium. There were other acts on the show including Eddie Money Boston was headlining and I have no idea why someone brought the confederate flag but hey, who gives a f*ck it was a rock concert we weren’t talking politics. Those were the days people. It was all about the music & the event.”
Hagar’s comments come as fans continue to react to the resurfaced photo online.
The concert was part of Day on the Green, a recurring festival series promoted by Bill Graham that ran at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum from 1973 into the early 1990s. The specific event Hagar referenced took place on May 6, 1979, the first Day on the Green show of that year.
The lineup for that afternoon featured Boston as the headliner, with Sammy Hagar, Eddie Money and Robert Fleischman also on the bill. Hagar’s Instagram caption lines up directly with the historical record of the show, confirming the date and the fact that Boston topped the bill that day.
Day on the Green became known for drawing massive crowds to stadium-style rock shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with acts spanning multiple genres often sharing the same stage over a single afternoon. The 1979 show Hagar posted about reflects the scale and spontaneity that defined those concerts.
That backdrop reinforces the point Hagar was making in his response to critics. With tens of thousands of concertgoers packed into the stadium, performers had little control over what fans brought with them. The presence of the flag in the crowd was not something tied to the acts on stage.
