This past summer, Sammy Hagar featured an all-star backing band of Joe Satriani (guitar), Michael Anthony (bass), and Jason Bonham (drums) as part of his “Best of All Worlds” tour focusing heavily on Van Halen material. Now, the Red Rocker is moving on without Bonham, replacing him with another renowned drummer, Kenny Aronoff.
Aronoff actually filled in for Bonham on the last four dates of the tour, when the son of late Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham had to drop off the outing to be with his ailing mother. According to Jason, the switch has become permanent.
After posting dates for his own “Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening” tour, which kicks off this Tuesday (November 19th) in Indianapolis (pick up tickets here), the drummer was asked by a fan in the comments, “Will you be rejoining Best of All Worlds band?” To which Jason replied, “Sammy has decided to carry on with Kenny so Sadly no.”
While Hagar doesn’t have any “Best of All Worlds” dates on his current upcoming schedule, the singer recently teased a “big announcement” via Instagram, writing, “The Best of All Worlds band, we are up to something,” along with the tags “#newmusic” and “#moreshows.” The post is accompanied by a couple video clips of Hagar and Anthony in the studio.
Hagar also made sure to tag Anthony, Satriani, and Aronoff in the Instagram post.
Aronoff is a legend in his own right, having made Consequence‘s recent list of the 100 Best Drummers of All Time. He’s best known for his work with John Mellencamp and John Fogerty, among other projects.
For now, catch Jason Bonham on his aforementioned fall US tour. And stay tuned for Sammy Hagar’s big “Best of All Worlds” announcement.