'It's Always About Outdoing Myself' - Sammy Hagar Says There's Still Something He Wants to Achieve

"It's always about outdoing myself."

On Friday (Oct. 10), Sammy Hagar joined Loudwire Nights to celebrate his new live album, Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band: The Residency. Among other things, he opened up about what he still hopes to achieve as an artist.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

"It ain't about, I want to be bigger than those guys, I want to be bigger than that guy," Hagar shared with host Chuck Armstrong.

"No, it ain't that at all. I want to outdo myself."

As he thought about what that meant for his own achievements, Hagar had a clear answer to give: "In the music industry, honestly, I would love to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist."

If not that, Hagar wondered if a lifetime achievement award might be possible.

"Van Halen's already in there, but then Sammy solo, post-Van Halen, the Circle and now the Best of All Worlds Band," he said.

"I would like to have that trophy on my wall. I would. I'll admit it. Yes, guilty as charged."

Sammy Hagar Says He'ss Retiring In Las Vegas

As Hagar dove into his new live album that captures his 2025 residency in Las Vegas, he was very happy to discuss how much he's enjoyed his time in the city.

"You know, people say, how long before you retire," Hagar said.

"And I keep telling everybody: Vegas is retirement. We're retiring to Vegas, okay? We'll go out and do some shows here and there, but it really is a way to do it longer. Anyone can sing longer there. A drummer can play longer. His body will last longer because he gets a good night's sleep, good food, you don't have to travel, just rest all day."

Hagar shared how hard it can be on a band to tour across the country — but he did say, no matter how beat up they get from the road, there is always one cure.

READ MORE: Wolfgang Van Halen Dives Into Mammoth's New Album, 'The End'

"Rock and roll is the doctor," he said.

"You hit the stage, those people start screaming and see the happiness. It brings it out of you."

What Else Did Sammy Hagar Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What went through his head when he heard the news of Ozzy Osbourne's passing: "The man did it. He was on his deathbed, and you could kind of see it [at Back to the Beginning] when I talked to Oz for a minute. He didn't look like he had much life left in him — and he fucking did it. And then he checked out. I just thought, 'Wow, what a legend.' He lived up to and beyond the legend."
• What he thinks about his performance at Back to the Beginning: "I just wish I would have been better, you know? I was so wrapped up in everything backstage ... By the time it's time to go on, I'm backstage talking to somebody and I hear the guy yell, 'Yeah, the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar,' and I'm going, 'Holy Shit.' I ran out, unprepared. In my head, I should have been singing the lyrics over because I didn't want to use the teleprompter. And sure enough, I choked the first verse and spit it out. Ozzy's people, when I came back, I just apologize to Ozzy's people. They're going, 'Oh, you know, don't worry. You did what Ozzy probably would have done.' They tried to make me feel good that Ozzy never remembered his lyrics either."
• One reason he's proud of his latest live album: "I've done a lot of live records in my life and a lot of them we had to fix things or had to go in and actually re-record part of the damn song. Things go wrong. We had nine shows to choose from so if something was wrong with one song, I swear to you, we just took it from a different night."

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Sammy Hagar joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, Oct. 10; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.