Joe Satriani on the FAILED EVH Tribute That “Descended Into Dysfunction” | Sammy Hagar Tour & More

Guitar legend Joe Satriani sits down for an in-depth Thinking About Guitar interview with Jonathan Graham, opening up about David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen’s failed Eddie Van Halen tribute tour, why the idea “descended into dysfunction,” and why he ultimately said yes to joining Sammy Hagar for the Best of All Worlds tour. From being approached about honouring Van Halen’s music after Eddie’s passing, to the pressure of playing some of the most iconic guitar parts in rock history, Joe reflects on the challenge of celebrating Eddie Van Halen’s legacy without simply imitating him. Satch also shares incredible stories of working with Mick Jagger, stepping into Ritchie Blackmore’s shoes with Deep Purple, opening for Metallica in front of 120,000 people, and what decades of instrumental rock have taught him about tone, melody, restraint and always having somthing to say with the instrument. Satch also discusses Sammy Hagar’s underrated guitar playing, Chickenfoot plans, SatchVai, his next solo album, and much more. Joe Satriani Interview Chapters 00:00 Coming Up... 00:30 Joe Satriani Interview Begins 00:57 Touring with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Kenny Aronoff 02:23 When did Joe Satriani first discover Sammy Hagar? 03:00 Why Sammy Hagar is an underrated guitarist 04:59 “Oh, still do” — Did Joe Satriani ever find anything challenging on Guitar 06:02 Hendrix, Page, Beck, Clapton and the players who shaped Satch 08:08 Why great guitar playing has to say something 09:35 Joe’s disco band lesson 10:27 Mick Jagger’s advice that changed Joe’s approach to performance 11:34 Opening for Metallica in front of 120,000 people 13:28 Satch talks Mick Jagger tour 15:05 What Mick Jagger was really like behind the scenes 16:34 Stepping into Ritchie Blackmore’s shoes with Deep Purple 17:47 Learning Deep Purple’s set in just one week 19:37 Why Joe Satriani didn’t stay with Deep Purple 22:42 Satriani on playing Eddie Van Halen’s parts 23:13 David Lee Roth wanted to form a band with Joe Satriani to play Van Halen songs in the mid-’90s 25:15 David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen’s failed 2021 Eddie tribute tour 25:56 Why Joe thought they should call Nuno or Steve Vai 27:00 Jason Newsted was considered for the Van Halen tribute 27:15 — Joe: “They said, ‘No, it can’t be Michael Anthony.” 28:32 — “If anyone’s going to do this kind of a tribute tour, it should be Wolfgang...” 29:01 Why Sammy Hagar’s Best of All Worlds tour made more sense 30:03 Could Chickenfoot ever make another album? 30:47 Joe Satriani’s next solo album — Extremist 2? For Guitar Reviews, Artist Interviews & More SUBSCRIBE to Thinking About Guitar: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkingAboutGuitar?sub_confirmation=1. #JoeSatriani #VanHalen #SammyHagar #guitar #guitarist #guitarlegend #Interview - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FOLLOW US On Social Media - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Facebook: / https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingAboutGuitar/ Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/thinkingaboutguitar/

Added 19 Aug 2026