Watch Sammy Hagar And The Circle Cover Van Halen’s “Right Now”

Sammy Hagar and The Circle have been busy with their ongoing Lockdown Sessions as a way to produce music in the midst of the pandemic. The band has covered artists like Little Richard (“Keep-a-Knockin'”) and the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. This time, they’re tackling familiar territory with the latest installment of the session covering Van Halen’s 1991 hit, “Right Now.”

“When I wrote this song with Eddie Van Halen over 30 years ago I had no idea it would be so relevant today,” Hagar wrote. The song was one of Van Halen’s biggest hits in the Hagar era, but when David Lee Roth rejoined the band in 2007, they completely dropped any material from that period for live performances. Hagar still performs “his” catalog, however, with the Circle – comprised of ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham, and guitarist Vic Johnson.

Hagar has mentioned his desire of reuniting with the band and share the stage with Roth for a mega reunion, which was hard to believe in until he shared some news in 2019. “I was asked through other people in my management to see if that would happen. The camps talked about it and Live Nation asked about it. It came and went because Ed got sick. I don’t know exactly what happened to him, but I think he had back surgery. …Eddie had a lot of health issues, but I heard he got it together. I pray for the guy and I love the guy,” Hagar said.

He isn’t losing hope in the possibility of a reunion as well, saying, “I know that Eddie and I are not done. If enough water goes under the bridge before we die, it’ll happen. It has to. God is going to slap us both around if he has to.”

Hagar is currently busy doing work with the Circle to record and release new performances every week. “You don’t have to be in physical shape like you do for a two-hour show. I couldn’t do that now, but I could do one song. And my voice is strong. We can get so creative. There’s no pressure. Nobody paid for anything,” he said.