Sammy Hagar’s latest track, titled "Encore, Thank You," Goodnight, hints at a potential farewell tour, but fans should think again. This new release is not signaling the end of his music journey.

In a recent interview on the UCR Podcast, Hagar clarified, “Well, there ain’t going to be a tour. I’m doing a residency, and it’s not a farewell residency,” he chuckles. “I must admit, I’ve been hinting at this. I would never announce my retirement, because, honestly, I don’t know how to retire, and I have no desire to. If I claimed I was retiring, I’d probably be lying, and I’d likely return like many artists do. I want to avoid that situation. Initially, I was hesitant about committing to a residency where I would perform in the same venue repeatedly. However, I’ve grown to love the concept.”

Reflecting on his past experiences, he shared, “I used to dread when Van Halen played four consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden. I thought, ‘Great, now I have to remember what I said last night.’ I didn’t want to repeat the same songs without adequate rehearsal time. I’m the type of person who gets anxious about redundancy. The idea of a residency seemed daunting for that very reason. I insisted that we must play different songs each night. However, now I realize that if I don’t have to travel, I can feel more refreshed, eat healthier, and sleep better, which will ultimately enhance my performance. I’m starting to think it’s the right time for me to explore this avenue and see how it goes. If it works out well, I might consider continuing down this path.”

Sammy Hagar Shows Enthusiasm for Future Las Vegas Residencies

The iconic Red Rocker’s Best of All Worlds residency is set to kick off on April 30 and will run until May 17. Hagar expressed his eagerness to repeat the experience if everything goes smoothly. He enjoys the concept of performing “two or three residencies a year,” but he firmly stated that a full tour is likely off the table. “I don’t want to put my body and voice through that stress,” he explained. “I’m too emotionally invested. If I get sick and have to cancel shows, I’m devastated—I lay in bed and cry like a baby. It breaks my heart. I genuinely care about my fans, and I wouldn’t want to go on tour just to risk delivering a lackluster performance or having to cancel shows. Therefore, with this residency, I’m hopeful and praying that everything will go well. I want to finish feeling like, ‘I could do more shows,’ rather than leaving a tour thinking, ‘I’ll never do that again.’ I can assure you, this is not a farewell tour, and it’s the last thing I would ever want to pursue. Farewell tours often feel like a money grab to me. Instead, I would prefer to focus on fulfilling my commitment to my fans and ensuring I deliver the best experience possible. [people will say]

[a tour[ and then I would say bye after I did it.”

What’s Sammy’s New Song About?

Hagar first shared details regarding his latest single with UCR back in 2022, which at the time, had a working title of “Thank You.” Nearly three years later, he finished the track, now known as “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight.” Longtime collaborator Joe Satriani helped him to complete the song, which also features his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony and drummer Kenny Aronoff. Satriani’s involvement was specific, because the song has its origins in a dream where Hagar says the late Eddie Van Halen appeared and showed him the lick that he ended up using as the basis for “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight.”

“I’ve been living with this song for two years. I sing it constantly. I wake up in the morning. I sing it. My wife sees me sitting on the couch, you know, with the guitar, singing the verses and the choruses,” he says. That’s all I had. I had verse/chorus/verse, but I didn’t have all of the lyrics. So after Joe wrote this unbelievable musical piece from it, the intro and the bridges, the exit and the solo section, oh my God. I mean, it’s so channeling Eddie. I can’t believe it. He and I decided to write it about the whole experience.”

READ MORE: All 48 Sammy Hagar-Era Songs Ranked

Listen to Sammy Hagar on the ‘UCR Podcast’

Listen to Sammy Hagar’s ‘Encore, Thank You, Goodnight’