Sammy Hagar's Best Guitarist is...???

Neil Baron of Reno Gazette-Journal reports: Longtime rock 'n' roll frontman Sammy Hagar knows a great guitarist when he hears one. After all, the Red Rocker has shared the stage with the likes of Ronnie Montrose, Ted Nugent and Eddie Van Halen.

So you know Hagar knows what he's talking about when he compliments guitarist Joe Satriani, one of his collaborators in a new band, CHICKENFOOT. While Hagar and his regular band, THE WABOS, will play Friday and Saturday at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, he's moving on to a new group — in this case, with a guitarist he has long admired.

"I've made this statement a million times — some people don't like it, some people do — but Joe is the best guitarist I have ever played with," Hagar said during a recent phone interview. "That's a strong statement. I realize that. You've got to give Eddie (Van Halen) a lot of love for his innovation of what he did as a stylist with the guitar," Hagar added. "He broke a lot of ground. But Joe is a master. He can play anything and everything — folk, blues, jazz, hard rock, soft rock, fusion, you name it. As a guitar technician, Joe is the best guy I've ever stood in the same room with on any instrument. And he's so soulful when he solos. He puts more feeling into a solo than any other player I've been with."