Chickenfoot Makes Network Television Debut

Friday night gave fans their first glimpse of the new supergroup Chickenfoot performing on national TV. The group performed “Oh Yeah” from their just-released debut album on NBC’s Tonight Show, which is now hosted by Conan O’Brien following the departure of Jay Leno from the program the previous week.

Despite the fact that the word “supergroup” has been thrown around quite liberally where this group is concerned, apparently frontman Sammy Hagar would prefer it if that were not the case. This, according to a recent piece in the Winnipeg Sun, seems like quite a reversal from what Hagar said some months back when he suggested that his new group might be comparable to Led Zeppelin. Hagar has since revised that statement, and claimed his original statement was made while under the influence of a little too much Cabo Wabo tequila at the time.

“We’re kind of like the underdogs of the supergroups,” Hagar said. “Joe’s not the most famous name out there. Michael Anthony got thrown out of Van Halen. I’ve done everything. Chad is in the Peppers. But when you think of the Peppers, you think of Anthony and Flea — so we’re kind of like the backbone of all these bands and a little under the radar. I love it because I don’t like the word ’supergroup’. I don’t like the pressure of it.”

So much for the supergroup.

Currently the group is in the middle of a tour which is focused on getting them in front of small audiences in more intimate venues. Hagar does not think the group, or their potential fans, are ready for them to start playing in front of arena-sized crowds just yet, and does not think it’s a good idea to introduce new material to such large live audiences. Or maybe they just want to see if they can pack a few clubs before they go out on a limb and try filling an arena.

Hagar admits that he’s happy to see that fans are not showing up with Van Halen T-shirts, but says that those are the fans that should be coming out to see them. “This is the best thing they can have is go see a Chickenfoot show or buy a Chickenfoot record because that is what they’ve been waiting for from Van Halen. It is Van Halen without Ed and Al,” Hagar says.

Hagar is clearly quite high on this new union and sounds no less confident than he did since he first started talking about it. Calling their experience in the studio “magic,” I guess it will ultimately be up to the fans to decide. The numbers will tell the story on whether Hagar should go back to using the word supergroup and Chickenfoot in the same sentence.

Check out all of Hagar’s comments in the Winnipeg Sun.

Tags: Chickenfoot, Conan O'Brien, Debut, Oh Yeah, Tonight Show, TV

The Chicken Takes Flight

It looks as though the chicken whose  landing we reported recently is now  preparing to take flight for the very first time. Newly-minted “supergroup” Chickenfoot has recently announced dates for their first live performances, which will give a little taste of the new group to a small number of potential fans across North America.

For those who have not taken advantage of the opportunity to check out some of the tracks these guys have been laying down, there are now three available on their official website. They started with a couple of tracks called “Down The Drain” and “Soap on A Rope” last month and on the 13th of this month they added “Oh Yeah” to the list.

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of Sammy Hagar, but I did like Van Halen’s sound when he was fronting for them, and I think he’s sounding pretty good with this new group also. I guess I was just never that crazy about Hagar’s material was a solo artist, although it’s hard not to have at least a little fondness for a song with a title like “I can’t drive 55.”

I’m going through my typical routine of listening to a new track about 10 times right now as I check out “Oh Yeah.” I’ve learned through the years that I need a few “takes” to  really decide if I like a song or not. I’m a slow learner.

Whether this new track resonates with me or not, there’s no question about the fact that these guys are anything but amateurs. Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, I know, but maybe what I am really trying to say is that these guys can rock. I’m really liking the sound of Satriani’s playing and the sound he coaxes out of his set-up.

Chad Smith is a good solid drummer, although I have heard anything from him yet that really blows me away, but to be fair, I am not familiar with any Red Hot Chili Peppers material, so he may have some great chops I just have not heard yet.

Michael Anthony, sounds, well, like a good bass player. I guess when you decide to take up the bass, you know your chances of logging the lion’s share of spotlight time are slim, with the exception of someone like Geddy Lee or other bassists that also happen to be frontmen. At any rate, Anthony’s playing sounds like a good fit and there’s no question in my mind about his abilities as a bass player.

So, after listening to “Oh Yeah” a bunch of times, I’ve decided I like it. It goes without saying that everyone will inevitably draw their own conclusions, but I think classic rock fans should give these guys a chance. I’m not jumping up and down here over these guys – not yet anyway –  but I think what I have heard so far sounds pretty good and  I’m certainly going to be checking out their other material as soon as its available.

Check out Chickenfoot’s tracks online at their official website.

Chickenfoot’s debut live show is set to rock the following venues:

May 14 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
May 15 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC, Canada
May 17 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
May 19 – The Roxy Theatre – West Hollywood, CA
May 22 – Park West – Chicago, IL
May 24 – The Mod Club Theatre – Toronto, ON, Canada
May 26 – Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA
May 28 – The Fillmore NY Irving Plaza – New York, NY
May 29 – Theatre of The Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA

Tags: Chickenfoot, Dates, Live, New Track, Oh Yeah, Shows