Sammy Hagar recently covered Toby Keith’s ‘I Love This Bar’ at the 2024 CMT awards.
When the performance was released on YouTube, the rocker took to X to share his thoughts about his own cover. Apparently, he was so worried that he wasn’t going to make it for one reason. He wrote in two parts:
“1/2 I was so worried that I wasn’t going to make it through the performance emotionally. It was hard for me working up to it. When I hit the stage with Toby’s wonderful band that I played with many times over the years,”
He added in another post:
“2/2 the audience, energy, enthusiasm, and love that filled that building every tear of sadness into joy. It was a beautiful experience to say the least, so proud and honored to have been invited. We all miss that bigger than life, wonderful man, Mr. Toby Keith.”
1/2 I was so worried that I wasn’t going to make it through the performance emotionally. It was hard for me working up to it. When I hit the stage with Toby’s wonderful band that I played with many times over the years,
— Sammy Hagar (@sammyhagar) April 8, 2024
2/2 the audience, energy, enthusiasm, and love that filled that building every tear of sadness into joy. It was a beautiful experience to say the least, so proud and honored to have been invited. We all miss that bigger than life, wonderful man, Mr. Toby Keith. aka #BigDogDaddy
— Sammy Hagar (@sammyhagar) April 8, 2024
Hagar’s Memories With Keith
Brooks & Dunn, Hagar, and Lainey Wilson paid tribute to Toby Keith at the 2024 CMT Music Awards last Sunday. They were supported by members of Keith’s long-time band. Keith passed away in February after battling stomach cancer for a long time.
Brooks & Dunn started off with a performance of ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy.’ The song was Keith’s first single from 1993 and his first song to reach Number One on the charts. Hagar then sang ‘I Love This Bar.’ The song was a fitting choice given Keith’s reputation as a tequila and rum enthusiast who famously owns a bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
On stage, Hagar recalled one of their memories together:
“Toby and I closed the Cabo Wabo down a lot more times than probably we even remember. It’s hard to get thrown out of your own bar, and we managed to do that.”
You can watch Hagar’s performance below.