Sammy Hagar has never been shy about giving credit where it’s due. The Red Rocker has spent decades fronting and playing alongside some of the greatest musicians in rock history, from Montrose, to Chickenfoot, to the mighty Van Halen. But even among all of that, there is one band Hagar says stood on such a towering musical pedestal that only one group he ever played with could match them.
And that band was Led Zeppelin.
In interviews over the years, Hagar has repeatedly praised Led Zeppelin as “the greatest rock band ever” and his personal all-time favorite. But what surprised many fans was Hagar’s belief that Van Halen, particularly the 5150 era lineup, was powerful enough, talented enough, and explosive enough to equal Zeppelin at their peak.
“My Favourite Rock Band Ever”: Hagar’s Zeppelin Obsession
Sammy has always been open about his Zeppelin worship. He’s called Jimmy Page a genius, Plant a one-of-a-kind frontman, and Bonham the greatest drummer who ever lived. To Sammy, Zeppelin represented everything rock music should be:
- Big riffs
- Big drums
- Big personality
- Big imagination
But most importantly… chemistry.
The same magic formula fans later recognized in the Van Halen lineup Hagar joined in 1985.
The Comparison: Van Halen vs. Zeppelin
Hagar has often said that after joining Van Halen, he saw something in the band that he’d only ever seen in Led Zeppelin:
“Van Halen was the only band I was ever in that had that kind of energy.
It was the only band that could stand up to Zeppelin.”
He pointed to the “perfect storm” inside Van Halen:
- Eddie’s revolutionary guitar playing
- Alex’s thunderous drumming
- Michael Anthony’s harmonies and groove
- Hagar’s own vocal power and melodic instinct
Combined, Sammy felt the band had the same earth-shaking combination of talent and attitude Zeppelin had dominated the ’70s with.
Why Hagar Believed Van Halen Matched The Zeppelin Standard
1. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar genius
Hagar said more than once that Eddie had the same sort of supernatural creativity Jimmy Page possessed — only more technical, more fluid, and more forward-thinking.
2. The live power
Sammy insisted Van Halen in the late ’80s and early ’90s were one of the most devastatingly tight live bands on Earth, with a stage presence that could rival Zeppelin’s intensity.
3. Songwriting evolution
Just like Zeppelin broke out of blues-rock, Hagar believed Van Halen, especially on albums like OU812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, expanded the band’s music into something almost orchestral in scale while still staying heavy.
4. The “band of brothers” dynamic
Sammy always described Van Halen as having that “gang mentality,” the same us-against-the-world bond that fueled Zeppelin.
Hagar’s Bold Claim: “We Could Have Been The Next Zeppelin”
In one of his most direct comparisons, Hagar said:
“Van Halen was the only band I was in that could equal Led Zeppelin.
They’re my favorite band ever, and we were right there musically.”
To Sammy, it wasn’t about imitation — it was about impact.
Both bands:
- Redefined what the electric guitar could do
- Changed rock radio
- Broke attendance records
- Had singers with instantly recognizable voices
- Pushed the boundaries of hard-rock music
And above all:
Both were truly dangerous, electrifying, once-in-a-generation bands.
The legacy Of The Comparison
While fans still debate Roth vs. Hagar, or Van Halen vs. Zeppelin, what’s indisputable is this:
Sammy Hagar didn’t compare Van Halen to Zeppelin lightly.
For him, Zeppelin was the mountaintop.
And the fact he put Van Halen on that same level, especially the era he fronted, speaks volumes about how powerful and important that lineup was in the history of rock.
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