Update: Sammy Hagar & the Circle Cancel Rock Hall Appearance

Update: Sammy Hagar & the Circle Cancel Rock Hall Appearance
Courtesy of M2M PR & Partnerships
Update: Earlier this month, Sammy Hagar & the Circle announced that it would headline a charity concert at the Rock Hall.

Due to coronavirus concerns, that concert has now been cancelled.

"After careful consideration, and in light of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments, this year’s Mawaka Foundation/LOPen Charities events have been postponed indefinitely," say the organizers in a statement released this morning. "Thank you everyone for your generous contributions and support. If you purchased tickets to this year’s event, you will be fully refunded."

Refunds will take 7 to 10 days to process.

Original Post 08/05/2020: Sammy Hagar stirred up a bit of controversy earlier this year when he talked about the importance of rescuing the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have to save the world and this country from this economic thing that’s going to kill more people in the long run,” he told Rolling Stone in an interview that went viral.

As if to show he's not as callous as that statement about COVID-19 might imply, the Red Rocker and his backing band, the Circle, who canceled a summer tour that would’ve included a stop at Blossom, have announced that they'll perform a concert to benefit LOPen Charity Events and the Mawaka Foundation on Friday, Sept. 18, at the Rock Hall.

The concert will raise funds for children and their families fighting cancer in Northeast Ohio as well as for MusiCares and local food banks. This marks the 18th year for the charity event that’s raised over $3 million for the hospital and sells out each year.

This year’s rendition will feature limited tickets to allow for social distancing, and it'll  be produced according to all COVID-19 guidelines. The performance will take place outdoors. The set will include music from Hagar’s entire career, including Montrose, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin.

The Ohio Weather Band will open the show. The country music duo Brother Trouble, and singer-bassist Ira Dean will also perform. Sports icons Jim McMahon, Bret Saberhagen, Larry Johnson and Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini will make guest apperances.

“We are so thrilled to welcome back rock icon and friend Sammy Hagar," says LOPen founder Phil Lopez in a statement. "When we started LOPen Charity Events back in 2003, my wife Jennifer and I never thought it would grow to where it is today. The plan was to put on an event the first year and hope we raised some money to help kids fighting cancer. Today, we are marking our 18th and final year producing the event, which has grown into an annual weekend program featuring some of the biggest names in music and sports. We are grateful that Akron Children’s Hospital put their trust in us from the beginning, and we hope this year’s event proves to raise even more money to help kids battling cancer at the hospital. It’s about saving lives and providing the best treatment possible for the children. We also thought that with all the other issues going on in this world, we would allocate some of this years donations to help out MusiCares and local food banks!”

The weekend includes a sold-out celebrity golf tournament.

Food, drinks, and live and silent auctions will be part of the musical event at the Rock Hall.

To purchase tickets go to mawakafoundation.com or lopenrocks.com.

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Jeff Niesel

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 20 years now. And on a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town, too. If you're in a band that he needs to hear, email him at [email protected].
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