Reliving Sammy Hagar’s Iconic 1983 Concert In St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis has a rich history of great live rock shows, but few can rival the performance that Sammy Hagar put on at the Checkerdome in March of 1983. An argument can be made that it was the best Missouri concert ever and will never be topped.

Sammy Hagar's arrival in St. Louis for his 1983 Checkdome show on March 13, 193 was a series of firsts. Sammy says he was the first to invent and use a wireless headset microphone It was the first concert to air live on radio and be broadcast on MTV. It's the latter that elevated what would happen that night to stratospheric levels.

If you're not old enough to remember 1983, it's important to know that MTV was still in its genesis launching on August 1, 1981. By March of 1983, it was available in 67 million pay television households through cable.

Sammy Hagar was already a star, but his relationship with St. Louis was special. He notoriously sold out every show in St. Louis long before he gained fame elsewhere. That's one of the reasons why when he was approached by MTV of performing a live concert on the channel, he chose St. Louis above all others. The setlist he chose featured all of his biggest hits up until that time.

Having the wireless headset microphone allowed Sammy Hagar to treat the Checkerdome like a jungle gym. It was truly a spectacle as he quickly transitioned from one song to the next without hesitation. The more than 17,000 that filled the Checkerdome that night could not get enough. Sammy was literally hanging from the ceiling (lighting) for part of the show. A bright red Trans Am featured Sammy's favorite car and color and it sat right in the middle of the stage.

By the time this concert was complete, Sammy Hagar was known internationally. The following year he would break even bigger with his VOA album featuring "I Can't Drive 55". After that, he would become the successor to David Lee Roth in Van Halen. The Checkerdome would eventually be demolished in February of 1999.

Was it the best concert in Missouri history? Watch it for yourself and decide as it's just been remastered. I can't think of one that was better than what Sammy did that night in March of 1983.