Fontana's Center Stage Theater will be renamed in honor of Sammy Hagar

https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/fontanas-center-stage-theater-will-be-renamed-in-honor-of-sammy-hagar/article_a5f7251e-4a9a-11ed-8ea1-db69a035d04d.html

Fontana’s Center Stage Theater will be renamed in honor of Sammy Hagar
By RUSSELL INGOLD Oct 12, 2022

Sammy Hagar grew up in Fontana before going on to become a rock superstar, and now the city’s downtown theater will be renamed in his honor.

The Fontana City Council voted on Oct. 11 in favor of changing the name of Center Stage Theater, the venue which has been hosting a wide range of entertainment events since it was built in 2008.

As indicated in a naming rights agreement with a company affiliated with him, Hagar (who is known as the “Red Rocker”) will perform one concert annually for five years at the venue.

Center Stage, which has been closed since May, is being renovated and is expected to reopen in the middle of next year, the agreement said.

The 20-year agreement was approved by a vote of 3-1, with Councilmember Jesse Sandoval voting no. Councilmember Peter Garcia was absent.

Sandoval wanted to know what benefit the city would derive from a two-decade agreement if Hagar would only be contracted to perform for five years.

Mayor Acquanetta Warren said having Hagar’s name on the theater “is going to attract other big-name artists to want to come here and perform also.”

Hagar, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has been well-known as a solo artist in addition to being the vocalist for Van Halen for 11 years (from 1985 to 1996). His career has spanned five decades, and he is celebrating his 75th birthday on Oct. 13.

Last month, Hagar released a new album, “Crazy Times,” with his band The Circle.

Over the years, he has performed in the Inland Empire many times, including at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. In 2013, he was the grand marshal of the Fontana Days Parade and had a city street named after him.