" Dreams " was written during the Sammy Hagar era of the band . It was performed during most tours featuring Hagar , including the most recent Hagar reunion tour . Even the Gary Cherone-headed tour supporting '' Van Halen III '' featured the song in their set-list . The song was also used to close the 2004 Democratic National Convention , played after the acceptance speech of John Kerry . It was also used as the campaign 's theme song at rallies across the country in 2004 . During an interview with Hagar for '' Rolling Stone '' featuring questions from fans , Hagar said that " Dreams , " along with " Right Now " were his favorite Van Halen songs , with " Dreams " being his most favorite if you pushed him . The song has also been redone by Hagar by his solo band , becoming a slower , more contemplative song , performed acoustically instead of the original album 's faster paced rock arrangement
tour
III Tour
Dreams (Van Halen song)