Steve Vai brought the crowd to attention with two songs from his new CD "The Story of Light." As impressive as these opening songs were, the excitement escalated throughout this entire set that lasted almost three hours.
I have been a fan of Steve Vai for years. As a guitarist it was a thrill to attend his three hour Alien Guitar Secrets Master Class in Orlando in June, 2010. Mr. Vai showed us numerous techniques that he uses. He blew me away with his knowledge of everything from very unusual time signatures to his mastery of the "whammy bar," which is second to no one.
The drummer in Steve's band was one of the best I have ever heard. The bass player laid down great bass lines using 3 electric basses and a stand-up bass. He and the drummer worked well together creating a strong bottom.
The next member of the band played electric harp and keyboards, yes, electric harp! I had never seen one played in a rock band before but it worked extremely well. In addition, this lady used distortion and wah-wah with the harp. She also played keyboards while the harp was strapped to her. She was incredible.
The rhythm guitarist was no slouch on guitar himself. He played a song or two by himself that were impressive. He really came alive when he played harmony riffs with Steve. These were not simple 5 note riffs, they were complex harmonies with many notes.
One of the highlights of the evening for me was when Mr. Vai announced, "We are going to write a song tonight! Right now, with a little help from you." He then told a member of the audience to hum a drum beat, which he did. The band leader then told the drummer to speed up the tempo a bit and to add, "Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, in this part." The amazing drummer did exactly that.
Steve then asked the audience member to hum a bass line to go with the drum beat. The guitarist described how he would like the bass player to tweak the suggested bass line. Mr. Vai then directed the rhythm guitarist to play a particular rhythm pattern.
After an additional suggestion from the audience member the instructed the harpist with her part. He then asked her to add distortion and the wah wah pedal during one part.
Steve Vai then directed the entire band in his arrangement of the son that was created by parts suggested by the audience member. The guitarist instructed the band to play the verse through twice, then they would modulate the song by a minor 3rd, then the chief would play a solo. Following that, the drummer would play a short part then the band would come back in and there would be a dynamic ending. When the band executed the song it sounded as if they had rehearsed it dozens of times as they played it flawlessly.
My only disappointment in Steve Vai's set was because he did not play my favorite song of his, "The Crying Machine." There are only a handful of artists or acts whose concerts I would attend if I had to stand, like this concert. This man is one such performer. Steve Vai is amazing!