Gig Review

Steve Vai
Wolverhampton, Civic Hall

3rd December 2012


Steve Vai 
                

Photo Of Steve Vai © Copyright Robert LawrenceIf you don't know Steve Vai, he can play the guitar, he can really play the guitar! So much so that he's realise numerous solo albums, and has been in bands such as Whitesnake, Frank Zappas and David Lee Roths supergroup, and guesting on one of my favourite songs, Alice Coopers Feed My Frankenstein. He is a guitar virtuoso, and I'm sure any one who is serious about playing the six string, will appreciate his playing.

Photo Of Steve Vai © Copyright Robert LawrenceThere's no support on this The Story of Light tour, due to Beverly McClellan, pulling out due to personal family reasons. Instead we are treated to Mr Vai coming on at 8pm and playing a mammoth 3 hour set, not a bad way to spend the night.

He opens the set with Racing the World, Velorum, after which he pinches a friends camera and takes a photo of himself in front of the crowd then proceeds to take a photo of his undercarriage.

Photo Of Steve Vai © Copyright Robert LawrenceHe carries on with the superb, Building the Church. One thing I notice is that if your here to hear all the instruments in the songs, you're in for a bit of a disappointment, as all I can hear is Steve Vais guitar and the drums. Also the harp player scares me a little as she's swinging that thing around from her groin area like a big multi stringed cock.

After Tender Surrender and the storming Gravity Storm, Steve disappears for a short break while Dave Weiner, the other guitarist on stage, plays a solo acoustic song. Steve returns with a costume change, to play the likes of Weeping China Doll, The Moon and I, Answers, The Animal, The Audience is Listening before Deborah Conant plays her harp solo, before everything comes down a notch with a few acoustic songs.

Photo Of Steve Vai © Copyright Robert LawrenceI have to say its a mesmerisingly superb performance by Vai, I knew the man was superb but live he's something else, I have to say vocals wouldn't go a miss but why bother when you don't have to. The acoustic songs played are Rescue Me or Bury Me, Sisters, Treasure Island, Salamanders Sun and Pusa Road, the crowd being most respectfully silent, which is nice as past experience has gotten me pissed off with the crowd talking during acoustic sets. This section of the gig is finished off with a drum Solo, I hate drum solos, it's a throw back to the past, they just bore me.

Photo Of Steve Vai © Copyright Robert LawrenceThe final few songs of the set feature the likes of The Ultra Zone, Frank, then a rather interesting piece which I haven't seen before but really shows how good Vai and his band are, the make a new song up on the spot with getting a few crowd members on stage to hash out a song, a instrument at a time, pretty cool. they close the set out with, For the Love of God probably one of Steves best known songs, I wouldn't have said no to hearing the Halo theme Mjolnir mix, as its superb. The night is closed out with Taurus Bulba, pretty awesome but I'd have ended with For the Love of God.

Overall what a superb night of Virtuosic guitar playing from Steve Vai and co, Playing a l g set like this could have done with an intermission, but never mind.

Steve Vai 5/5

Review By Robert Lawrence

 Steve Vai


Steve Vai

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 Review Score Code
- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
- What Was That?