Vai Is Still God

DrewJD82

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I can't believe it's been almost 30 years since my first Vai show.

While I don't listen to his music on repeat these days, from '96 until '00 you could find the words 'Vai Is God' written on everything I could scribble on. Just got back from his show here in Ft. Lauderdale and I was grinning and smiling like I was 14 again the entire set. If he's not traveling with his own PA, he was pushing the Parker Playhouse's system to the limits, but it sounded GREAT. Such a clear mix and the guitar tones with him and Dave were really spectacular. I never really associated much of clean tones with Vai, but he was using them quite a bit tonight, lots of edge of breakup stuff. I think he's got a Bassman module in his Synergy rack.

Larry Mitchell opened the show and I had no clue he was even playing! I totally would have caught that! He came out during Vai's set, had an FM9 going direct and his tone was KILLER. Really cool playing, too. Dude does some great note sliding stuff that's really smooth and has it's own thing going on.

There was a few standing ovations throughout the night, I can't remember the first one but Vai grabbed the mic and said "Really? Over that?" :rofl

He busted out the Hydra and man, the live videos I've seen don't do that justice. It also looks a f*ck of a lot cooler in person than it does on video or in pictures. None of the videos I've seen have been able to reproduce the bass neck of that thing, but you could definitely hear it tonight Bynoe eventually adds some stuff in but it's just a bassline under what Vai's doing, not playing any of the Hydra parts.

He's gotten better at shortening the amount of time he wanks at the end of songs, which is a big welcome from me. Dude is a very tiny step below Gilmour for me but I've heard enough of him noodling to last a lifetime.

His monitor guy is also an opera singer, comes out and sings the first 1/4 of "For The Love Of God" and that was REALLY damn cool.

And I forgot my earplugs. As soon as Vai played something to tease the audience I went "Ohhhhhhh f*************ck" My ears are getting a nice break for a couple days.

Definitely check out a show if he's coming around!
 
Vai is amazing. Larry is a personal friend and one of the coolest cats I know. Too bad you missed his set, his songs are excellent.

I didn’t see ANYTHING advertising he was part of the show, which is unfortunate. Not even on Ticketmaster where I bought the tickets. I dig everything of his I heard and I really dug what he was doing onstage for those 5 minutes or so, the dude seems like such a nice guy as well.
 
This wasn’t the show I was at, but a great closeup of him rockin’ the Hydra. You can’t really hear the sympathetic strings as much on this, or the bass neck, but it was loud and clear last night!

 
I didn’t see ANYTHING advertising he was part of the show, which is unfortunate. Not even on Ticketmaster where I bought the tickets. I dig everything of his I heard and I really dug what he was doing onstage for those 5 minutes or so, the dude seems like such a nice guy as well.
Larry really turned me on to the FAS stuff. His NAMM jams are legendary awesome. If you ever get the opportunity do check out his set.
 
Vai is god, I agree.

I have no guitar heroes and I'm not into guitar centric instrumental music (hi Tim! :rofl ) but I have a huge respect for him and admiration for his playing.
 
Who’s in his touring band these days?

I’ve always had tremendous respect for Vai, he’s one of the most unique and recognizable voices on the instrument in our time. One of the best ever
 
If there is a Guitar Sensei it is Steve Vai.

I still think he Lydians too much. But hey, just my modal preferences, not his. :lol
 
Morgan Freeman Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 
Seeing Vai doing Passion and Warfare from start end to in in Prague 2016 was a religious experience. I might have shed a tear or two.
Seen him a few times over the years, first time on DLR's Skyscraper tour!

Saw him for the first time on the Skyscraper tour, too. :beer

Also saw him with Whitesnake and solo on the Sex & Religion tour, the latter in a tiny club in Toronto.
 
Who’s in his touring band these days?

I’ve always had tremendous respect for Vai, he’s one of the most unique and recognizable voices on the instrument in our time. One of the best ever

Dave Weiner, who he’s had with him since ‘99, Philip Bynoe and Jeremy Colson. Dave plays some keyboard parts and I think it might be Vai’s son who occasionally comes out to play some keyboard parts and played some chords on a guitar at one point.
 
He’s auctioning off a metric f*ckton of stuff via Julien’s. I’m on page 261 of that catalog, if that’s says anything about how much sh*t he’s auctioning off. Some REALLY cool sh*t, too; the Digitech Rack Of Wham they made him that he used for years in his rigs, a bunch of random prototype stuff, be it JEMs, pedals or just sh*t companies have sent him. Zappa transcriptions, a bunch of Legacy heads, his old recording gear from the early 80’s Zappa gave him, setlists, production notes for every album he’s worked on since Zappa, stage clothes….


I actually might bid on the studio notes for the Fire Garden era, which is when I got into him and still my favorite Vai era. There’s a few things in here I’m considering bidding on.
 
He’s auctioning off a metric f*ckton of stuff via Julien’s. I’m on page 261 of that catalog, if that’s says anything about how much sh*t he’s auctioning off. Some REALLY cool sh*t, too; the Digitech Rack Of Wham they made him that he used for years in his rigs, a bunch of random prototype stuff, be it JEMs, pedals or just sh*t companies have sent him. Zappa transcriptions, a bunch of Legacy heads, his old recording gear from the early 80’s Zappa gave him, setlists, production notes for every album he’s worked on since Zappa, stage clothes….


I actually might bid on the studio notes for the Fire Garden era, which is when I got into him and still my favorite Vai era. There’s a few things in here I’m considering bidding on.

The question is which lucky one of us will get his Trek mountain bike!
13D60E3E-B307-4AA2-9246-C7F8862829CD.jpeg



:rawk
 
He’s auctioning off a metric f*ckton of stuff via Julien’s. I’m on page 261 of that catalog, if that’s says anything about how much sh*t he’s auctioning off. Some REALLY cool sh*t, too; the Digitech Rack Of Wham they made him that he used for years in his rigs, a bunch of random prototype stuff, be it JEMs, pedals or just sh*t companies have sent him. Zappa transcriptions, a bunch of Legacy heads, his old recording gear from the early 80’s Zappa gave him, setlists, production notes for every album he’s worked on since Zappa, stage clothes….


I actually might bid on the studio notes for the Fire Garden era, which is when I got into him and still my favorite Vai era. There’s a few things in here I’m considering bidding on.
Rack of Wham sounds like an awesome concept :unsure:
 
Rack of Wham sounds like an awesome concept :unsure:

It's just the Whammy pedal guts in a rack unit, same idea as the rack Crybaby, the pedal just controls it. The hardcore Vai nerd in me wants it soooooo bad because I used to drool over it in his rig pics, but it'd be the most expensive impractical gear I could buy.
 
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