Posted by It was one of those days when I called up Pat to see if he wanted to “Jam”. I carried my guitar up the stairs that led to his room where I could hear him playing a new song I hadnt heard him play before. The new issue of Guitar For the Practicing Musician had come out, which he got in the mail, and one of the featured songs was “The Attitude Song” by Steve Vai and Id be willing to bet it was transcribed by Mr Andy Aledort! Pat was incredible on guitar and he always amazes me to this day with his talent. If he wasnt making a decent living with his art, working for Universal Studios, Im quite sure hed be gracing the stages, out on tour somewhere with a successful band; yea, he’s that good!
But I digress!
Steve Vai put on an amazing clinic at The Paramount in Huntington, NY 10.30.22. And I was witness to his greatness! Up until then I had only seen Steve blow me away when he played alongside Billy Sheehan in the David Lee Roth Band, which was a double whammy of talent in itself, and later when he joined Whitesnake! It wasnt until a couple years ago, prior to the pandemic when I saw Mr Vai headlining the Generation Axe tour at The Theater in Westbury. I dont know why he was labeled headliner, maybe perhaps it was because he was the brains behind the fest, no matter the reason, Mr Ego Malsteen was the fifth artist to hit the stage after Tosin Abasi opened the show, followed by Nuno Bettencourt, then Zak Wylde, Steve Vai, then The Ego! Of course the night finished with the 5 of them on stage with a full on Jam!!!
Seeing Steve perform billed as “An Evening With..” meaning he didnt have an opener, was a performance of a lifetime for me! Out on tour promoting his latest release “Inviolate” and showcasing his latest musical contraption “Hydra”, the evening was filled with more that just stellar guitar playing. In addition to seeing a top 5 guitar hero of mine, my enjoyment was all the more enhanced given the approval to shoot the show, albeit from Back of the House! Hey, beggars cant be choosers!!!
Here are a just a few highlights from that show!!
For full gallery, please visit: https://www.robarmstrongphotos.com/Concert-Photography/The-Paramount/Steve-Vai-103022/
Long Island Sounds 