Joe Satriani and Steve Vai at The Astro in LaVista, Nebraska on April 28th, 2024.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor, Peter Amisano Photography
On April 28th, virtuosos Steve Vai and Joe Satriani lit the stage, of The Astro Theater, on fire and gave the audience a night of incredible instrumental mastery. Omaha was the 27th stop on the Satch/Vai US Tour spanning 3 months and 38 shows. This is the first tour where Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have shared the stage together and I am thankful to have been able to share in such artistry.
Both Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have had amazing careers, Vai having played with such supergroups as Frank Zappa, Whitesnake and David Lee Roth and Satriani having taught the likes of Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Alex Skolnick & Steve Vai and played with the supergroup Chickenfoot.
The evening started with Steve Vai taking the stage for a 9-song set. Steve Vai is more than just a guitar player. He makes that instrument sound as if it were alive, the melodies, the screeches and the wails all compiled in a way that makes amazing music. His set consisted of a variety of songs throughout his solo career. But, two of the most impressive were Teeth of the Hydra, in which he played his infamous Hydra guitar which consists of a 12-string neck half fretted, a seven-string neck half fretted, a bass neck and 13 harp strings, and one of my personal favorites, For the Love of God, which he ended his set with.
Joe Satriani took the stage next, and it was a full-on rock concert. He played so many of his hit songs, Surfing with the Alien, Satch Boogie, Flying in a Blue Dream and my favorite, Always with You, Always with Me. It was a flawless performance. Joe Satriani’s sound is pure perfection. When people say music makes all your woes seem to fade away, that is the feeling portrayed by Joe Satriani through his music. It was simply awe-inspiring.
The show came to a close with Steve Vai returning to the stage and he and Satch performed their collaborative effort “The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1.” They wrapped up the evening with two covers, You Really Got Me, in which Satch threw in hints of the solo performed by Eddie Van Halen in the Van Halen rendition of the Kink’s classic and then proceeded to cover Metallica’s Enter Sandman. It was further entertainment to an already over the top performance.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer, Peter Amisano Photography in Lincoln, Nebraska. ©2024.
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