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Steve Vai Announces ‘Inviolate’ tour of Australia and New Zealand for October - November 2023

MELBOURNE, AU (10 am AEST July 17, 2023)  -  Live Nation are excited to announce the forthcoming Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ tour which sees Steve and his band back in Australia and New Zealand for the first time since their highly successful shows in 2013.

The Tour kicks off on 31 October 2023 in Wellington before visiting Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 and are available from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

My Live Nation members can secure tickets during the exclusive presale running from 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19 - 1 pm, Thursday, July 20.

Steve Vai shares , “The Inviolate world tour marches on. We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling The World like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

The extensive 'Inviolate' tour just began a second leg of dates in North America, with Canadian dates to follow. In June, the Inviolate World Tour visited Central and South America with shows played in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Over the past two years,  Vai  released a new studio album titled  ‘Inviolate’ and a record titled  ‘Vai/Gash’  which he had been holding in his archive for three decades.  In support of both releases,  Vai embarked on a world Tour in 2022 that will take the better part of 2 years and see the band play in excess of 200 shows. Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group presented the official music video for “Teeth Of The Hydra,” from Inviolate which has now been viewed over 6.5 million times. View here . 

Of the Vai/Gash album, Vai shares, “The album was written and recorded in somewhat of a stream of consciousness in 1991 within perhaps a 2-week period as an answer to my desire to have a particular kind of music to listen to when I was riding my Harley Davison Motorcycle with my friends. One of those friends was John “Gash” Sombrotto, who is the powerful singer on this record. It’s reminiscent of a certain type of rock music I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1970s. These recordings sat on the shelf for over 30 years and are being released now in 2023.

Preview “ She Saved My Life Tonight ”

Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ Tour - Australia and New Zealand

Tue 31 Oct | Wellington | Opera House Wed 1 Nov | Auckland | The Civic Fri 3 Nov | Brisbane | Fortitude Music Hall Sun 5th Nov | Sydney | Enmore Theatre Mon 6th Nov | Wollongong | Anita's Theatre Wed 8 Nov | Adelaide | Hindley Street Music Hall Thu 9 Nov | Melbourne | Palais Theatre Sat 11 Nov | Perth | Concert Hall

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

For complete tour & ticket  information visit livenation.com.au

About Steve Vai 

Steve Vai is a virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer, considered by many as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. In over 40 years in the industry, Vai has sold over 15 million records, received three Grammy Awards, and recorded with music legends like Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and many more.  Vai has also toured extensively and recorded live projects with G3 (collaborating with different touring lineups including Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Lukather) and Generation Axe, a supergroup Vai formed with Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin.  About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. For additional information, visit livenationentertainment.com .

For all tour-related enquiries, contact: Mad Dog Publicity Jo Wilson +61 414 316 044 [email protected]

For all Live Nation-related enquiries, contact: Phil Day +61 451877623 [email protected]

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Live Nation are excited to announce the forthcoming Steve Vai ‘ Inviolate ’ tour which sees Steve and his long-tenured ensemble playing shows in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth for the first time since their highly successful shows in 2013.

Steve Vai has awed fans of all genres with his exceptional guitar skills and musicianship for decades.

With a career spanning over 40 years and considered by many as one of the greatest guitarists of all time , Steve Vai has sold over 15 million records , received three Grammy Awards , and recorded with music legends like Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, WHITESNAKE and many more.

Vai has also toured extensively and recorded live projects with ‘G3’ (collaborating with different touring line-ups, including Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Lukather) and ‘Generation Axe’, a supergroup Vai formed with Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi.

Over the past two years, Vai released a new studio album titled ‘Inviolate’ and a record titled ‘Vai/Gash’ which he had been holding in his archive for three decades. In support of both releases, Vai embarked on a world Tour in 2022 that will take the better part of 2 years and see the band play more than 200 shows.

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17 July 2023 - 0 Comments

The Tour kicks off on 31 October 2023 in Wellington before visiting Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 and are available from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

My Live Nation members can secure tickets during the exclusive presale running from 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19 - 1 pm, Thursday, July 20.

Steve Vai shares , “The Inviolate world tour marches on. We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling The World like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

The extensive Inviolate  tour just began a second leg of dates in North America, with Canadian dates to follow. In June, the Inviolate World Tour visited Central and South America with shows played in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Over the past two years, Vai released a new studio album titled Inviolate   and a record titled Vai/Gash  which he had been holding in his archive for three decades. In support of both releases, Vai embarked on a world Tour in 2022 that will take the better part of 2 years and see the band play in excess of 200 shows. Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group presented the official music video for Teeth Of The Hydra , from Inviolate which has now been viewed over 6.5 million times. View here .

Steve Vai Inviolate  Tour - New Zealand

Tue 31 Oct | Wellington | Opera House Wed 1 Nov | Auckland | The Civic

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

For complete tour & ticket information visit livenation.com.au

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STEVE VAI Announces ‘Inviolate’ tour of Australia and New Zealand for October – November 2023

22 July 2023 The Rockpit

Live Nation are excited to announce the forthcoming Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ tour which sees Steve and his band back in Australia and New Zealand for the first time since their highly successful shows in 2013. The Tour kicks off on 31 October 2023 in Wellington before visiting Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Steve Vai shares , “The Inviolate world tour marches on. We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling The World like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

The extensive ‘Inviolate’ tour just began a second leg of dates in North America, with Canadian dates to follow. In June, the Inviolate World Tour visited Central and South America with shows played in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Over the past two years,  Vai  released a new studio album titled  ‘Inviolate’ and a record titled  ‘Vai/Gash’  which he had been holding in his archive for three decades.  In support of both releases,  Vai embarked on a world Tour in 2022 that will take the better part of 2 years and see the band play in excess of 200 shows.

Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group presented the official music video for “Teeth Of The Hydra,” from Inviolate which has now been viewed over 6.5 million times.

Of the Vai/Gash album, Vai shares, “The album was written and recorded in somewhat of a stream of consciousness in 1991 within perhaps a 2-week period as an answer to my desire to have a particular kind of music to listen to when I was riding my Harley Davison Motorcycle with my friends. One of those friends was John “Gash” Sombrotto, who is the powerful singer on this record. It’s reminiscent of a certain type of rock music I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1970s. These recordings sat on the shelf for over 30 years and are being released now in 2023.

Preview “ She Saved My Life Tonight ”

Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ Tour – Australia and New Zealand

Tue 31 Oct | Wellington | Opera House Wed 1 Nov | Auckland | The Civic Fri 3 Nov | Brisbane | Fortitude Music Hall Sun 5th Nov | Sydney | Enmore Theatre Mon 6th Nov | Wollongong | Anita’s Theatre Wed 8 Nov | Adelaide | Hindley Street Music Hall Thu 9 Nov | Melbourne | Palais Theatre Sat 11 Nov | Perth | Concert Hall

Tickets for all shows from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

For complete tour & ticket information visit livenation.com.au

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Vai academy 7, latest news, beat: performing the 80s music of king crimson.

BEAT tickets are available today at 12 PM EST using the presale password BEATTOUR at beat-tour.com! That code will get you early access to the best prices and seats before the general on sale this Friday!    

BEAT tickets are available today at 12 PM EST using the presale password BEATTOUR at beat-tour.com ! That code will get you early access to the best prices and seats before the general on sale this Friday!

This year’s Vai Academy Camp 7.0 was just off the hook fantastic. Totally sold out in advance and our biggest group so far. It’s so nice to be in an environment filled with guitar lovers that are eager to embrace the guitar culture, meet with so many other like minded people, thrive in an immersive…> Read More

“And I’m feelin’ good.”

“And I’m feelin’ good.” Carlos Arellano: Tour manager & FOH sound engineer Philip Bynoe: Bass Jeremy Colson: Drums Dante Frisiello & Dave Weiner: Guitar & keyboards Christopher Huber: Drum tech & video director Fire Vai: EVO meet & greet, Merchandise Julian Vai: EVO meet & greet, Production assistant Douglas Macarthur & Thomas Nordegg: Guitar Techs…> Read More

Carlos Arellano: Tour manager & FOH sound engineer Philip Bynoe: Bass Jeremy Colson: Drums Dante Frisiello & Dave Weiner: Guitar & keyboards

Christopher Huber: Drum tech & video director Fire Vai: EVO meet & greet, Merchandise Julian Vai: EVO meet & greet, Production assistant Douglas Macarthur & Thomas Nordegg: Guitar Techs Daniel Gonzalez: Monitor engineer, Vocals (FTLOG) Nicholas Scout: Guitar Tech, Guitar Philip Rice, Blayne Sovia & Javier Jasso: Lighting Directors Tareq Knocks, Keegan Hughes & Pepe Garcia: Merchandise Mavis Ma: Production Assistant, Promoter (East West Best)

Randy Salcedo & Chloe Peachey: Booking Agents (Sound Talent Group) Steve Karas: Press agent

Favored Nations/Mascot Label Group: Label – Ed van Zijl (Owner) & Lauren Schuller (P.M.) Pamela Dancy: Bookkeeping Steven & Stephanie Bradley: Digital/Social Media, (9/9) Jeroen Noordhuis:  Vai.com Michael Mesker: Art Design Greg Wurth: Studio engineer Margaret & Stacy Robley: CPA (R&R Business Management) Gerald F. Rosenblatt: Legal (Law Office of Gerald F. Rosenblatt) John Germinario: EVO Premium Package (237 Global) Matt Wood: MerchNow Jukka Iisakkila: Maestro (Conductor) Co de Kloet: Creative Catalyst Danny Heaps: Vai Academy Chief (Dreamcatcher) Ricardo Cappelli: AGS Masterclass Producer Tony Sartino: Wardrobe Jason Henke: Management (Vector Entertainment) Christina Bekin & Disraeli Balthasar: Management (The Creamery)

Ibanez DiMarzio Ernie Ball Fractal Audio Synergy Guitar Amps Roland Fryette Digitech

Did this really happen? The Inviolate world tour saturated the entire globe. It’s far beyond anything I could have imagined when I was a kid practicing feverishly in my teenage bedroom. Traveling The World like this with my band, crew & family, touching & tasting all these magnificent cultures & feeling the powerful energy from the audiences was a transformative experience. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that came out showing their enthusiastic support & to my band, team Vai crew, & all the promoters. Your efforts, support & love have made this phenomenal experience a reality. My cup runneth over.

Steve Vai & Joe Satriani Tour happening!

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For the first time ever, after more than 50 years of friendship, it’s the Satch-Vai 2024 Tour! Believe it not, this is the first time Joe and Steve will tour as a duo-bill, and it comes along with plans to release a new musical collaboration.

“The Satch/Vai Tour is happening! I’m so looking forward to sharing the stage with Steve again. Every time we play together it takes me back to when we were teenagers, eating and breathing music every second of the day, pushing, challenging and helping each other to be the best we could be. I guess we’ve never stopped!” – Joe “Touring with Joe is always a pleasure and an honor. He is my favorite guitarist to jam with, and now we have another opportunity to take it to the stage. I feel as though we are both at the top of our game and that the show will be a powerful celebration of the coolest instrument in the world, the electric guitar!” – Steve

Guitar Rig Rundown by Premier Guitar

Check out this new Guitar Rig Rundown done by Premier Guitar, of Steve’s 2023 Inviolate Tour Rig, featuring Doug MacArthur:     Read more on their website: https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundowns/steve-vai-2023  

Check out this new Guitar Rig Rundown done by Premier Guitar, of Steve’s 2023 Inviolate Tour Rig, featuring Doug MacArthur:

Read more on their website:

https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundowns/steve-vai-2023

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G3 is back! After close to 30 years, the original G3 lineup will be going out again with myself, Joe and Eric. I’ve been hoping for this for as long as many of you have, and I’m so looking forward to being on that stage with my G3 brothers again. Details at www.g3tour.com Tickets presale…> Read More

G3 is back! After close to 30 years, the original G3 lineup will be going out again with myself, Joe and Eric. I’ve been hoping for this for as long as many of you have, and I’m so looking forward to being on that stage with my G3 brothers again. Details at www.g3tour.com Tickets presale 9/13 and onsale 9/15

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Steve Vai announces Australia & New Zealand tour dates

Live Nation are excited to announce the forthcoming Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ tour which sees Steve and his band back in Australia and New Zealand for the first time since their highly successful shows in 2013. The Tour kicks off on 31 October 2023 in Wellington before visiting Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 and are available from  livenation.com.au  &  livenation.co.nz

My Live Nation members can secure tickets during the exclusive presale running from 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19 – 1 pm, Thursday, July 20.

Steve Vai shares, “The Inviolate world tour marches on. We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling The World like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

Tue 31 Oct | Wellington | Opera House Wed 1 Nov | Auckland | The Civic Fri 3 Nov | Brisbane | Fortitude Music Hall Sun 5th Nov | Sydney | Enmore Theatre Mon 6th Nov | Wollongong | Anita’s Theatre Wed 8 Nov | Adelaide | Hindley Street Music Hall Thu 9 Nov | Melbourne | Palais Theatre Sat 11 Nov | Perth | Concert Hall

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• Oct 28 2023 MCC Hall The Mall Ngamwongwan Bangkok, Thailand Add time Add time
• Oct 31 2023 The Opera House Wellington, New Zealand Add time Add time
• Nov 01 2023 Civic Theatre This Setlist Auckland, New Zealand Add time Add time
• Nov 03 2023 Fortitude Music Hall Brisbane, Australia Add time Add time
• Nov 05 2023 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia Start time: 8:00 PM 8:00 PM

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Live Photos: Steve Vai - The Opera House, Wellington

Steve Vai 's epic two year Inviolate world tour touched down at Pōneke's Opera House last night, for the first of two of the US guitar god's Aotearoa headline dates with band. By all reports the two and a half hour show was an awe-inspiring extravaganza, concert attendee Lukasz Buda (The Phoenix Foundation) described the unveiling of Vai's signature triple neck guitar The Hydra as "it felt like a wrestlers trademark finishing move". Photographer  Bruce Mackay  got amongst to capture the legendary event, you can click on the thumbnail images below for the full gallery. Tāmaki Makaurau aficionados of soaring guitar solo overload (including myself) will be heading along the The Civic this evening — earplugs are advised...

Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ Tour Wednesday 1st November - The Civic, Auckland Tickets available via livenation.co.nz

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Published on July 17th, 2023 | by Adrian Gunning

Steve Vai Announces ‘Inviolate’ tour of Australia and New Zealand for October – November 2023

Live Nation are excited to announce the forthcoming Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ tour which sees Steve and his band back in Australia and New Zealand for the first time since their highly successful shows in 2013. The Tour kicks off on 31 October 2023 in Wellington before visiting Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 and are available from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz My Live Nation members can secure tickets during the exclusive presale running from 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19 – 1 pm, Thursday, July 20.

Steve Vai shares, “The Inviolate world tour marches on. We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling The World like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

The extensive ‘Inviolate’ tour just began a second leg of dates in North America, with Canadian dates to follow. In June, the Inviolate World Tour visited Central and South America with shows played in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Over the past two years, Vai released a new studio album titled ‘Inviolate’ and a record titled ‘Vai/Gash’ which he had been holding in his archive for three decades. In support of both releases, Vai embarked on a world Tour in 2022 that will take the better part of 2 years and see the band play in excess of 200 shows.

Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group presented the official music video for “Teeth Of The Hydra,” from Inviolate which has now been viewed over 6.5 million times. View here.

Of the Vai/Gash album, Vai shares, “The album was written and recorded in somewhat of a stream of consciousness in 1991 within perhaps a 2-week period as an answer to my desire to have a particular kind of music to listen to when I was riding my Harley Davison Motorcycle with my friends. One of those friends was John “Gash” Sombrotto, who is the powerful singer on this record. It’s reminiscent of a certain type of rock music I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1970s. These recordings sat on the shelf for over 30 years and are being released now in 2023.

Preview “She Saved My Life Tonight” Steve Vai ‘Inviolate’ Tour – Australia and New Zealand Tue 31 Oct | Wellington | Opera House Wed 1 Nov | Auckland | The Civic Fri 3 Nov | Brisbane | Fortitude Music Hall Sun 5th Nov | Sydney | Enmore Theatre Mon 6th Nov | Wollongong | Anita’s Theatre Wed 8 Nov | Adelaide | Hindley Street Music Hall Thu 9 Nov | Melbourne | Palais Theatre Sat 11 Nov | Perth | Concert Hall

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 2 pm, Thursday, July 20 from livenation.com.au & livenation.co.nz

My Live Nation members can secure tickets during the exclusive presale running from 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19 – 1 pm, Thursday, July 20.

For complete tour & ticket information visit livenation.com.au

About the Author

Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.

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Steve Vai To Embark On Australian Leg Of ‘Inviolate’ Tour

The legendary shredder will hit stages Down Under this November.

Steve Vai (Source: Supplied)

Steve Vai has announced the Australian and New Zealand leg of his Inviolate world tour, hitting eight prestigious theatres Down Under from the end of October.

Vai and his band will kick things off with two back-to-back Aotearoan shows, playing the Opera House in Wellington on Tuesday October 31, then The Civic in Auckland on Wednesday November 1. Australia will follow at the end of that week, first with a gig at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Friday November 3, then the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Sunday November 5.

From there, Vai and co. will head to Wollongong (Monday November 6 at Anita’s Theatre), Adelaide (Wednesday 8 at the Hindley Street Music Hall) and Melbourne (Thursday 9 at the Palais Theatre), before wrapping up at the Perth Concert Hall on Saturday November 11.

Tickets for all of the shows go on sale at 2pm local time this Thursday (July 20), with a Live Nation presale kicking off at 1pm this Wednesday (July 19) – see here for more info on both sales.

“The Inviolate world tour marches on,” Vai said in a press statement. “We are saturating the entire globe on this tour. It’s everything I imagined when I was a kid jamming in my bedroom. Travelling the world like this with my band, crew and family, touching and tasting all these magnificent cultures and feeling the powerful energy from the audiences is what we call living the dream. I am eternally grateful to all the fans that make this possible. We will see you soon!”

The tour comes in support of Vai’s 10th solo album, Inviolate , an instrumental effort that arrived last January through his Favoured Nations label. It was followed up in January of this year by Vai/Gash , an album recorded in 1991 with late singer Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto, which remained unreleased until now due to the latter’s untimely death in 1998.

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STEVE VAI ‘INVIOLATE’ AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TOUR

Tuesday October 31 – Wellington , Opera House Wednesday November 1 – Auckland , The Civic Friday November 3 – Brisbane , Fortitude Music Hall Sunday November 5 – Sydney , Enmore Theatre Monday November 6 – Wollongong , Anita's Theatre Wednesday November 8 – Adelaide , Hindley Street Music Hall Thursday November 9 – Melbourne , Palais Theatre Saturday November 11 – Perth , Concert Hall

Tickets: livenation.com.au

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“inviolate was made for touring, really”: an interview with steve vai.

Ahead of his 'Inviolate' tour across Australia and New Zealand, Steve Vai sits down with Mixdown to chat about his jaw-dropping live rig.

Every Steve Vai tour brings with it some sort of unusual guitar upon which Steve makes some kind of jaw-dropping musical and aesthetic statement. On the Fire Garden tour it was a ridiculously tricked-out Stratocaster (belonging to his guitar tech, the legendary tinkerer Thomas Nordegg). Ultra Zone ? A triple-neck, heart-shaped Ibanez and a freaky alien-looking thing that defies categorisation.

Read all the latest features, columns and more  here.

Other tours have featured a mirror-topped double-neck fretted/fretless Ibanez and a triple-neck Jem with 12-string and fretless necks along with a sustainer-loaded 7-string. When Vai visits Australia as part of his world tour in November, he will be bringing a beast that makes all of these instruments look like toy ukuleles. 

Enter the Hydra. You can see it on the cover of Vai’s latest album Inviolate . You can hear it on the track “Teeth of The Hydra”. It’s a triple-neck instrument with a 7-string guitar, a 12-string guitar and a 4-string ¾-scale length bass. There are 13 sympathetic harp strings; strings added that aren’t necessarily there to be played, but instead resonate with the principle of sympathetic resonance.

There are MIDI, sustainer and piezo pickups. Floating and hardtail bridges. The 12-string neck is fretted only up to the 8 th fret. The bass neck? It’s partially fretless too, but only underneath the lowest two strings. There are lights. There are decorative tubes. It looks like a steampunk weapon. Making music on this thing must be a challenge, right?

“The biggest challenge with the Hydra is getting it from one place to another,” Vai jokes over Zoom from a hotel somewhere in Canada. “Originally, on the first European tour we did on this run, I couldn’t bring it because I couldn’t play it. I was recovering from shoulder surgery. It took me a couple of weeks to get into it. But now it’s pretty natural.” 

So how do you even amplify something like the Hydra, in a way that doesn’t send the entire tour bankrupt? The technology didn’t really exist until recently. “The amplification of the Hydra is a bit of a technical marvel,” Vai says, “because the Hydra itself is a very technical instrument. It has the bass neck, the 7-string neck, the 12-string neck and the harp, and those are four analog outputs. And then there’s the MIDI for the guitar synthesizer. So the way that [Ibanez parent company] Hoshino designed it, all the outputs go into a CAT5 cable, so it’s one little connector, and everything goes out to the Hydra Brain. It’s a gold box on the floor, and the signal splits out the back. So the way that we amplify it is the seven string neck goes to my main rig, so that’s like as if I was plugging in my guitar.”

“Actually, let me back up a bit: once we come out of the Hydra brain in mono, all of those four outputs go into the Fractal AxeFx, which has four stereo outputs. So each one of the necks is stereo. The 7-string goes to my main rig in stereo, the 12-string comes out panned hard right with effects on the left, so when I hit it, it goes ‘KK-TIIIIN!’ then the bass comes out in stereo and goes to the front of house. The 12-string and harp neck, same thing. The stereo outputs go to front of house. And I’m listening through in-ear monitors to all of it. It’s really difficult to mix it because there’s so many strings. You have to be careful that the stereo sonic real estate isn’t too congested. So you gotta get it panned properly and effects properly … and then the parts have to actually be played.”

Vai says the Hydra has other songs in it too, once it’s done serving its current purpose as a vehicle to bring “Teeth Of The Hydra” to life.

“Once I finished “Teeth of the Hydra”, I had a visual for another piece of music. It was very, very different. See, [in] “Teeth of the Hydra” everything I play is linear. It’s like this, then that. Then this, then that. It took a long time for me because it requires you to rewire your guitar playing instincts. What I have in mind for the next one is much more challenging. ‘Cause it’s not linear, it’s multiple things going on at the same time. With “Teeth of the Hydra” I didn’t want to use looping or delays to compensate. I wanted it to be very honest. But now I think what I would like to do is something that involves more effects and stuff … but I don’t know when!”

The Inviolate tour isn’t just about the Hydra though. In addition to the expected classics and some deep cuts, the tour features plenty of tracks from its namesake album. That’s something Vai had in mind while making the record, after the pandemic shut down his initial plan to make a trio of albums (a clean one, a regular Vai one and a super heavy one).

“[ Inviolate ] was made for touring, really. So usually when you put a set list together, you are pulling favourites. You’re pulling songs that maybe you haven’t played before from the catalogue, and then a good smattering of new stuff. But in this set, a lot of the new stuff, there’s a lot of music from this album that we play and they’re really made to be great live songs for me.”

“You feel the honour of being a service provider to an audience. I feel like I have a job and I love that job of being an entertainer. That has deepened for me on this tour. And you can see it and feel it in the show.”

Tickets for the Inviolate tour are available from livenation.com.au  &  livenation.co.nz

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About Steve Vai

Steve Vai is an American guitarist, composer, singer and songwriter. He is a virtuoso recognised for his creative and technical skills, innovative approach to guitar playing, and consistent use of exotic scales and melodies. His career spans three decades and he has released several solo albums, received three Grammy award nominations and produced various albums for other musicians. At a young age, Vai encountered musical heavyweights such as Frank Zappa and recorded several of the latter’s albums. Vai has also released a number of instructional videos and DVDs and has been closely associated with brands such as Ibanez, presenting and collaborating on signature models. He currently hosts his own radio show on the internet and is a frequent guest performer.

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CONCERT REVIEW: STEVE VAI Delivers An Inspiring Night Of Six-String Wizardry In Toronto (August 8th, 2023)

At 63 years of age and 45 years of performing across the globe, Steve Vai could just as well repeat his formula over and over again and simply rest on his well-earned laurels. However, as we came to experience at the Danforth Music Hall last night, he continues to push himself and to find new ways to challenge his abilities. His latest “proper” album “Inviolate” impressed the listeners with many twists and turns, and he’s still finding material in his vault to release, as was the case with the “Vai/Gash” album, a collection of straightforward songs recorded over 30 years ago.

Vai entered the stage at 8 PM sharp and there was no opening band. Honestly, for the average attendance that was quite a relief. Not only because we could go straight to the point and see the main attraction of the night, but also because there would be a lot to digest during his lengthy set. He kicked things off with “Avalancha”, one of the fastest and most accessible tracks of “Inviolate” . This was quickly followed by “Giant Balls of Gold”, and the wizard was already on the loose, holding his guitar by the whammy bar and reaching the exact notes he wanted at any given time.

Believe it or not, the “Inviolate World Tour” is only in its halfway point, although it has already hit Europe, US and South America. The start of the journey was postponed due to health issues – Steve had to have an operation on his right shoulder and finger right before the first dates – and will last until mid-2024. And although most of the crowd is here for the fast-paced numbers, Vai does shine on slower songs like “Little Pretty” and “Tender Surrender” , the Hendrix -inspired song from “Alien Love Secrets” . A quick stop to introduce the band – Jeremy Colson on drums, sporting a “Listen to Rush” shirt, Philip Bynoe on bass and Dante Frisiello on guitars and keyboards – and we’re back in full gear.

Ever the generous bandleader, Steve gives plenty of room for his support band to shine throughout the show – Philip , Jeremy and Dante all had solo spots – and during “Incantation” , all roadies joined the band on stage doing well choreographed moves and riffing together. The show progressed by alternating soulful numbers like “Candlepower”, born out of a self-imposed challenge to record a simple trio track with Strat, no whammy bar and no pick, and high-octane moments such as “Building the Church” , with the most insane two-hand tapping this side of Lake Ontario.

“Greenish Blues”, from “Inviolate” was also represented, and is a rare exploration of the blues – a style that Steve mentioned he won’t be revisiting any time soon. Out of all the crowd-pleasing moments in the middle of the set, “Bad Horsie” was probably the one which got the strongest applause by then, with parts of the audience anticipating Steve ’s bends and singing some of the licks. The big screen showed a baby growing from inception to birth during “I’m Becoming” , and “Whispering a Prayer” brought some levity to the proceedings with a welcome change of pace.

It was then time to bring out the Hydra, a beast of an instrument that Steve designed, containing two guitar necks, one bass and a harp. As a sign of the times, this was the most “hang on, let me film this to post a story on social media, while totally missing what this guitar god is doing right in front of me” . In a different time before the invention of cell phone cameras this would have been the moment for the crowd to go nuts, but that’s a sad sign of the times. Anyway, Steve played “Teeth of the Hydra” with this humungous guitar held on a pedestal, and I can’t wait for him to adapt other pieces of music to play with it. This was followed by “Zeus in Chains”, another high point of “Inviolate”.

There was still time for some crowd participation on “Liberty”, and a hypnotic version of “For the Love of God” , with Danny G. , one of the roadies, adding operatic vocals to it. A nice addition to a song that has been played to exhaustion on every tour since the seminal album “Passion and Warfare” came out in 1990, and sounded faithful to the original but very fresh.

The glorious ending came with an excerpt of the “Fire Garden Suite” . After 21 songs and a million notes, I’m reminded of the words of another fellow shredder, a Swedish guy who goes by the name of Yngwie Malmsteen : “How can less be more? MORE is more!”. Steve ’s performance is an assault on the senses, and a feast for fans of guitar and music. More than just a show, this is an artistic statement from a man who serves his muse and his art, and refuses to be challenged by physical limitations. If you haven’t checked out this show, there are still a few chances – the tour continues in Canada, then Europe again, Asia and Australia, with a few more selected dates in the US. Make sure you catch Steve in one of those stops, and for Christ-sake, live in the moment – leave your phone in your pocket!

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