It’s just another week before Steve Vai’s show in Singapore, and a lot of us may have seen him live in concert here before – first in 1997 at the Hard Rock Cafe, where he brought a few surprises that made the crowd go rowdy, then in 2004 in a sold-out show in Singapore, where a lucky contestant had a chance to perform with Vai himself.
As they always say, the third time’s the charm, and I do believe fans of Vai, or fans of the guitar instrumental world should be quite excited about the upcoming show. Here’re some tips on what to do before the show!
1. Catch up
This might be something I personally have to do. After his show in 2004 I’ve only dipped my foot into this genre just a few times, mostly concentrating on other music more relevant to my work.
Steve Vai’s most recent album The Story of Light (2012) is the second of the Real Illusions trilogy, the first being Reflections (2005). Seven years in the making, and boy is it not disappointing. I’ll refrain from going too deep into this particular album, but I’ll just say that the melodies, guitar tone and the musicianship of all the other musicians in this album are top-notch. Some vocal tracks are also included, with Vai singing with Beverly McClellan and Aimee Mann! It’s definitely an album that should perk you up before work every day.
2. Why watch him when you can play with him?
Alright guys, LAMC Productions is giving one person the chance to jam on stage with Steve Vai, and the competition is under way! All you have to do is submit a one-minute video of yourself playing the guitar or bass. Five finalists will be selected to play a 5-minute original song, and one lucky person will be chosen to play alongside Vai himself on the 21st. You can find out more over here.
To all those trying their luck, well at least we only have a population of less than 5 million so the odds are more in your favour. I wouldn’t say the same when it gets to 6.9 million!
3. Develop a hair fetish… or lose it?
Vai fans will know that part of his tech rider includes a lot of guitars, the right amplifiers, a load of guitar pedals and most important of all… his trusted fan. By ‘fan’ I do mean the machine with rotating blades that help keep you cool on a warm day – it’s important to help him to play those solos while his long tresses dance along with the music.
Somehow though, it seems he may have chopped off most of his hair and taken on the short hair look – is he on the way to joining Joe Satriani in the hair department? Whatever the outcome may be on the 21st, let’s keep ourselves prepared for all situations.
4. Maximise your enjoyment
We all know that having dinner near a concert venue right before a concert is always a bitch. Trust me, I’ve been to a few Star Vista shows and let’s just say that if you want to enjoy your dinnertime, make it early – especially since it’s a Friday.
Besides that, make sure you collect your tickets way before the day itself if you can. I’ve scored a few bad experiences in that department as well, including having five of my friends wait for me while I ran around trying to get the tickets while the act was already into their second song.
For those who haven’t grabbed your tickets yet, if you were at the awesome (awesome, awesome) Singapore Rock Festival, you can enjoy 10% off tickets for the Steve Vai concert – just show your Singapore Rock Festival ticket stub at the counter and you’re good to go.
An Evening with Steve Vai – Live in Singapore is on Friday, 21 Mar 2014 at 8pm at the Star Theatre. Ticket prices start from $78 and you can get them here.
