Steve Vai
August 15, 2023
Richshaw Theare, Vancouver, BC
Canadian Beats Passport
Guitar legend, Virtuoso, Master, he fits under all of those categories and so many more. Last Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to head down to The Rickshaw in Vancouver to cover Steve Vai on his Inviolate tour, which has had him running all over North America, and off to Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, and China next.
The Rickshaw is a historic theatre in Vancouver and it has seen so many great performances over the years, Tuesday night was no different. Steve and his band played to a sold-out crowd while they sweated it out in the storied room, and watched a consummate professional do his thing, which is playing the hell out of several different guitars in a style that can’t be duplicated.
If there’s some advice I can give for seeing a Steve Vai show, it’s to bring your earplugs and get there early if it’s a general admission show. Steve plays loud and fast, and he has a cult-like following that gets there at doors to get a good spot on the floor.
Overall this was a spectacular show with great lighting, great sound, and a great set of songs. I highly recommend seeing Steve on one of his tours if you haven’t already. I mean the guy was hired by Frank Zappa at the young age of 18 to transcribe his music, if that doesn’t scream street cred, I don’t know what does.
