Steve Vai kicked off his Inviolate World Tour with a European leg of appearances beginning in Glasgow, Scotland on June 4th. He’ll be on the road into mid-July, staging performances in the UK, Ireland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.
Fan-filmed video from the kick-off show in Glasgow is available below. The setlist on the night was as follows:
Set 1
"Avalancha"
"Giant Balls of Gold"
"Little Pretty"
"Tender Surrender"
"Lights Are On"
"Candlepower"
- Dave Solo -
"Building the Church"
Set 2
"Greenish Blues"
"Bad Horsie"
"I'm Becoming"
"Sandman Cloud Mist"
"Dyin’ Day"
Play Video"
- Drum Solo -
"Zeus in Chains"
"Liberty"
"For the Love of God"
Encore:
"Fire Garden Suite IV - Taurus Bulba"
For tickets and a variety of EVO Experience VIP bundles available visit vai.com. Vai will be joined by his long-tenured ensemble members Dave Weiner (guitar / keys), Philip Bynoe (bass), and Jeremy Colson (drums).
Vai shares, “It’s amazing to realize that after three years of not performing our show on a stage, that it’s now on the horizon, and will start to unfold in Europe this summer. I can feel the road now and the enthusiastic audiences that we will be will be connecting with."
Tour dates:
June
7 - London, UK - Palladium
9 - Bristol, UK - o2 Academy
10 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy
11 - Belfast, UK - The Limelight
13 - Paris, France - Le Trianon
14 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
16 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
17 - Bergen, Norway - USF Verftet
18 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
19 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fållan
20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
22 - Lille, France - Splendid
23 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
24 - Bordeaux-Cenon, France - Rocher de Palmer
25 - Nimes, France - Paloma
26 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
28 - Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch
29 - Linz, Austria - Posthof
July
1 - Udine, Italy - Castello
2 - Macerata, Italy - Sferisterio
3 - Bari, Italy - Teatro Petruzzelli
4 - Firenze, Italy - Ultravox Arena
5 - Gardone Riviera, Italy - Anfiteatro del Vittoriale
6 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex
8 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theatre
9 - Weert, Netherlands - Bospop Festival
10 - Antwerp, Belgium - OLT Rivierenhof
12 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
14 - Sancti Petri, Spain - Concert Music Festival
16 - Valencia, Spain - Jardin de Viveros
17 - Vigo, Spain - Auditorio Mar do Vigo
19 - Barcelona, Spain - Teatro Tivoli
Vai recently released his new studio album, Inviolate, via Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group. The LP will follow on March 18.
Inviolate is a nine-song opus that pushes the boundaries of instrumental guitar music. The body of work presents his most focused, streamlined and perhaps invigorating music in years. “It’s very ‘Vai,’ whatever that means,” he says, and then laughs. “Someone else might be better than me at explaining what that is. But it’s just very honest music. Because a lot of my records, they're long and there's a lot of concepts and playing around with stories. This one has none of that. This is nine pretty dense all-instrumental compositions that I wanted to capture and record so I could get out there and play them live for people.”
In essence, it all comes down to finding your own voice, and then having the courage and conviction to follow your musical and creative instincts wherever they may take you – something Vai has never been shy about in his playing. “One of the great things about the guitar is you don't need to be a virtuoso to express your creative vision,” he says. “I mean, Bob Dylan plays the guitar perfectly well for his expression. So does John McLaughlin. You just need to decide how much technique you want or need to get there. For myself, I came out of the chute wanting and needing it all. When it comes to my music, I don’t feel like I have to prove anything or conform to anything. I just love to think up creative ideas, and then use whatever skill I have to manifest them.”
“An inviolate inspiration is one that comes to you completely pure,” Vai explains. “It appears almost in its completeness, and there’s a recognition of it as being right for you – perfectly right for you. There’s no excuses in it. There's no fantasy in it. There's just a recognition of ‘yes.’ And then you capture that in a way that’s authentic to your unique creativity. Hopefully, that’s what I’ve done with this record.”
Inviolate can be ordered in various formats, here.
Tracklisting:
"Teeth Of The Hydra"
"Zeus In Chains"
"Little Pretty"
"Candle Power"
"Apollo In Color"
"Avalancha"
"Greenish Blues"
"Knappsack"
"Sandman Cloud Mist"
"Teeth Of The Hydra" visualizer:
“Zeus In Chains” visualizer:
"Little Pretty" video:
"Candle Power":
"Knappsack"
