Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following update from the road:
"We kicked off the G3 tour in Tucson on Tuesday, Jan 23rd. It was so nice to be on the stage with Eric and Joe again after performing the first G3 show with the same line up over 27 years ago.
It was a bit of a rough start for me. We launched into our first song, 'Avalancha', and within a few minutes my rig went down with a ghost in the machine that could not be traced. We went to my jam rig and jumped back into the song, only to have that amp blow up within a minute. Not a pretty sight but these things can happen. We swapped out another head and finished our set. Unfortunately I was not able to use the Hydra that night because the way the audio outputs on the Hydra work requires my full gig rig and that was down.
Oddly enough, I’ve been in worse situations in the past. Note to guitar players: it’s a good idea to have a spare rig or back up pieces to your rig when doing a show with a quick replacement plan. I usually have a full spare rig and several extra heads. And if they all go down, I would plug into someone else’s rig. Hmmm, would that be Eric’s or Joe's rig? If you are doing a gig and your rig goes down, of greatest importance is to remain calm and focused even though the audience loves to see a good freak out now and then.
In worst case scenario, pull your pants down to your ankles, arms up over your head in a display of defeated humiliation. I was almost at that point. Hmm, would the audience laugh or cheer? Maybe I’ll save that for the encore."
G3 tour dates ae as follows:
Dates:
January
26 - Scottsdale, AZ - Talking Stick Resort and Casino
27 - Las Vegas, NV - Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
29 - Spokane, WA - First Interstate Center for the Arts
31 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre
February
1 - Salem, OR - Historic Elsinore Theatre
2 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Reno
3, - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
5 - Fresno, CA - Saroyan Theatre
7 - El Cajon, CA - The Magnolia
9 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
10 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
