Two of the world’s finest, and most inventive, guitarists unite for what proves to be one very special evening. It is one of those nights where you can feel the electricity crackling the air as the sense of excitement and expectation hangs heavy. That means support act Ned Evett comes loaded with a certain amount of pressure, but I’m pleased to report that he rises to the challenge admirably. He’s a solo artist who arrives with a series of guitars, accompanied by a rhythm track and begins by throwing all sorts of neat moves on ‘Mississippi Ganges’. People often talk about guitarists having their own tone, and Ned certainly has his; it’s rich and velvety, like a penny dropped in treacle. His voice is just as fruity and it all conspires to render him the quintessential old(ish) bluesman, only with a modern twist. By second track ‘Good News’, Ned is firmly in the groove and dishing out the good stuff before switching to a titanium guitar for ‘Mars River Delta 2128’. Proving himself a very versatile performer he then picks up a six string with a glass body for ‘Message To You’ for a crystalline sound that really cries and sings. Ned Evett is a virtuoso and is all over the fretboard like a rash, yet his sound is easily accessible and never loses sight of important things such as melody and song structure, and that makes his set a winner.

Musicians are a strange breed and putting the most talented together is no sure sign of success, get that mixture wrong and things can implode and meltdown. However, get those chemicals fused correctly and you’ll see all sorts of fireworks and explosions illuminating the night sky. When it comes to SatchVai, the combo featuring renowned guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, they very much fall into the latter camp. Of course, the pair are no strangers to each other and have played together in various projects (most notably, G3), but such is the desire to see the pair on stage that as soon as the lights dim, a huge cheers raises the roof as Joe enters stage right, closely followed by Steve. Their easy equilibrium becomes immediately apparent as they solo in tandem and dazzle us with their magic. It’s a sixth sense they share and one which verges on telepathy, it would be very easy for such performers to invade the others musical space, yet the balance they found ensures they exist in perfect harmony, not unlike a pair of star-crossed lovers.

Aside from performing in tandem, both Joe and Steve also work as a tag team and take the spotlight individually; firstly Satch hits us with ‘Flying In A Blue Dream’, his golden guitar reflecting light and shattering sound in every direction, then he takes us ‘Surfing With The Alien’ on a journey that’s full of twists and turns. The pair again join forces on a beautiful rendition on ‘Sahara’, at the conclusion of which they both pull some impossible notes from the depths of their guitars that reach some impossible highs. It’s then Vai’s turn to go solo, playing his legendary three-necked hydra guitar. It actually contains four sets of strings and watching Steve play all four whilst also beating rhythm, he looks like a Hindu god, the one with many arms and it’s enough to make any amateur musician throw down their instrument in exasperation. Then there’s an amazing rendition of ‘For The Love Of God’ with Steve living every note he plays and draining every inch of emotion from his strings.

The way the show is structured with Steve and Joe arriving and departing at various points could result in a disjoined affair, but the show flows rather well and much of the credit for that must go the SatchVai Band who provide a solid foundation from which much goodness grows. It’s everyone together for some well-deserved encores and after the musical gymnastics of the previous 90-minutes these three tracks take a more direct, looser approach. A bombastic version of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ locks everyone into a singular groove whilst closer, a spirited run through of Steppenwolf’s ‘Born To Be Wild’, takes things back to basics, it’s fun and feisty (which is exactly what encores should be). As the band soak up the thunderous applause that ends the gig, we are left with a feeling that we’ve witnessed something very special.

SatchVai Band Set List:

1. I Wanna Play My Guitar

   

2. The Sea Of Emotion Pt. 1
3. Zeus In Chains
4. Little Pretty
5. Ice 9/The Crying Machine
6. Flying In A Blue Dream
7. Surfing With The Alien
8. Sahara
9. Tender Surrender
10. Teeth Of The Hydra
11. Satch Boogie
12. If I Could Fly
13. For The Love Of God
14. Always With Me, Always With You

Encores:

15. Crowd Chant
16. Enter Sandman
17. Born To Wild