Steve Vai is a busy man. He’s been playing shows with his Generation Axe tour in Asia and is now getting ready to bring the show back to the United States. The tour featuring Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi kicks off on November 7, 2018 in Oakland, CA. He also has his Big Mama-Jama Jamathon Event starting on January 28th, that will run for 52 consecutive hours. I got to catch up with Steve and talk about the tour and the Jam-a-thon.
For a guy that has played a countless number of shows with some of the greatest guitars players to ever play, Steve still has that thirst when it comes to playing live shows. But what was surprising was the electricity flowing through his veins when talking about putting a tour like this together. Steve tells SoundVapors, “One of the biggest thrills is the conceiving of the tour and imagining what it could be. That was paramount in the formation of Generation Axe, because when the idea came, it was just so exciting in my head. One backing band with five incredible, crazy guitar players coming on and off the stage seamlessly. And when the elements start to come together, meaning people are committing and I start to see tour dates, that’s like another thrill. It’s like witnessing the manifestation of it. That’s really exciting too.”
Steve continues on about it all coming together and that excitement that comes with it. “Then there’s the period of going into rehearsals. And at first during rehearsals there maybe a concern here or there, because you want to be ready, you want the show to materialize the way you visualized it. So there’s a little process there, you know, working it out. Then once you know that you are hitting the mark, and you’re getting it under your fingers and it’s sounding good, then the real excitement about doing the tour and being on stage starts kicking in.”
“Once you get that itinerary and the buses are picking you up “here”.. then it’s real!”
Steve tells me that getting to go out on stage and playing these show and getting to see the plan being played out is so fulfilling for him. It’s extremely fulfilling for his fans as well.
I asked him about playing and touring with these amazing guitar players and if he ever just takes a step back and to witness it all. Steve says, “All the time!!” So I asked him when this all came about and if he thought about who would be apart of it, he says, “I was in Bali, some years ago, maybe like five years ago. This idea came to me. It was so powerful and clear in my head. I saw, sort of visualized this band, this show, with those guys. I held tight to it and the universe just manifested it. I had no doubts and if something happened where one of them couldn’t or didn’t want to do it, I would’ve looked for somebody else, but they all came together.”
I wondered if these guys get to play together while on stage. Steve says, “Oh yeah we play parts together as well as familiar classic rock songs that are done in a way that is unique for guitar players as opposed to just jamming over a song. And that’s a real thrill.”
For Steve, it must been a continuous rush of adrenaline conceptualizing the tour, planning it, rehearsing for it and finally getting to see it all happen. That’s one hell of a journey, start to finish for something like this.
Does Steve have a preference when it comes to writing new material, recording it in the studio or playing it live? Steve tell me, “Luckily I don’t have to prefer one over the other. They are all joined at the hip. The first thing that always happens, that I really enjoy, maybe you could say that I prefer, is the arising of a creative idea. That’s like Christmas, you know what I mean? When an idea hits you.. I love that. And that idea could be for a tour, it could be for a band, it could be for a song or a riff on the instrument. Or it could be for a particular type of relationship you want to have with somebody, it could be anything. But in my music world, that’s the moment I really enjoy. The recognition of a good idea.”
As we talk further about this process Steve exclaims, “But you can’t discount when you’re actually on stage and you’re being present and you’re in the moment. All of a sudden music is flowing through you, that’s an amazing feeling too.”
Steve is such a passionate guy, it’s obvious that when he does something, he literally throws himself into that project. When I brought up the Big Mama Jama Jamathon, you could hear the excitement in his voice. Steve excitedly says, “That’s another one where the idea just hit me and I was like, Whoaaa this is so cool! The idea of playing, a non-stop jam for 52 hours, where all sorts of people come up on stage and the playing never stops. It’s been in my mind for 25 years. Finally when I joined the board of Extraordinary Families, which is a foster care home here is Los Angeles, they were in need of some money and I told them I wanted to do a fund raiser. This is that opportunity. It’s happening and it kicks off Friday September 28th at noon. It’s a The Musicians Institute Live House in Hollywood and it goes until Sunday the 30th at 4pm.”
Steve tells us how we can get involved even if we can’t make there in person. Steve explains, “We found a great way to do that. You text 20222 and then Jam 5, and a $5 donation goes to the charity and it just shows up on your phone bill.” Steve is doing a great job helping out a great cause.
Check out the site www.jamathon.org and make sure to take a look at the schedule page. There are some incredible musicians that are going to be coming up and jamming through this. Dave Navarro, Vernon Reid, Tosin Abasi and Orianthi just to name a few.
Here a video from Steve about the event:
Make sure to check out the site and catch the Generation Axe Tour when it comes to your city. You will not be disappointed.
You can find a full list of tour dates and buy tickets at Steve’s website. https://www.vai.com/ontheroad/
-Tommy Marz
Follow @Tommy and @SoundVapors on Twitter.
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