STEVE VAI To Release 2-DVD Set In November

Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai will issue a two-DVD set, entitled "Live at the Astoria London", on November 18 through Favored Nations.

"Live at the Astoria London" is Vai's first-ever live performance DVD, and it clocks in at more than 2 1/2 hours. It was filmed at the Astoria in London, England, on December 6 and 7, 2001, while on tour promoting Vai's "Alive in an Ultra World" album.

Vai's all-star band includes bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Virgil Donati, guitarist/keyboardist Tony MacAlpine and guitarist Dave Weiner.

The complete track listing for "Live at the Astoria London" is as follows:

01. Shyboy
02. Giant Balls of Gold
03. Erotic Nightmares
04. Blood & Glory
05. Dave's Party Piece
06. Blue Powder
07. Crying Machine
08. The Animal
09. Bangkok
10. Tony's Solo
11. Bad Horsie
12. Chameleon
13. Down Deep Into the Pain
14. Fire
15. Little Wing
16. Whispering a Prayer
17. Incantation
18. Jibboom
19. For the Love of God
20. Liberty
21. The Attitude Song

Says Vai, "When I go to a show, I'm hoping to see it all. Great musicianship, nice songs, some kind of theatrical entertainment value etc. Since these are the things I like to see when I go to a concert, these are the things that I like to have in my set. To me it's important to perform familiar things and some new things too. There are several songs on this DVD that are first-time performances such as 'Blue Powder'. I added the Jimi Hendrix songs because of my deep respect for him and the familiarity level of his stuff with the fans."

Vai loved the challenge of preparing this different set with the band, especially the guitar interplay with Tony MacAlpine and Dave Weiner.

"Most of my songs have some deep intricacies in them. Two- to four-guitar part harmony, written keyboard melodies and such, so it takes quite a lot of focus and attention to the construction of the performance of many of my tracks. The idea is to make it sound accessible and entertaining," he says. "Good thing the guys in the band are both tremendously talented and patient.

"Much of my music has rhythm guitars and many harmonies so it's advantageous to have musicians that can play the stuff so we can reproduce it live. If I want things to thin out I just request it. It's always an advantage to have another great guitarist in the band and in this case it's especially nice because they are such cool guys too."

A great deal of work went into the preparation of "Live at the Astoria London", and it all started with the two concerts themselves and the attention to detail. The excitement and energy generated by a live performance provide that special spark.

Special DVD features include a 5.1 Surround Sound audio mix, backstage footage, interviews, a commentary track by Vai and band members, band member biographies and Vai's discography.

"The audio commentary is interesting because I have basically the whole band with me and we are discussing the show, the songs and each guy gets to talk a bit about their solos, what they were thinking etc.," says Vai. "The backstage footage is just hilarious. We worked out a few skits and there are interviews with some of the crew."

Vai will promote "Live at the Astoria London" this October and November with the latest G3 North American tour with Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen on board. Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine, Dave Weiner and new drummer Jeremy Colson will be playing with Vai on this fall's run of G3 shows.

Remaining G3 '03 tour dates:

Oct. 14 - Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
Oct. 15 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Oct. 16 - Portland, OR @ Portland Art Museum
Oct. 17 - Concord, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion
Oct. 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Oct. 20 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
Oct. 21 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
Oct. 22 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
Oct. 23 - Detroit, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
Oct. 24 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
Oct. 25 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
Oct. 27 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Oct. 28 - Winston-Salem, NC @ Millennium Center
Oct. 29 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
Oct. 30 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
Oct. 31 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Kravis Center for the Arts
Nov. 01 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Nov. 02 - Pensacola, FL @ Saenger Theatre
Nov. 04 - Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
Nov. 05 - Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
Nov. 07 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Nov. 08 - Pittsburgh, PA @ A.J. Palumbo Center
Nov. 10 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
Nov. 11 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
Nov. 12 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre