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Venture on down to catch Steve Vai play some tunes

The guitar master visits the Wilbur on Nov. 3.

Future

By Ed Symkus

Event Link

https://thewilbur.com/artist/steve-vai/

Event Ticket Link

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/01005B2C00382B46

Among the rock guitar gods, Steve Vai is firmly entrenched in the upper echelons. His attributes include: the ability to play blazingly fast, then move over to a slow, soulful ballad; an expertise on his instrument that allows him to produce a seemingly limitless variety of tones; and a love of melody, which he infuses into so much of his (mostly instrumental) material.

Finally getting back out on the road after three years away from live shows, Vai and his band – Dave Weiner (guitar and keys), Philip Bynoe (bass), Jeremy Colson (drums) – visit the Wilbur on Nov. 3 as part of their “Inviolate” tour, spotlighting tunes from the recent rock-fusion album of the same name.

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Vai has been opening most shows with that album’s fierce rocker “Avalancha,” making a dynamic entrance playing a guitar with glowing lights along its fretboard. And though Vai is known to be a visual performer (he never seems to stay still, he lets the emotions of his music show on his expressive face), it’s his sounds that fans will be focused on.

Vai has been working at it for a long time, and has been in good company. His first guitar lessons, when he was 12, were from his friend Joe Satriani (who is in concert at the Orpheum on Nov. 5). The arrival of Led Zeppelin on his radar convinced him he was going to be a rock guitarist. His first high school bands had him covering the likes of Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and KISS. While a student at Berklee, he was transcribing some of Frank Zappa’s compositions, which led to Zappa making him a member of his band.

Another band of note he later played with was Whitesnake, but Vai was well on his way as a solo artist, fronting bands under his own name and, starting in 1984, writing-producing-engineering a heap of recordings. For those, he has so far won three Grammy awards. For his chops, he was honored with a Les Paul Award.

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A couple of side projects include acting and playing in the film “Crossroads” (he’s the Devil’s guitarist), and composing and recording “The Reaper” for “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.”

Veteran fans will be happy to know that, along with Vai’s newer material, he’s also been dipping into the catalogue on the current tour, and setlists have featured Vai classics such as “Tender Surrender” and “Bad Horsie.” A little something for everyone.

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