As a hobbiest writer, he is correct in my view..even my lamest nuggets must be seen through to make way for the hopefully next slightly less lame idea lol
My thoughts exactly. This philosophy liberates you from feelings of guilt once you realize that you MUST honor your creative impulses: it's really not even a choice.
One of my favorite story-tellers is GE Smith. Granted, he’s no Steve Vai, but an accomplished player himself. He could read me the yellow pages, and I’d hang on every word. Joe Bonamassa is another……But GE is my favorite story-teller.
When Steve said at the beginning,..”you have to honor your creative impulses or you slip into depression” man that was deep and very true. Great interview. Thank you for sharing.
I've always been into guitar and played since i got a guitar at age 11 and i never knew about any of those players but didn't mean i wasn't into guitar and guitar music... Not everyone knows every single guitarist on earth silly! LOL @@Beez27
Onstage he appears a very flamboyant, commanding presence, someone whose playing demands attention, and he’s incredibly confident, which is why people label him as an egotistical douchebag. On the whole, he’s one of the nicest, humblest, most down to earth people in the industry.
Come on Backstage Pass lose the clickbait! For those who care about these things Steve is referring to David Coverdale as a monster performer who gave 100% every night.
Coverdale is probably a monster considering how often he fires everyone in his band, his ego is probably up there with Ritchie Blackmore, no shocker they never got along
I have yet to see Steve or Joe to say anything negative about anything. That’s the difference between musicians and “rock stars”. I’d rather hang out with a musician any day. If you haven’t heard Passion & Warfare treat your ears, it’s definitely a front to backer. 🎸
@@CB-xr1eg I agree the 1980 version of the song is much better, with Mardsen and Moody on the guitar. Whitesnake was better as a Deep Purple style blues band than the hair band they became in the late 80s IMO.
@@pulsarlights2825 I agree wholeheartedly. The "old" Whitesnake, with Marsden, Moody, Lord and Paice was THE Whitesnake, in my opinion. Live In The Heart Of The City is the ultimate document of their thing they had. After that, David Coverdale sold his soul to the dark side, and it all got utterly silly.
Saw Vai with Whitensake in 1990. Sykes is the reason I took up guitar later in life but Vai was pretty damn good on that tour. I bought Passion and Warfare, still blows my mind. I was 17 at the time of all of this, great times.
@@musicman3641 bro I was at that show! I just remember that glitter guitar that Vai picked up during his solo. The arena blacked out and the guitar was spotlighted. Must’ve been 1989-90 timeframe because I was stationed at NAS Millington for training as a young Marine.
@@rockhopper01 Your Right. I Remember That. It Was A Sold Out Show At The Old Mid- South Coliseum. I Had Floor Seats. Still Have My Ticket Stub, Great Times.👍🏻🤘🏻😀
I just love Vai as a person. I met him years ago in Norway, (2003 maybe) and back then he had a reputation of being, well, a little full of himself But he was a gem, and i wanted to talk about his work on slip of the tongue, and he appreciated that cause he didn’t get asked so many questions around that album. But i think he colored that album IMMENSELY! It gave it the coolest sound imaginable. It’s so over the top, that it’s really NOT, it just adds an amazing dimension. So again, love the guy.
It’s so nice hearing Steve say nice things about Roth and Coverdale; performers who’s personal attitudes you want to be just as laudable as their musicianship.
He worked for Frank Zappa. I know that’s a completely different scene but I would bet the pressure was intense. Probably made learning the business an easy task. Steve Vai is a legend and I don’t think he’s done amazing us.
Passion And Warfare was his peak. Simply a monster album, packed with masterful playing, riffs and splendid ideas. After that, he started to slip into (for me) a weird groove with occasional departures (that were actually exciting), only to get back to that groove that rubs me simply wrong way. I hardly listen to his latter stuff anymore, even as I listen to everything he creates because he was my favorite guitar player. I still respect him great deal - who in his right mind wouldn't - but his music lost something with me personally. Maybe it's because I gradually stopped responding to not just him but to most of these modern age guitar wizards and returned to my favorite bands from 70's, like Blackfoot, Deep Purple, early Kansas, Rory Gallagher, early Steve Morse solo albums and some of his SMB stuff, like Vista Grande, and music where guitar playing has a prominent role but it's friendly to my ears and mind. Still, it's fascinating to hear from these guys how everything was intertwined, how tight this community is on top level and the level of respect they have for each other. Recently, I developed tons of respect for all of them because I started to learning guitar playing in my older years and I realized how difficult it is to play this instrument even on mediocre level, compared to playing keys (which is my department). So when I say I tuned out to modern guitar players, it in no way means that I am not painfully aware how good they all are. I saw total of 3 of Vai's shows, each and every one was a blast, each time with great band members, each time great sound, too. When Vai says he was bit of a primadonna in those years....well, he still is, but he was trying to make a name for himself in era where you had to cultivate your image to become memorable, where you not only had to be in great command of your instrument but also be a kind of a circus performer with some feminine element to it. He is one of the few that survived that stretch largely unscathed but I think some of it stayed with him until these days. He even said that "not only you have to be good at playing: you have to look good doing it". That part of him I really don't care for. That's for girls.
I'm 62, I've been to a lot of gigs and seen a lot of singers, Coverdale is the best and most powerful I've seen. His power as a vocalist hit you in the chest.
Whitesnake opened for Judas priest in 2009. I went to a show on that tour. I was very excited to see whitesnake because I also loved David coverdale's voice. I was extremely disappointed because he could no longer sing. He was so bad my friend and I went into the lobby and we waited for priest. I am not exaggerating it really was that bad. Priest was awesome Rob Halford hit every single high note but unfortunately Rob Halford can no longer sing well either. Yes I understand people's voices change when they get older and from singing at such a high level for decades but bad is bad at least to my ears. Oh well at least we have the records and the memories when these singers were in their prime.
In the early eighties…I was at a bar in arizona called the mason jar, it was 3 stories tall, the stage could rise and fall to all three levels with the middle of each floor empty. White snake performed and absolutely killed the show and drank among us after the gig. It was pure 80$ rock! Good times
Steve is one of my early guitar heroes. Hearing his '96 G3 "Answers" performance for the first time was one of those moments where I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Love his honesty here, if he says he was "difficult" then I can only imagine 😂.
On my personal opinion, this is at his best, I was trying to find this comment, and I did, lol. I remember very well where I was, who I was , I even think I remember the face I did that first time I hear it.
I agree with most others here. Steve is just your average guy, who just happens to be one hell of a guitar player. And he's always humble and complimentary of his fellow musicians. Even had that young girl Ellen, in his studio. That's class, man.
I love listening to Steves stories and how nice he seems to be. I bought Passion and Warfare and i still have it on vinyl, he is one of my favourite guitarrists. Be safe all
i love steve vai passion and warfare. bought and listen to it on my cassette player back then. i bought many instrumental guitar album back in the days.
I really can´t get into what Steve Vai does solo but I find his contributions incredible , PIL ´s "Album " being a prime example of that .I think he has said that some of his best work ,ever , was on the aforementioned album.
I rem. When that first video from passion and warfare came out on m t v ! I believe back in those days the video was out before the album was released! So I got it and still have my cassette to this day and it plays awesomely ! Steve is awesome !!!!! Space ace ton ⚡️⚡️⚡️
'Little Stevie Vai, such a nice young boy'. Wow, we're all getting older ain't we. But I still have your music and videos dude! What a guitairist. When you joined Whitesnake it was such big news to us over here in the UK. Played Slip of the Tongue album to death! STILL play it today!! 😎👍
I loved Vai era Alcatrazz, when he joined they stopped being the Bonnet/Malmsteen vehicle or Rainbow wannabes and started being an actual band. Everything about the music and the nature of the band was better.
Blow by Blow may be the best rock guitar compendium I’ve heard. Jeff’s utter mastery of the instrument was unmistakable, every nuance was a thing of beauty.
Actually I saw Vai on the Slip of the Tongue tour, and indeed Passion and Warfare had come out and it became huge. So much so, that Steve was allowed to perform some of the songs from it during these Whitesnake concerts. I suppose it was his solo spot in the set but I distinctly remember his guitar was suspended in the air and landed in his hands while he walked on stage as if it flew or glided towards him, it was very impressive. I am sure that David knew from the get go he hired a high profile guitar player and subsequently had to give Vai his space.
I purchased passion and warfare because of Steve playing for Whitesnake and his style came through very much even on the Whitesnake slip of the tongue album.
I'm glad Steve learned from David Lee Roth's publicity and business acumen. Roth was the business guy out of the original Van Halen members. He was all about promoting an image and brand that was Van Halen. He saw himself (and the other members) as characters more than people, parts to play. Edward and Alex were very than David in that regard. They wanted the music to be the focus. David was about selling the image of Van Halen that would in turn, drive people to buy their music, merchandise and buy concert tickets. When he went solo, David turned the dial up to 11 on this idea. The image came first. The music would back it up.
You never give up on you took time to take care of it for yourself. What you needed for your own music while advancing that’s why you always be my girl. I grew up in the 80s with you senior with David Ron Whitesnake never seen you on your own one of my dreams, keep rocking and remember I’ve Ibanez life. I may be Fender man 59 but I love.💯 Ibanez🔥🎸👊
Love Vai`s 3min+ solo in Star One`s Lost Children Of The Universe. Also with Roy Khan and Tony Martin. Vai`s words : He impregnated the song with his solo .
The interviewer (apologies for not knowing names) is so great I forget he's there after he asks the question because he lets Steve (and all his guests) finish his entire thought without interruption..
I am proud to say that I am the guy who bought the very first passion and warfare cd available in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. You know...the town the Van Halen brothers are from. But wait...there is more I am proud of, but those are stories I will keep for my biography...lol
I bought P&W brand new fresh off the shelf. Had a pretty big impact on my musical choices over the years, still. It was a bizarrely wonderful album. My cousin bought the Ah via musicom album, I liked it too.
DC says he always envisioned WS as a flexible band where members come and go. (which when you think about it is how a lot of bands are anyway.) But yeah, definitely always had that "I'm a rock god, you're my servant" air about him. Karma's a b though, now he's immortalized on video as the weakest member of his own band in latter years as his high range disappeared into cackles, rattles and cringe
Coverdale is like Ozzy & Sharon wrapped up in one person. Like Ozzy he is a good singer that's been fortunate enough to have surrounded himself with very gifted musicians. He's also ruthless when it comes to business like Sharon as he kicks those same very gifted musicians to the curb when it suits him.
Steve mentions Eric Johnson here - saw Eric play a blues fest with BB King headlining and Buddy Guy & Jr Wells & the Alligator All Stars all in one night. Still one of the greatest shows I went to. Eric was damn good but the guy who stole the show was Buddy!
"You have to honour your creative impulses or slip into depression" might be the greatest quote any artist has ever said.
You could well be right !
Many artists are manically depressed 😥
As a hobbiest writer, he is correct in my view..even my lamest nuggets must be seen through to make way for the hopefully next slightly less lame idea lol
My thoughts exactly. This philosophy liberates you from feelings of guilt once you realize that you MUST honor your creative impulses: it's really not even a choice.
@@Chris_Prime- Never feel guilty for buying your next piece of gear and continue to glory in creating. Let your freak flag fly!! 💥
Does anybody else love listening to Vai’s stories? He’s like a Great storyteller!
One of my favorite story-tellers is GE Smith. Granted, he’s no Steve Vai, but an accomplished player himself. He could read me the yellow pages, and I’d hang on every word.
Joe Bonamassa is another……But GE is my favorite story-teller.
his wisdom is unapparelled in rock
you have got to be joking
Because He thinks before He talks!
A great storyteller and one of the best guitar players ever....
When Steve said at the beginning,..”you have to honor your creative impulses or you slip into depression” man that was deep and very true. Great interview. Thank you for sharing.
I've seen whitesnake with Steve Vai in 1989, Cascais,Portugal!!! Amazing!!!!
Slip Of The Tongue was a guitar masterpiece! Period!
Awesome. Mr Vai is always a influential and a pure artist. ✌️🤘🇦🇺
Passion and Warfare...great album!!! Ran out and bought it as soon as it came out. It's still part of my treasured collection.
How did you even know about it when it first came out? You must have been a huge Vai fan!
@v4v819 I was into guitarists like Vinnie Moore, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. If you knew them, you knew Vai.
I've always been into guitar and played since i got a guitar at age 11 and i never knew about any of those players but didn't mean i wasn't into guitar and guitar music... Not everyone knows every single guitarist on earth silly! LOL @@Beez27
@v4v819 For sure. Could be an age gap thing. You probably know guitarists I've not heard of.
Do you know Tina S? @@Beez27
Nice guy,super musician,down to earth...no Ego!
Onstage he appears a very flamboyant, commanding presence, someone whose playing demands attention, and he’s incredibly confident, which is why people label him as an egotistical douchebag. On the whole, he’s one of the nicest, humblest, most down to earth people in the industry.
Come on Backstage Pass lose the clickbait! For those who care about these things Steve is referring to David Coverdale as a monster performer who gave 100% every night.
It would be weird if Vai were saying something negative about a fellow bandmate. He's known to be the nicest guy around. 😁
I kinda guessed that Vai hadn't meant what the clickbait title implied.
Coverdale is probably a monster considering how often he fires everyone in his band, his ego is probably up there with Ritchie Blackmore, no shocker they never got along
Yeah I hate when they clickbate crap.
I have yet to see Steve or Joe to say anything negative about anything. That’s the difference between musicians and “rock stars”. I’d rather hang out with a musician any day. If you haven’t heard Passion & Warfare treat your ears, it’s definitely a front to backer. 🎸
“Fool for your lovin” guitar solo was perfect , the subtle way it opens was so good.
That version of FFYL was absolute garbage. Coverdale shat on his original version for reasons I guess only he can explain.
@@CB-xr1eg I agree the 1980 version of the song is much better, with Mardsen and Moody on the guitar. Whitesnake was better as a Deep Purple style blues band than the hair band they became in the late 80s IMO.
@@pulsarlights2825 I agree wholeheartedly. The "old" Whitesnake, with Marsden, Moody, Lord and Paice was THE Whitesnake, in my opinion. Live In The Heart Of The City is the ultimate document of their thing they had. After that, David Coverdale sold his soul to the dark side, and it all got utterly silly.
@@pulsarlights2825everyone agrees with this. Saw them live, in period but after that Cov became a knobhead.
@@79devo: Speak for yourself and we'll do the same. I enjoy both those eras of Whitesnake.
I love how Steve THINKS...before he says something...VERY SMART GUY STEVE IS!!!!!💥♥️🌹🥁
Such humility is unbelievable! What a gentleman!
Coverdale and Vai is a dream duo for me, especially for that era of emotionally charged hard rock.
Absolutely
Whitesnake had Vai, Vandenberg and Aldridge at one time. Crazy talent.
And... Rudy Sarzo!!!
Thanks for letting Steve talk. Most interviewers interrupt constantly.
Saw Vai with Whitensake in 1990. Sykes is the reason I took up guitar later in life but Vai was pretty damn good on that tour. I bought Passion and Warfare, still blows my mind. I was 17 at the time of all of this, great times.
I saw Steve playing with Whitesnake on the Slip of the Tongue tour. Talk about a Monster..🤘🤘🎸✌️♥️
What year was this, as I saw this tour and Vai wasn’t involved.
Saw That Tour As Well. Kix Opened For Them In Memphis, TN. Great Show😎👍🏻🤘🏻
@@musicman3641 bro I was at that show! I just remember that glitter guitar that Vai picked up during his solo. The arena blacked out and the guitar was spotlighted.
Must’ve been 1989-90 timeframe because I was stationed at NAS Millington for training as a young Marine.
@@rockhopper01 Your Right. I Remember That. It Was A Sold Out Show At The Old Mid- South Coliseum. I Had Floor Seats. Still Have My Ticket Stub, Great Times.👍🏻🤘🏻😀
Ahhh, but how is Vai on guitar compared to you my friend ?
I just love Vai as a person. I met him years ago in Norway, (2003 maybe) and back then he had a reputation of being, well, a little full of himself But he was a gem, and i wanted to talk about his work on slip of the tongue, and he appreciated that cause he didn’t get asked so many questions around that album. But i think he colored that album IMMENSELY! It gave it the coolest sound imaginable. It’s so over the top, that it’s really NOT, it just adds an amazing dimension. So again, love the guy.
His work on Skyscraper is killer.
Eat em and smile too
It’s so nice hearing Steve say nice things about Roth and Coverdale; performers who’s personal attitudes you want to be just as laudable as their musicianship.
Steve Vai is one of my idols and he got to work with two of my biggest idols. DLR and Zappa. Great dude.
Spot on...Coverdale is just brilliant.Together you just took it over the top..
I love his open honesty when he talks about creating Passion & Warfare
Steve Vai and David Coverdale - best match ever!!! Love and cheers from Europe💙💙
Agreed.
Incredible guitarist
Very humble
I saw Whitesnake 1984, 1987, 1987, 1988, 1990. Great live band. 🤘
Coverdale is a Monster ! Steve Vai words ! Yes he was.
He was! But now?
@@tklrrbccar3906 Well, he's older now. Father Time spares no one.
Steve is great person , very down to earth and honest , I think anyone that’s gotten to work with him I’m sure was happy to have him in the band
Coverdale was great with Deep Purple with Stormbringer and Burn and then Is this love and here I go again very underated performer
Vai doesn't say a bad thing about anyone. I find it hard to believe Roth and Coverdale were easy to work with.
Most creative musicians are hard to work with. They know what they want and don't buckle to be nice or compromise.
He worked for Frank Zappa. I know that’s a completely different scene but I would bet the pressure was intense. Probably made learning the business an easy task.
Steve Vai is a legend and I don’t think he’s done amazing us.
Steve is one of my favorite guitarist. I’m always blown away by where he takes the music.
Modern und Avantgarde ! 💥💥❤
Passion And Warfare was his peak. Simply a monster album, packed with masterful playing, riffs and splendid ideas.
After that, he started to slip into (for me) a weird groove with occasional departures (that were actually exciting), only to get back to that groove that rubs me simply wrong way. I hardly listen to his latter stuff anymore, even as I listen to everything he creates because he was my favorite guitar player. I still respect him great deal - who in his right mind wouldn't - but his music lost something with me personally.
Maybe it's because I gradually stopped responding to not just him but to most of these modern age guitar wizards and returned to my favorite bands from 70's, like Blackfoot, Deep Purple, early Kansas, Rory Gallagher, early Steve Morse solo albums and some of his SMB stuff, like Vista Grande, and music where guitar playing has a prominent role but it's friendly to my ears and mind.
Still, it's fascinating to hear from these guys how everything was intertwined, how tight this community is on top level and the level of respect they have for each other.
Recently, I developed tons of respect for all of them because I started to learning guitar playing in my older years and I realized how difficult it is to play this instrument even on mediocre level, compared to playing keys (which is my department).
So when I say I tuned out to modern guitar players, it in no way means that I am not painfully aware how good they all are.
I saw total of 3 of Vai's shows, each and every one was a blast, each time with great band members, each time great sound, too.
When Vai says he was bit of a primadonna in those years....well, he still is, but he was trying to make a name for himself in era where you had to cultivate your image to become memorable, where you not only had to be in great command of your instrument but also be a kind of a circus performer with some feminine element to it. He is one of the few that survived that stretch largely unscathed but I think some of it stayed with him until these days. He even said that "not only you have to be good at playing: you have to look good doing it".
That part of him I really don't care for. That's for girls.
David Coverdale is a gift to mankind!
Oh please
I'm 62, I've been to a lot of gigs and seen a lot of singers, Coverdale is the best and most powerful I've seen. His power as a vocalist hit you in the chest.
Whitesnake opened for Judas priest in 2009. I went to a show on that tour. I was very excited to see whitesnake because I also loved David coverdale's voice. I was extremely disappointed because he could no longer sing. He was so bad my friend and I went into the lobby and we waited for priest. I am not exaggerating it really was that bad. Priest was awesome Rob Halford hit every single high note but unfortunately Rob Halford can no longer sing well either. Yes I understand people's voices change when they get older and from singing at such a high level for decades but bad is bad at least to my ears. Oh well at least we have the records and the memories when these singers were in their prime.
In the early eighties…I was at a bar in arizona called the mason jar, it was 3 stories tall, the stage could rise and fall to all three levels with the middle of each floor empty. White snake performed and absolutely killed the show and drank among us after the gig. It was pure 80$ rock! Good times
Steve is one of my early guitar heroes. Hearing his '96 G3 "Answers" performance for the first time was one of those moments where I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Love his honesty here, if he says he was "difficult" then I can only imagine 😂.
I bought the CD Passion and Warfare when it came out and after listening to it acknowledged something great came into existence.
Vai's solo on "wings of The Storm" is top 5 vai solos material.
On my personal opinion, this is at his best, I was trying to find this comment, and I did, lol. I remember very well where I was, who I was , I even think I remember the face I did that first time I hear it.
That Steve Vai, what a nice little boy.
Thanks for making Passion and Warfare Steve. Great album! It was worth it. At least from us music lover's point of view.
I agree with most others here. Steve is just your average guy, who just happens to be one hell of a guitar player. And he's always humble and complimentary of his fellow musicians. Even had that young girl Ellen, in his studio. That's class, man.
My first concert was Slip of the Tongue. Unbelievable concert and seeing Vai in person was a highlight!
You won’t beat come and get it. I am 56 now and still love the album. Have it on original vinyl too..
Remember him in the movie Crossroads 🤔, good stuff..
I love David Coverdale he my favourite singer ❤
I love listening to Steves stories and how nice he seems to be. I bought Passion and Warfare and i still have it on vinyl, he is one of my favourite guitarrists. Be safe all
i love steve vai passion and warfare. bought and listen to it on my cassette player back then. i bought many instrumental guitar album back in the days.
I really can´t get into what Steve Vai does solo but I find his contributions incredible , PIL ´s "Album " being a prime example of that .I think he has said that some of his best work ,ever , was on the aforementioned album.
I love PIL. So sad for John Lydon after he lost his wife, he also lost his manager and friend Rambo Stevens last year.
Tf ! I just saw PIL a couple months back and Rambo looked pretty alive to me ...when was this again ?@@DutchEddie
Lucky to have seen him live with whitesnake..12th of May 1990..Los angel es.
Saw Steve on the Skyscraper tour in Australia. Never seen a showman like him before. It was crazy. It was the Steve Vai show with DLR.
I rem. When that first video from passion and warfare came out on m t v ! I believe back in those days the video was out before the album was released! So I got it and still have my cassette to this day and it plays awesomely ! Steve is awesome !!!!! Space ace ton ⚡️⚡️⚡️
Great Guy and player and all
Reminds me of the "airplane" movies where passengers off themselves while having to listen to Ted Stryker's stories.
And especially the solo, 'cause it's a killer!
Judgement Day
Coverdale on Soldier of Fortune for me ( Deep Purple originally,)
The best sounding concert I've ever attended!
'Little Stevie Vai, such a nice young boy'. Wow, we're all getting older ain't we. But I still have your music and videos dude! What a guitairist. When you joined Whitesnake it was such big news to us over here in the UK. Played Slip of the Tongue album to death! STILL play it today!! 😎👍
Oh God, Passion and Warfare! I totally loved that record! I think I still have the cassette.
Yes, children, cassette.
Just saw him with King Crimson, just oozing talent
Saw KC a few years ago with the Zappa Alumi Band (Vai a couple times solo), that would have been a great show
I remember when steve joined alcatraz after yngwie left. As a graham bonnet fan i was super excited when he joined.
I had that album, & played some songs from it just this week, I may go & see Alcatraz, they playing the UK next year, Joe Stump on fretboard duties.
I loved Vai era Alcatrazz, when he joined they stopped being the Bonnet/Malmsteen vehicle or Rainbow wannabes and started being an actual band. Everything about the music and the nature of the band was better.
SOTT lineup was so flawless and legendary! Steve Vai doesnt get enough credit. His solos are so perfect and amazing.
whatta sweetheart of a cool, gentle , man !
Saw him play with Whitesnake at The World series of rock at Alpine Valley with Skid Row,Great White,Bad English, and Hericane Alice.He jammed.
Blow by Blow may be the best rock guitar compendium I’ve heard. Jeff’s utter mastery of the instrument was unmistakable, every nuance was a thing of beauty.
I saw Steve Vai with Whitesnake in Memphis. It was a great show!
Passion and Warfare…blew me away, what an album…
"Coverdale was a monster." What he really said: "Coverdale was a monster performer who delivered every night." 🙄
Yep, FAKE headlines to get more views or to create drama come from truly WEAK people. :(
I love a lott Slip of the tongue album,thank you for this video .
Actually I saw Vai on the Slip of the Tongue tour, and indeed Passion and Warfare had come out and it became huge. So much so, that Steve was allowed to perform some of the songs from it during these Whitesnake concerts. I suppose it was his solo spot in the set but I distinctly remember his guitar was suspended in the air and landed in his hands while he walked on stage as if it flew or glided towards him, it was very impressive. I am sure that David knew from the get go he hired a high profile guitar player and subsequently had to give Vai his space.
haha...Steve is the Monster.. best live concert ive seen
A lot can be learned by Mr. Vai. Humble.
I purchased passion and warfare because of Steve playing for Whitesnake and his style came through very much even on the Whitesnake slip of the tongue album.
Passion & Warfare is the greatest guitar album ever made!
Brilliant
the quirky music in my head.... LOL! you have to love that. His CD with Devin Townsend will always be top 5
He's so cool.passion was a fantastic album
I love listening to Steve
I'm glad Steve learned from David Lee Roth's publicity and business acumen. Roth was the business guy out of the original Van Halen members. He was all about promoting an image and brand that was Van Halen. He saw himself (and the other members) as characters more than people, parts to play. Edward and Alex were very than David in that regard. They wanted the music to be the focus. David was about selling the image of Van Halen that would in turn, drive people to buy their music, merchandise and buy concert tickets. When he went solo, David turned the dial up to 11 on this idea. The image came first. The music would back it up.
P&W is a masterpiece!
I don't think Steve Vai is human. I think its a gift from the universe. Thanks to the universe.
You never give up on you took time to take care of it for yourself. What you needed for your own music while advancing that’s why you always be my girl. I grew up in the 80s with you senior with David Ron Whitesnake never seen you on your own one of my dreams, keep rocking and remember I’ve
Ibanez life. I may be Fender man 59 but I love.💯 Ibanez🔥🎸👊
3:17 great group of guys…if there was anyone difficult, it was me…. Love this guy
What a thoughtful response.
The quirky music in Steve's heard turned out to be some of the most beautiful instrumental music ever created.
Passion & Warfare was an absolute masterpiece
Love him he is humble and true.
I dont know why exactly but I love Steve, seems to be just a nice guy
That cover shown here was the 1987 album and at the time John Sykes was the lead guitarist.
Steve Vai is great
I loved Whitesnake's "Slip of the Tongue" Stevie Vai's debut with the band.
He's so darn modest. Even when he says he was a prima donna once, it doesn't ring true. Passion & Warfare and Fire Garden are unclassifiable!
GREAT JOB ALL...THANX 4 MAKING Tee with LIONS NAMED LEO the music worldwide.
LOVE YOU ALL...!!!....MUCH LOVE.!!
Steve is the man.
Love Vai`s 3min+ solo in Star One`s Lost Children Of The Universe. Also with Roy Khan and Tony Martin. Vai`s words : He impregnated the song with his solo .
Great content. Thanks guys!
The interviewer (apologies for not knowing names) is so great I forget he's there after he asks the question because he lets Steve (and all his guests) finish his entire thought without interruption..
I am proud to say that I am the guy who bought the very first passion and warfare cd available in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. You know...the town the Van Halen brothers are from. But wait...there is more I am proud of, but those are stories I will keep for my biography...lol
I bought P&W brand new fresh off the shelf. Had a pretty big impact on my musical choices over the years, still. It was a bizarrely wonderful album. My cousin bought the Ah via musicom album, I liked it too.
This is the first time I’ve ever…"enjoyed" an interview with Steve Vai. Thanks for sharing-you should change its title, perhaps?
Coverdale was indeed a monster, he fired everyone that played on their most successful album.
Definitely a snake lol....yeah 1987 was a kick ass piece of work
I believe he is referring to the album “Ready and Willing”.
Not the 1987 “cover” album….🙄
DC says he always envisioned WS as a flexible band where members come and go. (which when you think about it is how a lot of bands are anyway.)
But yeah, definitely always had that "I'm a rock god, you're my servant" air about him. Karma's a b though, now he's immortalized on video as the weakest member of his own band in latter years as his high range disappeared into cackles, rattles and cringe
And needed 2 guitar players to replace John sykes wall of sound..
Correct. Whitesnake *could* have been up there with all the best, but it was Coverdale's hubris that killed them. Such a shame.
I watched Vai last week - a better frontman than many singers in my opinion
Coverdale is like Ozzy & Sharon wrapped up in one person.
Like Ozzy he is a good singer that's been fortunate enough to have surrounded himself with very gifted musicians.
He's also ruthless when it comes to business like Sharon as he kicks those same very gifted musicians to the curb when it suits him.
That’s not what the headline was referring to. It was clickbait. He was saying that he’s a monster in the rock music business. Meaning he’s huge.
Nice to give Coverdale his due. Guy was the real deal sometime. And it was good when it was.
0:31 Vai comin in with DEEEP HEAT!!!!
Steve mentions Eric Johnson here - saw Eric play a blues fest with BB King headlining and Buddy Guy & Jr Wells & the Alligator All Stars all in one night. Still one of the greatest shows I went to. Eric was damn good but the guy who stole the show was Buddy!