Seeing them share a stage is more than a treat, it’s a dream come true for guitar aficionados. Sure, they’ve jammed together plenty over the years (the G3 tours come to mind), but The SatchVai Band is something else entirely: a full collaborative unit, not just a jam session.
The set opens with the duo’s new joint composition, their mission statement, their manifesto: "I Wanna Play My Guitar." From the first note, the level of musicianship is staggering, but what’s even more striking is the sheer joy radiating from the stage. These are two masters not trying to outplay each other, but celebrating the instrument together. There's no ego here, just mutual respect and the purest kind of musical conversation.
After the opening salvo, the spotlight shifts back and forth as each guitarist delivers one of their signature tracks. For "Teeth of the Hydra," Vai unveils The Hydra itself—a wild Ibanez custom creation that’s part sculpture, part weapon, part mythological beast. It has multiple necks, some fretless, some seven-string, some bass, all fused together into one absurd, glorious monstrosity. Watching him extract something so fluid and lyrical from something so seemingly unplayable was mesmerizing.
But the true highlights came when both artists joined forces on songs from each other’s catalog, rearranged, reimagined, and elevated by their shared chemistry. If the show was already excellent, these moments sent it into the stratosphere: guitar fireworks, musical insanity, and above all, unrelenting fun.
The backing band was, unsurprisingly, top-tier. On bass, Marco Mendoza not only held down the low end with swagger but also delivered some powerhouse vocals on the few non-instrumental tracks—most notably "I Wanna Play My Guitar," where he tackled the daunting task of replicating Glenn Hughes’ soaring lines. (A bit of poetic justice, perhaps, since Hughes once replaced Mendoza in the Dead Daisies.) Behind the kit, the ever-reliable Kenny Aronoff brought his trademark thunder—precision, power, and just the right amount of zany flair. His playing remains the gold standard for any hard rock band in search of their own Bonzo. And because two guitar virtuosos apparently aren’t enough, Pete Thorn rounded out the lineup on third guitar, more than capable of holding his own next to the two headliners whose names lit up the marquee.
They wrapped up the night with a couple of covers that paid tribute to their classic rock and metal roots, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Everyone was on their feet, cheering, jumping, and pinching themselves after witnessing what can only be described as a historic event in rock guitar.
There’s really only one thing left for them to do: record a full album of original material written for both of them to play together. Because after a show like this, we’re going to need more.
