With more than 44 years of friendship, two virtuoso musicians’s names and legacies have become inextricably linked.
Joe Satriani is known for his home of Long Island, not just for his guitar chops, but also for his teaching prowess. One day, a young Steve Vai showed up for a lesson with an unstrung guitar and a pack of fresh strings. A musical partnership was then born that would span six decades and spawn dozens of albums, movie and video game soundtracks; tours that gathered the greatest guitar shredders; and, inspiration for generations of musicians to push the boundaries of the electric guitar.
Despite all these years spent in one another’s orbit, it was only in 2024 that they finally united in the same band: The SATCHVIA Band. They wrote and recorded together and have since released three of those songs.
Last year, SATCHVAI embarked on a successful European tour, and this Spring, they've taken to the road in the U.S. with djent stalwarts Animals As Leaders in support.
On Friday, May 8, Cincinnati, Ohio was treated to a stop on the Surfing With The Hydra Tour at PNC Pavilion.
Animals As Leaders kicked things off, demonstrating the 8-string virtuosity of Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes, with Matt Garstka keeping time on the kit throughout a dizzying array of time signatures.
Near the end of their set, they took a moment to thank their lighting director Adam Ditzel, an Ohio native.
SATCHVAI’s set opened with a clip from the music video for “Dancing,” during which Satriani and Vai took the stage with drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Marco Mendoza, and rhythm guitarist Pete Thorn.
The band wasted no time diving into the new collaborative material, opening the show with “Dancing,” “I Wanna Play My Guitar” and heavy-hitting “Sea Of Emotion, Pt. 1,” before taking the audience on a tour through their catalogs—highlighted by an appearance by The Hydra, Steve Vai’s infamous triple-necked Ibanez.
Satriani then pumped fans up with a blues tune before pivoting into his iconic “Satch Boogie.”
A two-song encore capped by “Born To Be Wild,” brought a close to the evening.
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