Customer Reviews

Steve Vai - Live at the Astoria London

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Well, I don't want to bash a product that actually showcases the best of one of the most attractive and colorful personalities in the music industry today. Quirky, wacky, freaky, whatever... Steve Vai is a musician that irradiates so much energy, brainpower, passion and fun that you finally jump with him into his magical world, even if this world is presented through a not-so-good item, such as this DVD itself.

What really surprises me is that Vai is a perfectionist, a guy that respects his work over everything else in the world. And shamefully this DVD is far from being perfect. But let's start by talking about the good things on it:

First of all, the tracklist couldn't be better. Nothing essential was left out. From the opening "Shy Boy" (with those amazing tapping duettos with Billy Sheehan!) to the closing "The Attitude Song" (with everybody jamming around like a bunch of crazy witches), almost all what you expect to be there, is there: "Giant Balls of Gold", "Bad Horsie", "Whispering a Prayer", "Jibboon", "For the love of God"... and much much much more! I'm no less than EXTREMELY happy with the tracklist, really -well, don't tell me that you wanted to listen to "Fire Garden Suite". Of course that one is NOT there :-).

Secondly, the performers are more than amazing. Their live playing is close to perfection without scarifying a dime in attitude. How good they are was captured and proudly packaged into this DVD. Not only Steve Vai himself shines, but also Virgil Donati (what a drum solo! -what a DRUMMER!), Tony MacAlpine (guys, I've never understood why he never got the fame he deserves so well!), Billy Sheehan (the perfect skillful bass player to match Vai on stage) and Dave Weiner (the low-profile dwarf that does everything well and plays the guitar like a god); them all really excel!

Now, the bad things: the synchronization between the video and the music sometimes is lost, and the sound is a tad thin in my opinion; but the worst of everything are those annoying video transitions (so cheap and cheesy!) and those absurd camera moves -which almost ruin the entire production and won't let you see what you really want to see more than once!

In few words, this release contains a lot of good tracks and I still consider it a gem in my collection, but it could have been far better. I just hope that the G3 DVD, produced (I hope) by Sony, will be top-quality and won't leave any bitter taste in my mouth -like "Live at the Astoria London" did, though slightly.

So, music and performance: five stars. Image and sound: four stars. Video editing and production: better not say. :-)

This is a great expo of Steve Vai and his incredible talent. I've watched this DVD over and over and love it. His playing in incredible. His stage antics are fun, entertaining and moving (you can see he's been influenced by Zappa, DLR and knows how to perform visually). It truly shows off Steve Vai's talent and personality. I was recently at a Guitar Play Magazine party for their advertisers hosted by Steve Vai and truly think he's not only an incredible guitarist but simply radiates life and music.

The DVD itself leaves you in awe. Steve is incredible on his studio recordings but you think: "how is he going to pull this off live"? Well, he does perfectly. It is like watching Michael Jordan in his prime. Musically, he does a tremendous job of weaving very interesting melodies and layers of sound together. It is not just fast paying here. There are great dynamics at work in his compositions. The guitar is simply his vehicle for creating music. He's not held back at all by the guitar but effortlessly can make any sound he imagines.

Steve's music isn't for everyone. My wife just doesn't get it. It is very complex and takes a truly serious music fan to appreciate. If you're music tastes are limited to the pop flavor of the week, you may not like Vai. If you have an open minded and are looking for something musically on the level of John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, Beethoven or Bach, then Vai will blow you away.

I was so excited to see this DVD... what guitar enthusiast could pass up 2+ hours of Steve Vai? I've heard him live, heard him with other artists, heard him by himself, and was amped to hear and see him in my very own home.

The music was simply wonderful, a good variety of songs were chosen, and Vai's energy really comes through to the viewer. However, I have to mention the nauseating overkill of visual effects used.
As a one-time film/video production student, I learned one thing you NEVER do is mess with the stock footage. But consistently throughout the DVD you see weird angles, lightning fast zooms, and oh the spinning...
Then there's the post-production debacle. First of all, it is a bad idea to change subject size or shooting angle so drastically. It was hard to keep up with what I was watching. Next, star wipes, swirl wipes, etc. are best left for high school video classes.
Granted, these effects and transitions were often proportional to the tempo and energy of the music at that time, but were very distracting nonetheless.
If the seizure-inducing distractions from the editing and footage were toned down or eliminated, I would have given this five stars. As it is, I could not in good conscience recommend this to anyone without a thorough warning.

Mr. Vai, please keep doing what you do best... and let the camera operators and editors do what they do best.

Steve Vai is simply the best guitarist alive today.
The main reason I'm writing this review is as a retort to some of the comments already up as 'reviews'.

Firstly, if you don't like Vai, why would you buy the DVD?
If you think Vai is a talentless bum, you're not going to enjoy this product - just go and check out the Britney DVD's, I'm sure they're more your style.

Now, while the camera work and special effects aren't the best thing about the DVD, it's just stupid to suggest that a Vai fan should not buy this just because of them!

Surely that's like saying "Passion & Warfare" is incredibly good, but the album cover is crap so don't bother ...

Steve's costume changes and his on stage antics are by way of entertainment. What would you prefer? Steve just playing the songs straight with no actual performance involved?

No-one ever criticized Pink Floyd or Guns N Roses for putting on huge live shows with fireworks and blow up monsters...

If you think you'll have trouble concentrating on the music because Steve has lights attached to his fingers for one song, just stick to the CD, OK?

Overall, this DVD is an amazing example of brilliant music performed by talented artists who know how to put on a show and have a sense of humour.

If you want to see Steve playing some of his best songs while the band and everyone in the crowd have an awesome time, this is the DVD for you!

The camera angles can be a bit annoying - the cameramen get way too close to Steve's fingers sometimes and you can't see what he's playing at all. Also, during some solo's, the shots are from behind the drums, or of Billy or Dave.
Steve addresses the problems he had when editing the concert in the commentary track (which is great in itself!)

If you like Vai, or even if you're just a guitar lover, get the DVD. You WON'T be disappointed!

I'm kinda old school... 80's old school and graduated in 85. I had heard of Vai, listened to him with David Lee Roth. That was the last time I listened to him. Never really was a fan. After watching this DVD, I regret not following him. I was blown away at his talent. Just watched and listened in pure awe. Everyone in that band for that matter. Good lord, Billy can make that bass sing. I had no idea he was such a great basest.

I know some people say Steve needs to grow up and stop acting like a teen... C'mon. It's rock and roll. So what if he's mid 40's and still jumping around like he was 20. More power to him. It's called entertainment. Who wants to watch a bunch of guys just standing around. Where's the fun in that? That would be boring.

As far as the production goes?
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Audio is outstanding. I have a very nice home theater and this concert DVD sounded as though I was there. It helps that my speakers are very lively in the first place.

Video production is so-so. They don't hold a shot for very long, they use these zoom in and zoom out effects way to much. There were times my eyes actually started to get fatigued. Too much giggling around with the camera shots.

Steve, next time get a better video crew. They are the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars.

This isn't a guy on stage doing guitar...he is other-worldly! I have had the opportunity to see him perform twice on G3 and he has no equal. His perfomance here on the DVD is a small taste of how authentic and passionate a musician can be on stage. This DVD is really great and to those who poo-poo the technical DVD splicing and mastery, oh well, get a grip. The 2nd disc has a really great insight into the band atmosphere, interviews done mostly with Dave Weiner, I was bummed no personal Steve interviews. The DVD concert commentary with Vai and the rest of the band regarding the show is fairly interesting and Vai even comments at how random a thought it was to this DVD ( I believe he decided like two weeks before the show) when he did so considering that, I don't think this is all that bad. But the play on this phenomenal!! Billy Sheehan tears it up and the harmonic playing and dualing with Tony and Dave is so mind-blowing, you have to get this DVD!! It is a great price for all you get. Whispering a Prayer and Bad Horsie are my favorites!! I defintely recommend seeing him live but this is a wonderful alternative.

Enough with these FOOLISH comments regarding this video. This is simply one of the finest DVDs of its kind! If you like Steve Vai or this type of instrumental guitar rock this is THE DVD to own!! For those commenting on the effects or camera angles all I can say is GO WATCH AUSTIN CITY LIMITS if all you want is BLAND,STRAIGHT FORWARD,PBS VIDEO. Steve Vai is a CREATIVE GENIUS. Do you expect HIS PROJECT to be VANILLA?? If you do then you know NOTHING of the man or his music and I wonder why you would buy this anyway. Steve admits in the commentary that he wishes he'd had a pre production meeting with the camera ops before the shows...he didnt and the result is more shots of his face and reaction type shots than he would have liked. Other than that there really isnt ANYTHING to be critical of on this project. You get what you pay for...STEVE VAI MUSIC...being played at its FINEST! The video is digital and the clarity is outstanding. The sound is also above average,compared to other recent live DVDs like Rush in Rio.

All in all,this is a MUST HAVE for any VAI fan. Not only do you get one of the premiere guitar players in the world in SV but you get the legendary BILLY SHEEHAN on bass and TONY MCALPINE on keys/guitar. The other players in the band are also total pros and the result is a super tight show. Dont even hesitate if you like this kind of music...click on PURCHASE...NOW!! Enjoy!

I actually went to this show, and bought the DVD as soon as it came out -- and I was not at all disappointed. Masterful guitar work, superb tones and effects use, awesome songwriting -- it is flawless in my opinion. Every musician on the stage gets a chance to demonstrate his skill on an individual level as well as in the band situation - and Vais expression and naturally perfect note choices continue to amaze me as the years pass.


I would HIGHLY recommend this dvd to anyone who can appreciate good songwriting and great musicianship.

This was the first time I'd ever seen Steve Vai in concert, and I was thoroughly impressed. As many know, this man is one of the best, and his performance here just solidifies his "rock god" status. The performance is completely exhausting, but in a good way. It's just one relentless guitar riff after another, neverending solos, and nonstop energy.

There are a lot of complaints about the visual aspect of this DVD. Yes, the camerawork is far from "professional," but it seemed more than appropriate for this type of concert. Yes, Steve Vai is a bit silly in his stage antics. But to say he's childish and needs to grow up in order to be respected as a musician? His guitar playing, what he's paid to do, is far from childish, my friend. This is Steve Vai being Steve Vai, and if you want to see Joe Satriani, watch him instead.

If you're going to be put off easily by the visuals of a music DVD, I might advise not getting it. Personally, I didn't even notice anything was "wrong," because I was enjoying the show too much. For the price and the healthy amount of interesting extras on this 2 disc DVD, I would HIGHLY recommend this purchase to anyone who wants to see a master at work.

A perfect back-to-back with the recent (excellent) G3 tour.
The quality of production is Excellent. I only found annoying the camera movements (sometimes excesive). But the image and sound are perfect.
The concert is beyond every expectation, Vai teams-up with old time's friend and ally Billy Sheehan (they even play "Chameleon" from sheehans latest solo album); Tony MacAlpine, an excellent musician many times unseen; Vai's protege' Dave Weiner and Virgil Donati on the Drums. Vai-Mac-Dave could make a G3 by themselves a G3....WOW
With over 2.5 hours of live concert, and more that 1 hour of Special features, this 2-DVD is a MUST for all Vai fans, and a great oportunity for the newbies to meet some fine guitar (hard to find this days). Also check The Infinite Steve Vai: Antologies (CD) . And don't miss Joe Satriani's latests: Satch Tape (old news DVD) and the Antologies. www.vai.com www.billysheehan.com www.tonymacalpine.com www.daveweiner.com www.virgildonati.com www.satriani.com