The Hydra Was Surfing At BayCare Sound Amphitheater On April 24th

All Live Photos By Travis Failey Photography

Friday night in Clearwater brought another beautiful night and also a “Hydra” to the BayCare Sound Amphitheater. A Hydra you ask? Well a Hydra is a monstrous, multi-headed, serpent-like creature and the offspring of Typhon and Echidna in Greek mythology, but tonight’s Hydra is a guitar played and created by Steve Vai.

Vai and fellow guitar legend Joe Satriani have joined forces once again, this time bringing their Surfing with the Hydra Tour to their adoring fans to all parts of the U.S. and brought their star studded backup band with them.

Following a blistering 10-song opening set from ANIMALS AS LEADERS, led by Tosin Abasi, the sun went down over the gulf and the venue and Steve and Joe took the stage together.

I know this may seem strange as when they have toured together in the past, one of them would play a set and then the other would follow with a jam closing out the night but this tour is different.

Both Steve and Joe took the stage and played together during the first three songs of the set in “Dancing” “I Wanna Play My Guitar” & “The Sea of Emotion Part 1.” All three of these were recorded by them together and released as singles with “The Sea of Emotion Part 1” having a 70s flavor to it which the crowd really got into.

Speaking of the crowd, it was a made up primarily of men and even though the 9000 person capacity was about half filled, it never seemed quiet or hollow even with it being outdoors and this was due to the band behind them.

The band is anything but a background band all three are well known and very accomplished. Kenny Aronoff plays like a man trying to outmuscle the front line, Marco Mendoza adds a gritty, almost classic-rock vocal presence in spots, and Pete Thorn quietly anchors the harmonic chaos and takes center stage like he owns it when the opportunity knocks.

After “Sea,” Satriani left the stage so Vai could shine in the during “Zeus in Chains” and “Little Pretty” and later in the set with “Tender Surrender” and “Teeth of the Hydra.” Vai in contrast to Satriani, attacks his guitar and treats it like a sentient object while pushing the limits of his custom guitars and strings to deliver more of performance type rock instead of just guitar soloing or noodling.

Satriani’s time to shine was next and performed a trilogy of classics In “Ice 9” “Surfing With The Alien” and “Flying In a Blue Dream.” “Surfing” always takes me back to when it was released in 1987 and still delivers the smiles and the goose bumps like it did back then. It’s such an uplifting song for me and you can tell by the faces in the crowd that the song has the same effect on them.

The set continued like this with both players taking turns and it absolutely works as its almost like a push and pull situation. The set is carefully structured so the two icons rarely compete head-on; instead, they orbit each other. Vai exits, Satriani takes command. Satriani steps back, Vai conjures something alien. When they finally converge—most notably on “If I Could Fly” and the closing stretch—it feels earned rather than obligatory.

What also works is that both men aren’t trying to out-ego the other like in other guitar player specific tours. They are both genuinely impressed by each other’s playing while sharing the stage together and it is obvious when they are next to each other and playing in synch. The smiles are genuine and all of the band members are having a blast on stage especially during the encore in “Born to Be Wild” with Vai helping out Mendoza on vocals.

To close out their two hour set and to end the show, the band performed a rousing rendition of “Going Down” by THE ALABAMA STATE TROUPERS with all the guitarists meeting in the middle of a stage for a full blown jam session and then to take a bow.
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani left it all on the stage as they brought a high energy exposition of guitar virtuosity and creativity without getting mired in redundancy. This tour is a celebration of two careers and two performers that goes back to the beginning of sitting in their rooms telling their parents and friends that “I Wanna Play My Guitar.”

The tour continues at a venue near you and for tickets and more information head to: https://satchvaiband.com/

Remaining Tour Dates:

April 30 – Durham, NC – DPAC
May 2 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
May 3 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
May 5 – Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
May 7 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
May 8 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavillion at Riverbend Music Center
May 9 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
May 10 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
May 12 – Buffalo, NY – Kleinhans Music Hall
May 13 – Toronto, Ont – Meridian Hall
May 15 – Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield Park
May 16 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
May 17 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
May 20 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
May 21 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
May 22 – Waterbury, CT – Palace Theater
May 23 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome
May 27 – Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
May 28 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
May 29 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
May 30 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap

ANIMALS AS LEADERS

SATCHVAI