TVD Live Shots: Generation Axe at the Fox Theater, 4/8

Generation Axe is guitar extravaganza bringing together five of the greatest axe men on the planet for a night a pure unadulterated shredding. Featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi, each of the five basic food groups of face-melting was represented well. Backing up the all-star lineup is a very capable band of musicians including Malmsteen keyboardist Nick Marinovich, Zappa Plays Zappa/ Dethklok bassist Pete Griffin, and Animals as Leaders drummer Matt Garstka.

Up first was Tosin Abasi, a Nigerian American guitarist best known as the guitar player and founder of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. I’m not too familiar with this guy, but he set the stage pretty well for what was to follow. Another interesting note is that he plays an 8 string guitar and was probably the most technical savvy shredder of the night.

Tosin played some mind-boggling solos with a full band before passing the torch to Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. The cool thing about this show is that each guitarist plays a 20 minute set then transitions via superjam to the next. The flow is quite brilliant and definitely led to some interesting encounters that fans won’t likely see ever again.

Bettencourt was an interesting addition to this lineup for a couple of reasons. One, Extreme is more about the songs than the shredding, and two, it brought a funk edge to the mostly straightforward shredding. Plus Bettencourt has a fantastic voice which shined on his opener “Get the Funk Out.” He also did a medley of songs from the terribly underrated Three Sides to Every Story album which was truly a highlight of the night.

Bettencourt passed the torch to the mighty Zakk Wylde which found the two singing in harmony for a cover of Citizen Cope’s “Sideways.” As Bettencourt left the stage Zakk tore into the Sabbath classic “N.I.B.” while stomping through the crowd to melt some faces up close and personally. Zakk is a fucking beast on stage and brought a much-needed element of no frills shredding with an “I don’t give a fuck” attitude.

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-8

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-4

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller

Next up was Swedish neo-classical guitar master Yngwie Malmsteen. This was truly the moment that I was waiting for. I’ve been a huge fan of his for years but have never seen his live show. The Maestro did not disappoint; in fact I’m going out on a limb to say that he totally stole the show.

What this guy can do with a guitar seems to defy the laws of physics—mixing classic music with metal and arpeggios so smooth that it doesn’t even seem real. Add in the guitar acrobatics and the attitude of “this shit is easy for me” and you have the best performance of the night. I absolutely love Vai, but—holy hell—this would be intimidating to follow up. Not that it was about competition at all as these guys really seemed to respect one another’s unique abilities and what each brought to the shredder’s roundtable. But one can’t not think about the ending of the movie Crossroads where classical riffs defeat the devil and Blind Dog Fulton gets his soul back.

The final act of the night is the man himself, the virtuoso that is Mr. Steve Vai. Arguably the most accomplished guitar player on the planet, Vai came guns a-blazing and tore through a blistering set. Then the finale of the night is a massive superjam that was well worth the wait as all five axe slingers took to the stage for a hellraising version of the Deep Purple classic “Highway Star.”

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-22

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-29

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-5

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-6

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-30

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-7

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-9

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-10

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-11

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-12

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-13

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-14

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-3

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-15

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-16

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-18

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-19

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-20

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-21

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-23

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-24

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-25

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-26

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-27

Generation Axe photographed by Jason Miller-28

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