Yngwie Malmsteen stopped by Tower Theater in Fresno, CA and I knew it would be a sight worth seeing. I saw Malmsteen perform for the first time at the 2016 Hair Nation Festival. I remember being in awe the entire time, knowing and understanding who this person was.
The ultimate and undefeated guitar hero to say the least. Seeing him in the full live setting was nothing short of amazing.
Since he was one of the many bands on the bill, he didn’t have the honor of playing his usual songs. Therefore, most of my favorites weren’t included on the setlist. So when I heard he was making a visit to my hometown, I had to be there.
I walked in and as soon as the band emerged on stage, they appeared larger than life. An unlimited supply of Marshalls stacked beyond the ceiling and Yngwie front and center wailing to no end.
It was incredible to see him maneuver up and down the fret board by pure instinct. The evening was filled with unthinkable solos and scales that blew my mind each time.
And it wasn’t just Malmsteen that impressed me. The entire band delivered the performance. Patrik Johansson was a powerhouse on the drums, especially during his solo halfway through the set. Ralph Ciavolino and Nick Marino both dominated with their vocals and killer rhythm section.
My personal favorite moment from the show was the combination of Now Your Ships Are Burned merged with Evil Eye.
I was particularly stunned to hear his remarkable cover of Red House by Jimi Hendrix. Malmsteen playing the blues was completely foreign to me, but he mastered the tone and attitude of the genre perfectly.
Another major highlight was during the encore when Malmsteen brought out an acoustic guitar before eventually leading into Black Star. The show came to a close after a flawless execution of I’ll See The Light Tonight where everyone fired on all cylinders.
All in all, it was extremely overwhelming to hear those songs live, because it’s one thing to hear it on a record and completely different to see in person. I mean, where else can you see classical music being translated on guitar live on stage?
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