Steve Vai Rocks and Smokes D.C.’s Howard Theater

By: Rick Landers

Steve Vai and crew landed in the nation’s capital in August to launch a musical tirade befitting one of the best guitarists on the planet. His stop: The Howard Theater that’s an old auditorium burnished to a nice new sheen and a great spot to catch drive-by artists.

But, before Steve showed up, the crowd got some rock ‘n blues heat from Beverly McCLellan, who’s a past winner as the Best Overall Performer of the New York Music Festival.  Armed with an acoustic and set of great lungs, Bev belted out an impressive set of her own songs, as well as some cool covers.

Enter Steve Vai, whose vamp stage presence and guitar antics always wow. Behind the guitar slinger was enough amp tonnage to crush, with heavy hitting top brands like Fender, Carvin-Legacy and PRS.

Vai stood his ground feeding the crowd music in an avalanche of guitar riffs from his past, as well as highlights from his 16th solo release, The Story of Light.  But, as much as the songs were the main drivers, Steve’s playing and ability to push the drama envelope, in no small way, fueled the excitement. The cyclops all-seeing eye backdrop tracked the Howard with a roaming spotlight, while reds and blues peppered the place with color – and Steve and his wrecking crew rolled some heavy thunder.

And it didn’t hurt when Vai grabbed his Ibanez JEM axes in albino white and chrome, the latter, flashing back the spectrum of light pulsing from the stage. Bassman, Phillip Bynoe, helped keep things grounded with his growling bass, and guitarist, Dave Weiner, kept up with Vai, while maintaining a low key presence – leaving the spotlight to the master. Pounding heavy on drums and a “one-man lit skull band” kit was Jeremy Colson, and tracking it all with some cool harp was Deborah Hensen.

During his set, Vai took a moment to introduce a VIP who emerged from the sidelines, Paul Reed Smith of PRS Guitars. He was on board to enjoy the show, but also to check out how well his PRS guitars and amps, in the hands of Weiner, worked in a field operation. His stuff more than held its ground.

Something popped and the Howard began to fill with smoke and a fire alarm began to whoop. That was our cue to bolt early, thinking the need to be safe was a first priority and figuring we’d catch Vai on his next tour.

GALLERY

Beverly McClellan