MAILBAG ARCHIVES:

- September 20, 2000

- July 04, 2000

- June 09, 2000

- May 18, 2000

- March 05, 2000

- January 11, 2000

- December 27, 1999

- November 02, 1999

- September 18, 1999

- August 27, 1999

- March 16, 1999

- January 30, 1999

- October 22, 1998

- April 26, 1998

- March 30, 1998

- March 17, 1998

December 27, 1999:

Somehow, when the celestial bodies are aligned just right, and you're tapped into the collective consciousness, and you're mojo is really workin', you find your dreams may come true. Mine did at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on 11/30/99 when I found myself cutting heads with my all-time favorite guitar hero. It just doesn't get any better than that! Thanks go to Steve and Guitar Center for holding the contest. Is any other rock star quite as cool? I think not!

-Eric Sands

www.ericsands.com

Hi to all, or "Vai" to all,

Even though it's all been read before, I just HAD to throw in a word or two briefly. I was fortunate enough to see my very first Vai solo show recently. Although I do not play guitar, it's impossible to not notice the talent, enthusiasm, and overall love of the instrument and music this man has when he is performing. And the music itself can be appreciated by all, as the crowd loved his Anaheim show at the Sun Theatre last week.

Even more impressive to me than his musicianship was his kind regard to all his fans. Afterwards he did not miss one individual who waited so patiently inside, as well as the crowd that awaited him outside. He was kind, personable, patient, caring, and extremely involved in each person and the words they spoke. I found it very unusual for a man of such stature to take the time like he did, especially since he was still not yet over his recent illness. He thoroughly enjoyed all his fans and it was quite obvious, as I watched him greet and chat with each person from a distance before leaving myself. Such a wonderful musician, and above all this, it's so amazing that within such talent lies a very friendly and down-to-earth guy! Mr. Vai, if you do happen to read this, please know how grateful we fans are that you take the time to meet us and sign autographs afterwards. And, I personally want to thank you as well for taking those wilted flowers I had held throughout the night - with of course, another trademark item that you so graciously accepted as well. And even though the gifts I'm sure left little image in your own mind, please know that my mind is very happy to finally meet just a "nice" guy who's also the most talented musician of our time.

Your kindness (and of course, your artistic brilliance) is appreciated!

Ms. Kris

Hello,

Here is a piece I started to work on while listening to "The Ultra Zone". I always wondered where Steve got his guitars, and now that I see his new space suit and remember the little green men, I think I've figured it out. I'm no artist, but I do like music! Tell Steve I said, "Thanks".

Later,
Larry Nicholson

Mr. Vai & crew:

We had the privilege of seeing you live at the Barrymore in Madison,WI recently and were awed by your show and wonderful attitude. It is a breath of fresh air to see musicians of your caliber playing in a small venue such as the Barrymore. Further, the attitude conveyed by you and the band seemed to be one of sheer enjoyment of simply playing your music and being there performing for the fans.

We were also impressed by the fact that you invited a local radio station contest winner to jam with you on stage and to also invite Mr. Sardinas back to play with you during your encore. What a wonderful experience for those people to have the honor of actually jamming with you live.

The web site is wonderful. I look forward to seeing the interactive lessons up and running when you get the time. It is very cool that you are willing to share your vast talents with the world.

Thanks for the years of music, inspiration and your take on life.

Very truly yours,

Mike & Laurie

Steve & Company,

The show, as expected was great... I managed to squirm my way up to the front of the stage with my digital camera. Included are a couple of color, B&W and a few that I used a couple of the funky settings to get some different effects for the pix. I was so close, that several times I grabbed one of Steves' extra guitar picks right off of his guitar. Several times (while playing) Steve gave that me that look and shook his index finger as if to say, "now, now, now... you've already got some, leave some for the others". Total laughs!

What's cool about the Vai camp... is that they are genuinely nice. Hanging out after the show, taking pix with the fans (there is one of Philip and myself), signing autographs, etc. Having selected fans (who won a radio contest) jam on stage with Steve and the band (the guy in New Haven was pretty good). There are not many camps that embrace their supporters in such a way, so thanks again!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Paul LaParle

Steve's music has been a source of great joy for me for many years - I have to say thank you for that, also thank you very much for a beautiful, generous website. I downloaded the FTLOG video (took two hours!), and it blew me away. Thanks for keeping my love for music intact through hundreds of shitty pub gigs, playing covers to drunks - there's still something beautiful in music to me, thanks yet again for bringing it home to me time and time again.

All the best, and much love.

Ross

Rodolphe Wery created this cool animated gif!

Mr. Vai:

The only words I have to say to you are "we love you!" I'm a big ARGENTINA FAN of you since 80's, I heard all your albums and am amazed how you can make people feel hearing your music. I have to tell you that my wife and I saw you performing here in Buenos Aires and I told my wife "you will see one of the most wonderfull guitar players on Earth", and I have to tell you that we need to see you again here in Argentina. "We miss you a lot!" My little daughter loves to hear "For The Love of God". I'm proud that my family can understand the "meaning of your music" so, from Argentina I have to say: Steve!!! We need you to come here soon!!! We miss you!!! Peace and love to you and your family!!

Abraira Juan Manuel
Buenos Aires , Argentina

Guillermo Vazquez Lopez

Steve,

Just wanted you to know that a few of the boys of Carle Place High School were at the Fu Bar in Florida and screaming our heads off for you!! When you mentioned that you were taking photos for your website, I wanted to check it out and decided to write you a letter! You ,Vicky Garguzzi and I would always have our smoke break right before Miss Fagan's English class! I can also remember you playing "Stairway to Heaven" better than Jimmy Page in High School 1980!

I have followed your career from the start and went to all the concerts when you were with David Lee Roth & Whitesnake!

Other attendees @ your show that night were Mark Cotugno, Nick Just, Rob Skudder...

Take care Steve. "You are our Hero of Rock & Roll and you put Carle Place on the Map!!"

Bobby Brois, Class of 1980.

Hello to Captain Vai and whoever happens to read this,

I was investigating your site and saw all of the other people sharing their thoughts and praise, and felt left out. So here is MY wonderful letter.

I don't know what the appropriate word or phrase would be to describe what I know of Steve Vai. Wowser comes to mind, but doesn't capture anything. You(Steve) really amaze me, you play so much, and even overplay a lot, but never lose anything from the songs. You always manage to keep the whole emotional aspects of your music in mind. That is really neat. Many people work really hard to play like you, but end up just being another person who does nothing but show off in guitar stores. The key problem I find is that people aren't playing for their hearts, but for their egos. It doesn't matter what or how many notes you play but how you play them and what they mean to you. I think that on many of your songs, like "For the Love of God" and a plethora of others. That's all I have to say about that, for now. So, in conculsion, you rock! What was the point of all this? I hope it was enjoyable if anything. Au revoir, Chief. Keep it bassy!

Jay Ratkowski

Hey!!!

My name is Mike and I used to live in Manila (the Philippines). One evening in early '97 I was watching MTV and they announced the Fire Garden Tour in Asia. I absolutely flipped out for a minute, but then came down pretty hard since the dates did not include a show in the Philippines. Thanks to my wonderful parents, who know how much Vai means to me... (they found out when I insisted for like 3 years that I had to have a Jem and not just any plain Ibanez guitar, which means a price difference of about 500 dollars - they got it for me though!), my father decided to take me over to Singapore to watch the Vai concert there!!! I got myself excused from school for a day or two and early Monday morning, of Feb. 2nd, we took off together to see Steve! The whole trip went well and as soon as we had checked into the hotel I went down to the Hard Rock Cafe to stand in line. Unfortunately the cue was about a block long and they said that they were about to stop letting people into the Cafe. I went up front and told this young lady that I had flown all the way from Manila to see the concert and that I could not live with not getting in... I doubt that she bought my story, since it must have sounded pretty absurd. God thank her though for saving me and letting me cut! My father never got in, but it didn't bother him all that much, since he only wanted to see the concert because I hadn't shut up about Steve since I first heard "Passion and Warfare". Before the show the cool staff of the Cafe even gave a tour poster. It's now framed in my bedroom.

The show was amazing! I was in the front row and even got to touch Evo at one point. Thanks Steve, I'll never forget that!

The only thing that was bad about that concert was that the crowd was a bit rough and these guys decided to jump down on us from the second floor. You should have seen the police beat them up, it was scary! Unfortunately I lost my dad's camrea then and got my ass kicked for that. It was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life!!!

I was a freshman in high school then and my teachers wrote on one of my report cards that I had been a quiet guy before the trip, that they would have liked me to participate a bit more, but that after I had seen Vai I wouldn't shut up about it! (Of course they knew about Vai, because they were either followers of Zappa or Whitesnake when they were younger, or because they were tortured by me in lectures on him!) Anyway, now I live in Barcelona and today I found out that there is going to be a European Tour coming through here in early 2000. I am really happy about that and already got two tickets for the show. I am also planning on taking a train up to France the weekend after the Barcelona show to see Steve play again. Who knows... maybe I'll meet him! These two shows are the last great thing that is going to happen to me in high school life (I graduate in June and am off to Berklee) and I am glad to be able to say that I began and ended high school with Vai concerts. They made it all a better experience and gave me something amazing to look forward to... In any case, I just wanted to send this letter to let you all know how happy and excited I am about the two Vai concerts that I'll be going to see one week apart in a couple of months! I don't know if this will ever get posted on the site, but that would sure be cool!?!

Sincerely,
Mike Simsch from Barcelona, Spain

Dearest Mr. Vai:

I hope this letter reaches you and the people who love you. I am one of those people who love you, and I don't mean that I'm a fan, I respect your music, or that I think you are cute. That is all true, but that's not what I mean when I say that. Let me TRY to explain...

When I was a teenager (yuck!) I had no positive adult mentors anywhere in the vicinity of my lonely soul. And just as God intended, your music found it's way to me. Your guitar playing reached right into my heart and made it beat differently, happily. So I read everything that I could find about you. I quickly learned that there was a reason why you made me feel so good. It was because you were put on this planet to help people, among other great things.

I had always believed in God and all that stuff, but I hadn't found the right place for God in my heart. You taught me everything I ever felt I needed to know about spirituality. All of what you said made so much sense to me. You changed the way I perceive EVERYTHING and I find positive things and incredible joy everywhere I go. I would not have that if it weren't for you. You took me to my destiny, Steve. I will be eternally in your debt for that and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I had the honor (huge understatement) of meeting you on 11/18/99 for the first time (and I loved it so much I went to your show on the 21st and met your band!). I thought I was going to be so awestruck that I would pass out! :) But you have a calming effect about you. I suppose that makes sense. I finally got to tell you how much you have meant to me for the past 11 years. Thank you for giving me the chance to do that. You are so kind to your fans. What a huge heart you have! And what a huge fan you will have in me until the end of time and beyond!

With the deepest kind of love,

Leslie Monaghen
Rhode Island

It's been just about 20 years since I've seen Steve Vai, the first time being with Frank Zappa at Indiana University (if I recall correctly) in about 1980. On Saturday night at Birch Hill in Old Bridge, NJ, I was able to see again why I was so amazed 20 years ago. Although no one would mistake Steve Vai for Frank Zappa, it's great to see all the influence Frank has had on Steve Vai's musical and professional development.

Saturday's performance was one of unworldly talent, and I'm talking about Steve of course, but also of the entire band; of amazing stamina, after over 2 hours of 120% intensity I was convinced that Steve could have continued all night long given half a chance and an audience as energetic as himself; and LOUDER than anything I've been too, for... well, ever! So during the show, Steve named his band members but I'll be damed if I could make it out. So being a drummer myself, I've got to know... who the hell is that guy? And what planet or galaxy does he come from? I haven't seen a one-handed drum roll since Buddy Rich, and even then I'm sure Buddy didn't hold out as long as this marshmallow man did!! So what is this guy's name and does he also have a website?

Thanks for your help and tell Steve that Frank must be pleased.

Bob Bunger
London, England

Hi Steve,

I'm 15 years old and have been playing the guitar seriously for about 4 years. Until I saw you on the G3 tour in 1997, I was unknown to quality guitar playing, and did not explore your area of guitar technique. After that night in Nottingham (England), I have been inspired by that performance and all of your albums (including David Lee Roth) to PRACTICE harder than ever to play like you and Joe Satriani. So thank you Steve, without you, I probably would not be considering a career as a guitarist! I hope you come to England soon.

Thanks

Rachael Wood

I first got into Vai by listening to the "Sex & Religion" record. Yes, I admit that I bought it because of Devin Townsend (there's a true genius), but that album has been very influential on me and has opened my horizons. Not very many people mention that album because it is so different from Steve's other works. It showed that Steve can write a complete album with a very progressive style. The lyrics are great and the other musicians (Townsend, Bozzio, Stevens) show incredible ability, but Steve is the mastermind who put it together. I now also own "The Ultra Zone" and "Passion and Warfare". Steve has also shown me the light of Zappa, which is becoming a costly yet rewarding path. Steve's work helped show me that there is good music besides heavy metal. I just regret that the "Sex & Religion" tour was a little before my time. I've heard stories of Steve and Devin onstage and would love to have seen that for myself. I'm a very new fan and I guess you can thank Devin for bringing my interest to Steve's music. I'm going to see Steve for the first time in two weeks in Phoenix and I can't wait...

Bud Lyding

Yo! All the way from England. I just visited your new site at it total blew me away. I thought the old site was one of the best I'd seen, but this... whoa! I'm still recovering from the shock. Those Flash animations are so cool. The content is also stunning. I look forward to fully exploring the site in the future.

Andy Gleeson, LONDON

PS. Steve is the best ......EVER!

got to see Steve in Boulder Colorado last week... it was the best show I've ever seen. It was a very intimate concert. He was close enough to touch. I never thought I'd ever get the chance to see him perform... let alone be so close to him. The show was one of the highlights of my short life... I can go to sleep a very happy girl now....

susie