Meet up with fellow fans and review the show in this thread.
Jeroen

vai.com
Hi Samuele,Samuele wrote::: Part 3 of 3 ::
I came back from Nonantola, arrived in Padova (where I live) and found that it was really cold here. Funny how the weather can change from town to town. Today Jeremy had to spend some time at the dentist and we were told that he may not have been able to be at soundcheck. Luckily enough, he was able to be there and the guys started to joke about this thing, even suggesting the changing of the names of some of the songs in the setlist. The funniest one that I remember was "Cavity Storm". Despite what he had went through, Jeremy played the whole show as energetically as he always does. He's a good soldier.
The venue was the same one that Steve played last year, which was surprising to me. Probably not the best move from a management/booking point of view. Even more surprising was that instead of standing general admission tickets, this time it had numbered seats. Like I said before for the Florence show, I really prefer to stand, even if I have to arrive early at the venue. Sure, having your own seat is great, because it allows you to come in right before the show starts, but come on… this is not a formal classical music concert. If you want the people in the audience to interact and be animated, you can't have them quietly sit down. Last year, at the same venue, there was a large standing area in front of the stage, and then there were seat areas in the back and sides. That was better, and I remember the audience was *very* responsive. Anyway yes, this time at first people were not as reactive as I had hoped, but then they gradually warmed up, and by the end of the show many of them were standing in front of the stage.
The sound was good, maybe at times I could hear Philip a little too much, but by the end of the show everything was quite good. Also, today was Chris Huber's birthday. For those who don't know, he's Jeremy's drum tech and the voice of "The Beast". He came out and everybody sang Happy Birthday, that was a good moment. The Build Me a Song section of this show was probably the funniest among all three nights. I couldn't help but think where do these people who get onstage come from? The guy who had to sing a melody for Steve was the funniest I've ever seen. The first groove that they came up with was very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, so Steve started to sing the first few notes of it - not as high as Plant, obviously! But then that was replaced with something else, of course. I like how the band can take a pedestrian idea and turn it into something interesting. I also love Steve's speech at the end of the show, I find it very moving.
Of the three concerts that Steve played in Italy this time, all things considered, the one in Florence was probably the best. Having said that, I believe that, speaking in general, this show is the best that Steve has ever come up with. The guys in the band are so connected with each other that it's amazing, and to me Steve is really getting closer and closer to every note that he plays. If you come to one of these shows, you don't miss the old days, so to speak. At least for me, it is so. Another thing that I cherish about these few days is that I got to hang out with some friends that, over time, I became really fond of. That's one of the good things that Steve is indirectly able to make happen, and that I'm really grateful for. After this tour, Steve won't come back with a show for quite some time, which is one of the reasons why I went to these three shows in Italy. For those of you who are still not sure about going to one of the shows, go! Ultimately, there are no adequate words for describing how good it is to be there, so you have to trust the good reviews on this and go.
In conclusion, I'll take the opportunity to say thank you to everybody (band, crew members, assistants, etc.) that is on this tour, making this wonderful thing happen. Then I want to say the biggest Thank You that I'm capable of to Steve (if he ever reads this) for the time spent with us during these few days, for his kind words, for everything that he does and, most importantly, for being who he is. See you next time.