I don't want to stray off topic too much,but I must include my review of Yngwie's 2005 show in Tucson,Az.I met him before the show,a small bar/venue,behind outside the rear stage door,my buddy snapped a camera phone picture just after he signed my concert poster.
Nobody had a pen,and Yngwie hung around while we frantically looked for one.I wish I had listened to my wife who said to bring my guitar,I would have had it signed!Next time,as I know we will meet again.Shaking his hand was definitely a big highlight for me!This is from my concert review on 100% Malmsteen,a fan site:
City Limits - Tucson, Arizona 11/7/2005
(Concert Review and Photos from Dave Talkin)
I saw Yngwie for the first time in Tucson at the City Limits Nov 7th show of the Unleash The Fury tour. I had thought of bringing my 2005 Malmsteen Strat to get autographed, but did not want to risk damaging it at this 'general admission' show. My work buddy and I traveled from Phoenix to Tucson for the show. I was so excited for weeks prior to the event. We traveled to Tucson early in the morning, went to a local record store and scored a free event poster which the clerk gave me. He didn't know who he was.
We arrived at the gig around 2pm. I drove behind this small bar type venue to hope to see a tour bus, etc. And there was Yngwie's tour bus with a luggage trailer behind. April was walking around talking on her cell phone. Antonio was there with his mom and out a back door strolls the great maestro himself dressed in all black. I walked right up and introduced myself, shook hands with him and told him we drove down to Tucson from Phoenix and could I have an autograph. "Sure" he replied. Meanwhile some sort of effect pedal had arrived from FedEx and Yngwie was talking in Swedish to Thomas Nordegg his guitar tech who used to work with Steve Vai. More about him later. Anyway, bottom line is I could not find a pen anywhere. No one had a pen; I was freaking out! I am a critical care nurse and don't usually get nervous, but I had had a double shot cappuccino prior to arriving and I was embarrassed to meet my hero and looking like an idiot. Yngwie is so totally cool though. He was very gracious and waited around while I ran into the venue through the stage back door and asked to borrow a pen that was on the soundboard. I brought the poster to Yngwie and he signed it. My friend Virgil snapped a shot with his camera phone.
Yngwie went back inside and we listened to the sound check which was amazing. He played Cherokee Warrior, which they did not do later that evening. We walked around the front of the bar and could see through the glass the band playing from the right side. As we sat on the front steps, Yngwie and road crew came walking around the corner and through the front door. He said "Hello guys" to us recognizing me from before. I could not believe it. I had no camera yet! So I took my place in line the first at the door around 3pm. I waited there until the doors opened at approximately 7:15pm. It seemed like forever. We met lots of fans and it was an ordeal but well worth it. By now, I had secured a camera from the Circle K "western convenience store" across the street.
As soon as the the door opened, I ran to stage left in front of the guitar vocal mike so I would be virtually 2 feet away from Yngwie during the show. As people piled in Orange Sky played an okay set. I could see their set list on the stage and was counting down the songs until the end! Yngwie did not come out for at least an hour post the support group. Meanwhile, I was being trampled by these college kids who did not know who Yngwie really was. I was being crushed up against the steel barriers, but held my ground. There appeared to be "technical difficulties" holding up the start of the show. I could see Thomas tuning up various guitars like Yngwie's number 1 and number 2. Also, there must have been an early 1970's maple fingerboard Strat.
The band started with Rising Force, and the crowd went wild. Now, there was smoking allowed and being a non-smoker I was choking as well as screaming out with everyone else. I could not really hear the whole band mix as I was so close to the stage sort of in front of the PA. I could hear Doogie White and Yngwie, along with some stage drum sounds and no bass! It didn't matter as I had pretty much the best location in the house, which I had earned! I had this lunatic behind me who wanted to climb on stage. I kept shoving him back, also this stupid girl on my left kept trying to get a pick and kept shoving herself and her arm in my face as I tried to watch the show. She was causing such a nuisance and tried to grab Yngwie's dream catcher on the mike stand. He had to announce "don't touch that little girl", but he was very gracious and handed her a pick later. She still carried on in this frenzy through the whole show. When a 'pick attack' as I call it happened, a sea of arms would appear and you would be bludgeoned on the head and body as people violently grabbed for the flying white Jim Dunlop's. I eventually got one as the show ended by crawling under the stage barrier and reaching my arm a long way to carefully grab it!
Yngwie would have various guitar problems and would shout at Thomas every so often. He would start a solo and his signal would go dead, etc. Then prior to Black Star's Ovation Viper intro, the MXR Dynacomp was clearly unplugged. We were yelling at Thomas that it's unplugged. Then during the Black Star solo we all looked at our watches when Yngwie holds that long sustained note - hilarious!
I had to wear earplugs due to long past exposure to Marshall stacks since I was a boy in England at 16 years old with a 100 watt Superlead Plexi stack in my bedroom, a Fuzzface, Crybaby Wah, and my transition logo 1965 sunburst Strat. This was in 1968. I had done well for years but 15 years ago I suffered terrible tinnitus which is always with me, always with you as Joe Satriani says.
I digress with this long winded commentary, but I was really impressed with how much Yngwie really cares about his sound, fans, and is still all these years later at the top of his game - this smokeless sober Yngwie. He inspires me, but if I could be such a musical genius as him I would be self confident too! I clandestinely snapped some photos with the disposable camera which I snuck in. I will try to get scans of these and send them to you. Your Yngwie Malmsteen 100% website is great so keep up the great work.
I have more to tell about that amazing day,but check out the official Yngwie website for all my concert pictures:
http://www.yngwie.org/TourPhotos.htm
scroll down to Tucson,Az, Dave Talkin photos
I am loving this slow discussion of Malmsteen starting to generate on the forum,makes my heart glad!!
Thanks for your great remarks ToneSlinger!!
yngwie308
so not only is the switch much better, but extended the life of the stomp itself quite a bit by doiing a chassis mount.
