Yngwie In Review

Ya know, I really don't have as much to yammer on and on about from the Yngwie Malmsteen show as I thought I might. Maybe it's due to having seen the guy play a few times before, including in a packed arena as well as a very spacious and underpopulated club setting. This fell somewhere inbetween in terms of the setting.

But I will say that I've never seen the guy playing better than he was last night. When you pack a million 64th notes into a guitar solo, there's room for mistakes. But last night was about the most flawless I've seen Yngwie play ... ever. The set list had a bit too much new tunes on it for my taste, but given the average age of the crowd, I felt like the only one who managed to experience Yngwie's work in Steeler and Alcatrazz in real time. Sucks to be old. But there was still a rousing reaction to the classics in the setlist. I much prefer instrumentals like "Far Beyond the Sun" early on in the show rather than as the encore number. And among the new stuff that I did appreciate, the segment from his Concerto Suite was a gem.

All in all, anytime I get a chance to absorb neoclassical heavy metal, I do. But at least sometime before I'm done with this world, I would very much like to see Yngwie work in a few Steeler/Alcatrazz tunes just to give us old timers a special treat since some of us weren't around the LA Strip scene to take that music in live. Of course, the guy might have to go out and hire a real singer if he's going to reach that far back in the catalog.

What's even more appreciated about this genre of metal is that fog machines are still very much in vogue. I can understand the necessity of having the entire stage ensconsed in fog. However, I'm a bit sceptical of the necessity of having the sound booth at the back of the hall done the same way. Had my friends taken three steps away, I doubt I could have seen them. Still, it was kinda cool. Nothing is too over-the-top for an Yngwie show.

The opening act was Orange Sky, a reggae metal outfit from Trinidad/Tobago. A bit of a twist on Pantera-style tunage. Not my cup of tea, but as far as modern music goes, not entirely bad.

On another note, this was my first trip to Houston's Meridian night club. Having seen more than a few area clubs pass on and get with the times (RIP, Hurricane Alley) as well as a few clubs age not-too-gracefully into the sunset to outlive their usefulness (ya readin' this Cardi's/Backstage?), Meridian is definitely a concert hall in it's prime (hear that, Fitzgerald's?). I'd read about the relatively recent upgrades and construction to the place, and it shows. Outside of the fog, the concert hall is a smoke-free environment (a few outlaw renegades notwithstanding). There's a hallway adjacent to the concert hall for pool-playing, confabbing with friends, and other assorted non-musical needs. It's definitely worth finding an excuse to take in a band at the place.

Cowboy Mouth, an alt.country outfit plays tonight if that's more anyone's cup of joe. Hootie & the Blowfish play there on the 11th. Definitely not a band I'm down with, but a friend is considering it. I'll be at Stryper that night. But I'll have to keep an eye out for more shows at Meridian one way or the other ... even if it means taking in GWAR on the 30th.

Special thanks to Brian Cweren for the hookup, as well as Gary & Bob at Meridian for making it happen. Oh, and the woman working the ticket counter for patiently sorting out my confusion over ticket status for everyone involved.

Reminds me ... it might be a good weekend to take in Molly & the Ringwalds at the Continental Club on Friday. Dekan Ringwald was among our posse and was last spotted taking copious mental notes on sweeping arpeggios, diminished minor scale runs, guitar flips over the shoulder, high kicks in the middle of a guitar solo, how to wire 16 Marshall Amps on a single stage, how to negotiate the guitar player getting half the stage to himself and how to change guitars after every single song. I'll be a bit disappointed if he doesn't incorporate at least one of those Yngwie-isms into the next show.