I got to play with SSV a couple of nights ago (video)

[kennydoe]

Hello my old Jemsite friends....

I played at Steve's nephew's wedding this past friday 12/21/2012. I was afforded the opportunity of a lifetime to get up close and personal with "Uncle Stevie" and fulfilled a lifetime dream of actually PLAYING with him. It was surreal.

I took a few vids (I am the keyboard player)...

We rehearsed FTLOG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE4gVn_xCrU

and we rehearsed Whispering A Prayer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPZ6chYrjXU
Read the notes i put in under the video -- they explain a little bit.

I handed him my BFP and he was nice enough to show me that it sounds better when he plays it than when I do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WljBjFuhJS8

And finally, here's the actual performance of "Whispering". He didn't want to turn his neph's wedding into a Steve Vai concert, so he only played the one song.
The sound quality is WAY better here than the previous videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbrnkaSj004

Enjoy!

[kennydoe]

BTW, the black Ibanez he's playing is a "beater" RG 3xx with a sustainer.

He had just returned from Spain about 2 days earlier and his guitars hadn't caught up with him yet.

The Jem (LA Custom shop) and Legacy Amp live in "permanent storage" here in NY for occasions such as this.

He has all the rockstar swagger with NONE of the attitude. For a person as extraordinary as he is, he acts incredibly "normal". Whatever admiration and respect I had for him before this has doubled.

[nathan80]

Awesomeness!!!!!!!!

[silverctr]

That's freakin' awesome that you got some one-on-one time with him (so to speak) to just jam and then play a song in front of a crowd. Way cool!!

[adnecs]

I would wet myself and forgot all the notes...

[CosmicDebris]

That is outstanding Kenny and nice to see you again. When I saw you are the OP I thought someone necroed a thread.

[kennydoe]

I have pretty big hands...but they're no match for Mr. Vai. Those things are freakish!!!

[CosmicDebris]

Kenny, is it me or does he just not look healthy?

[kennydoe]

he's REALLY thin and very tall...and he just got off the road after a 96 city tour.

He looked healthy to me...this pic was taken with an iPhone, whose flash isn't always friendly.

[RGTFanatic]

What an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity........Congrats Kenny!! You guys did yourself proud!!!

I'd like to hear more about the black "3xx beater". It looks like an H-S-S RG750 with a Lo-Pro..........obviously with the sustainer. Did you get to play it??

[kennydoe]

I don't know too much about the black guitar.
His tech du jour told me it was a mess. I didn't play it, but I played the Jem thru his rig (and my Jem as well).

I believe the RG belonged to his nephew (who was getting married). We were ready for FTLOG because we weren't sure if the RG was going to be manageable. I was hoping he'd reconsider his "one song" position, but, alas, that was it.

Still glad we got to rehearse it

[fwd0120]

How did you get in this opportunity?? Very exciting, please tell!

[webmaestro]

Haha... grats you lucky bastard!

[kennydoe]

fwd2010, I played at SSV's nephew's wedding last week.

[satchmo72]

Awesome opportunity man, congrats!!!!!!!