Modesty is not one of the virtues of the American master guitarist Steve Vai. That may also be difficult if you were hired by Frank Zappa at the start of your career to perform the complex parts that the composer could write but could not play himself. After his time with Zappa, Vai grew into a phenomenon with his own seven-string guitar; a tacky rock god and composer of both baroque and complex
… guitar music. We experience it all on the live DVD Stillness In Motion: the dress-up parts (the colorful 'Prince' pants at the entrance, a more subdued ensemble for the acoustic part), the forced sketch with the drummer, the harpist playing her harp carries himself and plays like a rock instrument, the tattooed over-the-top singer who sings her throat almost inside out in John The Revelator, the funny where-in-the-world-are-we-are shots of band members and crew in between ... Stillness In Motion is a big caricature, a come to life, unintentionally hilarious Spinal Tap. But what it all comes down to in the end is of course the boundless guitar acrobatics of master Vai, performed with much exasperated facial expressions and show gestures and always in appropriate clothing. (MR)more
