WEEKEND REVIEWS : Guitarist Vai Demonstrates Pure Talent at the Palace

The search for that elusive hard-rock-pop sound has landed guitar-deity Steve Vai in some ludicrous sideman positions over the years: Whitesnake, David Lee Roth, etc. None of that ever served well the pure talent he’s wielded since debuting as a Frank Zappa protege a decade ago, talent that Vai demonstrated again at the Palace on Saturday.

That’s not to say Vai has conquered the usual guitar virtuoso’s struggle of fitting considerable technical range within a radio-friendly pop song. Few since Jimi Hendrix have managed that one. For Vai, it was the longer instrumental passages Saturday that led to the most satisfying moments.

But much like guitar rival Joe Satriani, Vai has now added some vocals to this complex mix, with often mixed results in concert and on his new “Sex & Religion” album. Singer Devin Townsend roared through Vai’s lyrics in a voice that moved jarringly from expressive tenor to a grating, mindless nattering. The singer’s shirtless, tattooed, mohawked, grimacing presence did offer an interesting contrast to Vai’s obligatory gothic rocker threads.

The guitar-head crowd found much to cheer in Vai’s busy technique, his tuneful feedback, the lovely white guitar he smashed to pieces. But with a show-closing tribute to Zappa--who died this month from cancer--Vai proved he was there to celebrate music, not rock star ego.