Alex Kluft Photography

The SATCHVAI Band Surfing with the Hydra tour stopped at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach, CA April 7th. Back in 1973 Joe Satriani and Steve Vai met in Long Island, NY when Vai was a 12-year old knocking on 16-year old Satriani’s door for guitar lessons. These two would become two of the biggest names for guitarists in the last 40+ years.   Both would be big solo artists as well as Vai playing with Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, David Lee Roth, and more and Satriani with the Greg Kihn Band around the time of his first album release, Deep Purple, Chickenfoot, and currently with Sammy Hagar’s Best of All Worlds.

Vai’s debut album came out in 1984 Flex-Able and this year is the 40th anniversary Satriani’s debut album Not On this Earth with the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking Surfing With the Alien next year.      And 2026 is also the 30th anniversary of Satriani’s G3 which would also feature Vai. The format of these tours would be three solo sets with Satriani and a rotating lineup of guitar legends like Vai, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, Phil Collen, and more each with their own bands. SATCHVAI began in 2024 as a band of Satriani and Vai together with icons Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Dead Daisies) on bass and vocals, guitarist Pete Thorn, and Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp/John Fogerty) who has played with Satriani in Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar’s Best of All words which is the same band. Last year SatchVai went on a major European tour. For this tour unlike G3 it’s one whole set and band where Satriani and Vai play most of the show together, but also take turns playing their songs solo.

Following an opening set from Animals As Leaders with today’s guitar giants Tosin Abasi and Javier Rayes and one of today’s drumming greats Matt Gartska, SATCHVAIi took the stage playing “Dancing,” “I Wanna Play My Guitar,” and “The Sea of Emotion’s” together. Then Vai too over for his songs “Zeus In Chains,” and “Little Pretty.” Satriani came out for his song “Ice 9” combined with Vai’s “The Crying Machine,” then Vai left for the next three songs “Flying in a Blue Dream,” “Surfing With the Alien,” and “Sahara.” Then it was Vai’s turn to take over with “Tender Surrender” and “Teeth of the Hydra.” Satriani would play “Satch Boogie,” and “If I Could Fly” before being joined by Vai for the remainder of the show. Before the encore was none other than the two playing Vai’s “For the Love of God,” and Satriani’s “Always With Me, Always With You Together.” There was nothing more incredible than the two playing those specific songs together. The three song encore began with Satriani’s “Crowd Chant,”then Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” and Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.”

Just like how the show opened with Satriani and Vai together for three

songs it ended with the two together for three songs.