For the first time in their nearly 50-year musical careers, legendary guitar icons Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have united to form the SATCHVAI band, with plans to ignite Europe with an electrifying summer tour. Satriani and Vai, along with each of their respective bands, initially joined forces for their first-ever tour together, outside of […]
For the first time in their nearly 50-year musical careers, legendary guitar icons Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have united to form the SATCHVAI band, with plans to ignite Europe with an electrifying summer tour.
Satriani and Vai, along with each of their respective bands, initially joined forces for their first-ever tour together, outside of the “G3” format, the past spring (2024) across select U.S. cities. They decided it was finally time to form a band together and bring that winning formula to the live stage, beginning in Europe.
Celebrating nearly five decades of musical friendship, Satriani and Vai made their first musical collaboration debut in March 2024. “The Sea Of Emotion, Pt. 1” highlights the unmatched synergy between these two legendary guitarists as they seamlessly trade solo sections throughout the six-minute opus. Their second collaboration is set to be released just before the European tour, adding even more anticipation for this epic run.
Satriani and Vai‘s musical careers have been intertwined since their very early days. Satriani served as Vai‘s guitar teacher during their teenage years on Long Island, New York. Their connection has continued to evolve over the years, even sharing record labels, starting at Relativity Records in the late 1980s, to both calling Sony/Epic Records home for a significant portion of the 1990s. Together, they have also frequently teamed up with a third guitarist on multiple occasions throughout the span of three decades, participating in the semi-annual “G3” tours, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Satriani says: “The SATCHVAI band tour is happening! I’m so looking forward to sharing the stage with Steve again. Every time we play together, it takes me back to when we were teenagers, eating and breathing music every second of the day, pushing, challenging, and helping each other to be the best we could be. I guess we’ve never stopped!”
Vai adds: “Touring with Joe is always a pleasure and an honor. He is my favorite guitarist to jam with, and now we have another opportunity to take it to the stage. I feel as though we are both at the top of our game, and the show will be a powerful celebration of the coolest instrument in the world, the electric guitar!”
Joe Satriani and Steve Vai‘s 2025 “Surfing With The Hydra” tour dates:
June 13 – York, UK @ Barbican
June 14 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
June 17 – Glasgow, SC @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
June 18 – Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
June 19 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
June 21 – Clisson, FR @ Hellfest
June 22 – Paris, FR @ Palais Des Congres
June 23 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto Arena
June 24 – Amsterdam, NL @ Amsterdam Afas
June 26 – Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio
June 29 – Helsinki, FI @ House of Culture
June 30 – Tampere, FI @ Tampere Hall
July 02 – Uppsala, SE @ Parksnackan
July 03 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
July 05 – Warsaw, PL @ Torwar
July 08 – Munich, DE @ Tollwood Festival
July 10 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Mitsubishi Electric Hall
July 11 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle
July 12 – Zurich, CH @ Volkshaus Zürich
July 13 – Milan, IT @ Comfort Festival @ Villa Casati Stampa
July 15 – Pordenone, IT @ Parco San Valentino
July 16 – Perugia, IT @ Umbria Jazz
July 17 – Bologna, IT @ Sequoie Music Park
July 18 – Saint-Julien, FR @ Guitares en Scene Festival
July 20 – Prague, CZ @ Forum Karlin
July 22 – Sofia, BG @ National Palace of Culture
Satriani has had a packed schedule having recently concluded the Sammy Hagar-led “The Best of All Worlds” tour, which was met with much fanfare and critical acclaim. Vai, meanwhile, has been playing shows across the U.S. as part of the BEAT tour following the conclusion of the Satch/Vai tour earlier this year.
For over three decades, Satriani has travelled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star “G3” guitar extravaganza. Satriani‘s studio and live recordings have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide to date and of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them. He launched his annual “G4 Experience” in 2014 bringing aspiring guitarists together for four days of workshops, mentor sessions and live performances, providing an exclusive learning platform led by him and his accomplished peers. In 2021, he introduced the “Crystal Planet” comic series, a five-part opus interweaving the realms of music and art. The tour documentary “Beyond The Supernova”, directed by ZZ Satriani and currently available for streaming, offers an intimate behind-the-scenes glimpse that intricately chronicles his life, illuminating the profound dedication that fuels his guitar mastery. His side project CHICKENFOOT, featuring former VAN HALEN frontman Sammy Hagar, former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, saw their debut album certified gold and their second studio album debuted at No. 9. Satriani released his 19th studio album, “The Elephants Of Mars”, in April 2022. In 2024 Satriani embarked on Sammy Hagar‘s “The Best Of All Worlds” tour.
Vai is a virtuoso guitarist, composer, and producer, considered by many as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. In over 40 years in the industry, Vai has sold over 15 million records, received three Grammy Awards, and recorded with music legends like Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, WHITESNAKE and many more. Vai has also toured extensively and recorded live projects with “G3” (collaborating with different touring lineups, including Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Lukather) and “Generation Axe”, a supergroup Vai formed with Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. Vai is the author of “Vaideology: Basic Music Theory For Guitar Players” (Hal Leonard),his inaugural music theory book designed to help both beginners and veteran guitar players. He toured North America in support of his most recent studio album “Inviolate” before embarking on the BEAT tour playing the music of 1980s KING CRIMSON.
