In a recent interview with Total Rock, Yngwie Malmsteen shared how he keeps his live performances fresh. Rather than following a set plan, he makes last-minute changes every night. “So, basically what I do every night, not just this night, at the soundcheck 40 minutes before the show I say, ‘Come into my room, let’s make a setlist,’ and I kind of ramble a setlist and they print it, put it all over the stage, then I go on stage and I play a different setlist,” he revealed. “So it’s never the same, never.”
His approach is driven by a love for spontaneity. “Everybody has to be on their feet, including myself, I like to surprise myself too,” he explained. So that’s one reason that I’m still doing this after all these years is the fact that I like to do the shows very spontaneous and very sort of like taking risks. All the solos and intros, everything is different every night.”
No Rehearsals, No Routine
Malmsteen has previously spoken about his aversion to rehearsing. “Haha! No, I don’t rehearse. I don’t rehearse at all,” he admitted to SiriusXM. “The band does. I don’t. I just do a kind of a long soundcheck the first day. Ever. I just do what I do.”
For him, a structured setlist would take the excitement out of performing. “The reason why I’m still doing this after 40-plus years, and going out and playing, is because I don’t have a rehearsed set because if I had a rehearsed set, it would be like turning on a jukebox. It would be that boring. It’s boring for me. It’s boring for everybody. I need a little danger,” he added.
Fans can expect his signature unpredictability when he takes the stage at Louder Than Life on September 18.
