Steve Vai recently discussed a memorable incident from his attempted reunion show with David Lee Roth in a new interview on YouTube. The show faced cancellation just moments before its start due to overcrowding concerns and fire marshal intervention.
‘I was standing there. I was going to hit the first chord, and we were going to take off. Somebody came to me and said that they’re kicking everybody out,’ Vai recalled. ‘They’re shutting the place down. The fire marshal is here. You’re way, way over capacity, and there’s thousands and thousands of people in the street.’
‘I’m like, “Not going to play! I’m going to play.” He’s like, “You’ll be fined,”‘ Vai continued. ‘I said, “OK, fine me. I’ll pay it. How much is the fine?” And the guy goes, “Really?” I said, “Yeah, I’ll pay the fine.” So, he runs away, and he comes back, and he goes, “The fine is five thousand dollars.”‘
‘The place will shut down. They’ll lose their license if you play,’ Vai added, recounting the official’s warning. ‘I went backstage, I went back right after I decided not to hit that chord and start the show. I said to Dave, “You’re not going to believe this. We can’t play. The fire marshals are kicking everybody out.” He goes, “Perfect. We’ll get more press out of it than if we played.” And, sure enough, it was on the cover of newspapers around the world. It was the funniest thing.’
The classic David Lee Roth band lineup maintains its strong appeal years after their original collaboration. The crowd’s overwhelming response led to the cancellation and demonstrated their musical partnership’s lasting impact.
Previous Reunion Attempts
The band members successfully reunited in 2019 at the ‘Ultimate NAMM Night’ jam, according to Guitar World. This performance marked their first time together in 33 years and featured Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Greg Bissonette, and Brett Tuggle, with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals.
The NAMM show reunion demonstrated the incredible chemistry between these legendary musicians after decades apart.
Future Prospects
Blabbermouth reports that Steve Vai has taken a realistic stance on future possibilities despite the excitement around these reunion attempts.
The guitarist has acknowledged that opportunities for a full reunion have passed. His statement that ‘the train has left the station’ adds a bittersweet note to the memorable canceled show that captured worldwide attention.
