Animation for adults, voiced by rock titans. Or rock with animation from the future. Or how animation becomes rock reality. Spaceship. Surfing in the ocean. Safari in the Sahara...
Across all possible widths and beauties of nature. For two hours, SatchVai Band of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai managed to take the fully-filled Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture on a kind of round-the-world trip – solely and exclusively through the power of rock.
Every obstacle or wave, every dune or hill had its own visual coverage, moving from hard to more melodic rock, depending on the specific musical theme. “It shows that rock is music for everyone and you don't have to know this music to experience it and be able to appreciate it“, viewers commented to BTA after the show. It is part of a tour called Surfing with the Hydra.
The SatchVai Band also includes Marco Mendoza - bass, Kenny Aronoff - drums, and Pete Thorne - guitar.
“Every time we play together, I remember how we lived and breathed music as teenagers. This show will be a celebration of everything we love about the guitar“, says Satriani. “Joe is my favorite guitarist for jams. This is a chance to share the magic we create with the fans live“, notes Vai. The concert program was a testament to the words of both legends.
They performed variations on mostly their own compositions, created over the years, and each of them told a story without lyrics. For Satriani, Surfing with the Alien is like a superhero action, Always with Me, Always with You - love and nostalgia, Flying in a Blue Dream - a sense of flight and freedom. Vai wrote For the Love of God after a 10-day fast to capture a “spiritual state”, and Tender Surrender refers to blues and jazz, intertwined with his personal aesthetic. Zeus in Chains, Little Pretty, Sahara, Teeth of the Hydra, Satch Boogie, If I Could Fly, Crowd Chant, Born to Be Wild were also part of the evening.
STEVE VAI'S HYDRA
Steve Vai's Hydra is not a mythical creature, but a real musical instrument, created according to his idea, likened to a monster from the future. It is a multi-neck guitar with three frets, which combines several instruments in one body. Vai calls it “the most complex and ambitious guitar ever created“.
It was created by his personal commission for the performance of the piece Teeth of the Hydra, from the album Inviolate (2022). The design is inspired by science fiction and mythology. It has three main sections – 12-string harp guitar – fretless, for accompaniment or harp effects, 7-string electric guitar – main neck, with frets and tremolo, and 4-string bass section – fretless (without frets). Also includes MIDI controllers, sensors, programmable tones, decorative brass elements, lighting, built-in effects. It sounds like three instruments controlled simultaneously.
Vai plays all three parts simultaneously, using both hands, wrists, fingers, elbow, while stepping on MIDI controllers with his feet. “It was my greatest musical and physical acrobatics. The idea was to create an instrument that seemed impossible to play – and make it sound musical”, says the musician.
During his visit to Bulgaria in 2000, he shared: “The guitar is the greatest instrument in the world, it dominates all genres, and in rock it is the power, the taste and the essence of music. A person becomes what he plays. I do not follow a particular religion, but my own path“.
THE TEACHER OF VIRTUOSI
The reason why Steve Vai is called the god of the guitar is due in no small part to one of his mentors - Joe Satriani. He is called by Vai “a teacher of the soul”. Kirk Hammett from Metallica, Alex Skolnick from Testament, Larry Lalonde from Primus, Charlie Hunter also passed through his school.
Satriani himself began playing the guitar at the age of 14, mastering the instrument to perfection with amazing speed. In the late 70s he moved to Berkeley, California. The turning point in his career came in 1987 with the release of the platinum album Surfing with the Alien, which made him a star literally overnight. In 1989, Mick Jagger personally invited him to participate in his tours in Australia and Japan. In 1994, after Satriani replaced Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple's European tour, he received an invitation to become a permanent member of the group. Since the mid-90s he has participated in the G3 project - with Steve Vai and Tony McAlpine.
Despite his legendary status, Satriani is known for his modesty, generosity and attention to his fans and students. He often says: “I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm trying to express something“. During his visit to Sofia in 2002, when asked if he thought about his name in encyclopedias, he replied: “No, never. I think self-analysis is harmful. Pride and vanity are harmful to artistry. It's good that music changes, that it develops, every generation has its own rhythm and its new heroes“.
The concert in Bulgaria on July 22, 2025 is part of the Surfing with the Hydra summer tour, which began on June 13 and lasted about a month and a half. Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have known each other since their youth. Since then, their paths have intertwined through joint tours, projects and a shared passion for the electric guitar. The creation of Satchvai Band marks the culmination of their musical friendship, organizers from “Sofia Music Enterprises“ indicate. In 2024, the two presented their first joint single – The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1.