FastRedPonyCar
Active member
This is the only version of stairway that I think page managed to topple the original studio recording in just about every way.. solo included.. it's my favorite version of the solo and the one that I actually chose to learn note for note.. I still know most of the studio version's solo but IMO this one is better.
I think it translates much better on stage than the original studio version.
I think it translates much better on stage than the original studio version.
mentoneman
Well-known member
listen rock snobs (which i am one as well)
i totally agree about the iconic legendary status of stairway and all,
but of the 30 million viewers that saw that performance live and tons more now on youtube, i'd say a vast majority of those viewers were prepubers who may have never heard the song or would have had reason to ever hear it.
now they have a taste of it. yeah the chick gtr player is as pedestrian as it comes but at least she's much more pleasant to look at than vai. i just wish she would have taken more initiative to play something memorable seeing that she chose to improv on one of the most cherished leads in all of rockdom. probably to young and naive to know what it meant to the legions.
could you imagine what any one of us average citizens would have worked up if called to solo over stairway to heaven on american idol????
i would have treated it like it was the most important musical thing i've ever done, from a business sense as a pro musician, and brought my heart on a silver platter, instead of the super nothingness she roboted through.
and as much as i pains me, vai did try to honorably keep to the record and actually looked pretty respectable onstage--no giant mouth/slo-mo slinky shoulder walks preening his hair, wah whammy nannynanny boo boo leads that failed 20 years ago--- but he was BURIED in the mix. i had my surround sound cranked and ornerythesis was WAYYYYY over the top loud and vai was mosquito-esque.
i still think randy, maryj and travis did a good job. it was just ecclectic to see.
i totally agree about the iconic legendary status of stairway and all,
but of the 30 million viewers that saw that performance live and tons more now on youtube, i'd say a vast majority of those viewers were prepubers who may have never heard the song or would have had reason to ever hear it.
now they have a taste of it. yeah the chick gtr player is as pedestrian as it comes but at least she's much more pleasant to look at than vai. i just wish she would have taken more initiative to play something memorable seeing that she chose to improv on one of the most cherished leads in all of rockdom. probably to young and naive to know what it meant to the legions.
could you imagine what any one of us average citizens would have worked up if called to solo over stairway to heaven on american idol????
i would have treated it like it was the most important musical thing i've ever done, from a business sense as a pro musician, and brought my heart on a silver platter, instead of the super nothingness she roboted through.
and as much as i pains me, vai did try to honorably keep to the record and actually looked pretty respectable onstage--no giant mouth/slo-mo slinky shoulder walks preening his hair, wah whammy nannynanny boo boo leads that failed 20 years ago--- but he was BURIED in the mix. i had my surround sound cranked and ornerythesis was WAYYYYY over the top loud and vai was mosquito-esque.
i still think randy, maryj and travis did a good job. it was just ecclectic to see.