Yngwie Malmsteen/Andry/Spirit War - Garage Glasgow, 29th July 2025

About 15 minutes after doors opening, Spirit War, the first support act, came on stage to a pretty sparse crowd, thankfully filling out as the set went on. Regardless of the initial small audience, the three piece band brought serious energy to the stage. The music they played was almost Viking like, with epic dual vocals and heavy riffs. It was also clear from a guitar playing point of view why these guys were chosen to open for the maestro. The chops were outstanding, with neoclassical shred guitar lines, complemented by an effortless stage presence – something Yngwie knows how to do. The singer/bassist rocked (what looked like) a Victor Wooten 6 string bass, and maintained really solid rock vocals throughout. 

Next on the roster were Andry, a prog metal band. The lead guitarist was phenomenal, with such raw energy, showmanship and unbelievable technique, accompanied by a really beautiful Charvel guitar. Lightning fast alternate picking, sweeping and tapping with a low strapped guitar is no easy feat. However, my friend did complain that one of the many picks thrown into the audience landed directly in his pint. Nevertheless, I think a special mention should be given to guitarist Michael Lussos for the astounding performance he delivered. 

The rest of the band too need to be acknowledged for their skill. The lead singer, sporting a mask with horns on it (before it presumably got too hot and had to be taken off) had vocals (I thought) reminiscent of Dream Theatre’s James LaBrie, jumping huge intervals with great vibrato, even on those top notes. There was some great harmony and unison lines between the keyboardist and the guitarist, and a keytar was put to use, which I thought was great. 

I was honestly apprehensive about two support acts that I hadn’t heard of when I was purely there to see Yngwie, but I was gladly proven wrong to have been. I’ll definitely be checking out the music of Andry and Spirit War, and would recommend anyone reading to do the same!

I should note that in the half hour turnover I met someone from the earlier Satch Vai gig in the Royal Concert Hall, which I reviewed, who got his wrist signed by Steve Vai, and decided to tattoo this signature onto his wrist. This should hopefully highlight the fervour of the audience for a guitar superstar like this. 

Before walking on stage, Yngwie teased the audience from backstage with his signature million-note-per-second arpeggios, before coming onto stage playing ‘Rising Force’, one of his biggest hits, and one of the few songs with vocals, which were all done by Yngwie. Although the vocals were almost inaudible compared to the loudness of the guitar, I was still happy; I was there for the guitar, not his singing. 

Yngwie’s stage presence was massive, with him pointing and shouting at the photographers to get over to the other side of the stage, even visibly having a bit of a go at his own band at some points, which is not something that I’ve ever seen. Despite this, the band cohesion was really great. A big stand out moment for me was the trading licks between the keyboardist and Yngwie; emulating these very guitar-centric licks on the keyboard was really cool, even if it was drowned out slightly by the guitar. 

Yngwie played about 27 songs (including those in the encore), so he covered all the expected ground, including my own favourites like ‘Trilogy Suite Op 5’ and ‘Baroque and Roll’, which is one of my favourites, mainly because of the title. However, he did do a couple of covers, ranging from Paganini’s 4th, a piece composed for the violin, but transposed onto the guitar, Deep Purples ‘Smoke on the Water’ and ‘Red House’ by Jimi Hendrix. ‘Red House’ was a standout, as it showcased Yngwie’s blues chops a bit, which isn’t something that he emphasised in the concert as much to my ear. 

I was a bit disappointed at this point that Yngwie hadn’t gotten the classical guitar out, but this was remedied in the encore, as it was placed on a stand in front of him for him to begin an extended acoustic Cadenza followed by ‘Black Star’, a piece that I once learned to play as a guitar exercise, before finishing his set with ‘I’ll See the Light Tonight’. 

It was mesmerising to see this guy live, and I was standing there a gawk for the whole set. From my interactions with some of the other fans there (especially older ones), he doesn’t seem to visit Scotland too often, making this an apparent rare treat. If Yngwie is near you, catch him while you can.