Steve Vai recently described how serious David Lee Roth was about partying and mentioned a “brilliant” trick the singer pulled during these parties to spread his name.
He also stated that Roth was, in contrast to his wild aftershows, very serious about his music and “always on time,” and musicians who work for him “have to deliver.”
Steve Vai joined up with former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth in 1985. This was a very different gig compared to his previous engagement with Frank Zappa, and Vai faced immense pressure because people would compare him to Eddie Van Halen.
Vai proved himself more than capable of leaving a good impression on fans. However, while he had some experience with Zappa, who was no stranger to partying, nothing could have prepared Vai for Diamond Dave’s appetites.
During a recent interview, Steve Vai described how he was thunderstruck by the chaotic nature of David Lee Roth’s tours and their lightning-fast pace.
Vai recalled how overwhelming it was to go from a normal upbringing to touring the world, saying it took him years to truly appreciate different cultures. He then contrasted that with life on tour with David Lee Roth, describing a very different routine.
Vai said Roth’s tours were highly structured musically but wild behind the scenes, with no soundchecks and the same show every night, followed by elaborate, over-the-top parties. He described massive backstage setups filled with food, drinks, and crowds of selected fans, calling the experience shocking and something he “had no idea” was happening at that level.
“I was just a kid from Long Island who had been to Florida once, and then all of a sudden, you’re traveling the world. It took me decades to really understand how to appreciate all of the international cultures and to recognize them and take advantage of the foods and the people, and really enjoy all that. So then you get to a Diamond Dave tour bus and tour. It’s totally different.”
“With Dave, you wake up, you go at 4 or 5 A.M. when you get to the hotel. You go into the hotel, you sleep as late as you want, no sound check. You get there, it’s the same show every night, and I can play it in my sleep. Then after the show, Dave was very serious about partying, about throwing the best party.”
“He carried a backstage [with him]. The curtains, the lights, the PA was enormous. The hospitality rooms every night – and it had to be, if it wasn’t like this, it was a problem – beautiful curtains, stereo, a lot of amazing food, and mountains of drinks and stuff, and about forty to fifty girls from the audience, and they would be chosen. It was amazing. I had no idea that this was what was going on.”
