Watch Steve Vai Re-Enact the 'Crossroads' Guitar Duel Live in 1997

By Guitar Player Staff
published

It’s a treat to watch Vai have a good old-fashioned head-cutting session with a fellow Zappa alum.

Steve Vai added some luster to his already sterling reputation as a guitarist when he played the role of Jack Butler in the 1986 film Crossroads. 

Butler, a guitarist who sold his soul to the devil in return for musical prowess, goes up against Eugene Martone, played by Ralph Macchio, in a climactic duel to the finish.

Some 11 years after making the film, Vai re-enacted the duel onstage with muti-instrumentalist Mike Keneally while in South Korea during Vai's Fire Garden World Tour.

Keneally, like Vai, recorded and performed with the late Frank Zappa, and it’s a treat to see these two having a good old-fashioned head-cutting session. Enjoy.

Guitar Player Staff
Guitar Player Staff

Guitar Player is the world’s most comprehensive, trusted and insightful guitar publication for passionate guitarists and active musicians of all ages. Guitar Player magazine is published 13 times a year in print and digital formats. The magazine was established in 1967 and is the world's oldest guitar magazine.


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