YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Shreds Apart NYC's Irving Plaza At North American Tour Kick-Off

October 14, 2011

Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen kicked off his North American tour last night (Thursday, October 13) at Irving Plaza in New York City.

In his review of the concert, Elliot Levin of the NY Hard Rock Music Examiner writes, "As the night wound up, Malmsteen seemed to grow more and more intense, at one point even ripping out the bottom string of his guitar in a moment of passion, then grinding the fretboard against one of the dozens of amplifiers and ampheads filling the stage until raw feedback blasted back at him. That ferocious energy was then opposed by a touching rendition of 'Heaven Tonight', which saw the entire venue singing along to the power ballad.

"Despite an advertised end time of 10:30, the band played almost nonstop 'till 11 p.m., giving fans a spectacular two-hour set that must have satisfied even the most die-hard Malmsteen devotees. Fans exited Irving Plaza with an air of salvation, and some of the louder ones could be heard imitating Yngwie's high-pitched squeals and guitar tapping all the way down to Union Square."

Malsteen's setlist was as follows:

01. Rising Force
02. Never Die
03. Shot Across The Bow
04. Overture
05. Critical Mass
06. Badinerie
07. Far Beyond The Sun
08. Enemy Within
09. Red Devil
10. Damnation Game
11. Baroque & Roll
12. Live To Fight
13. Dreaming
14. Gates Of Babylon (RAINBOW cover)
15. Into Valhalla
16. Trilogy Suite Op: 5
17. Blue
18. Fugue
19. Heaven Tonight

Encore:

20. Black Star
21. Cherokee Warrior
22. I Am A Viking
23. I'll See The Light Tonight
24. Magic And Mayhem

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Touring lineup:

Yngwie Malmsteen - Guitar, Vocals
Tim "Ripper" Owens - Vocals
Bjorn Englen - Bass
Patrick Johansson - Drums
Nick Marino - Keyboards

Malmsteen's new album, "Relentless", sold around 1,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

Yngwie's previous CD, "Perpetual Flame", opened with around 2,000 units back in October 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Released on November 22, 2010 via Malmsteen's own Rising Force Records, "Relentless" contains more than 60 minutes of brand new material and showcases the guitar great at his best with the signature virtuosity and mind-blowing technical speed for which he has come to be known. "Relentless" also features striking vocals from Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH),who first collaborated with Malmsteen on "Perpetual Flame" (Malmsteen's first album for the Rising Force Records label).

Of the new album, Malmsteen commented, "The album title really says it all. The drive to surpass my own accomplishments can best be described with one word relentless. After all these years of composing and playing music, I still am passionate about pushing myself to the limit to the highest, most demanding level of playing possible."

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