(Image courtesy of sistic.com.sg)
On the 2nd of May 2024, we in Singapore were graced by the amazing music and performances of the two of the most amazing guitarists of my time. Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Marty Friedman.
In this concert Marty Friedman opened for Yngwie Malmsteen. So let’s start with that first.
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman is a very accomplished guitarist who is most well-known for his unique and exotic guitar soloing in Megadeth and the metal scene. As a guitar player, we would most likely also know his earlier works in Cacophony with Jason Becker and his solo albums pre and post Megadeth.
Marty Friedman along with his band mates opened the show with amazing songs from Friedman’s solo albums (past and present) and a Megadeth solo.
I was really excited to finally watch Marty perform again after maybe 6 years when he opened for Polyphia in Singapore. Can’t be sure of the exact year as it felt a long time ago. I started listening to Megadeth in my early teens when Marty was in that band and his playing and compositions blew my mind then and still does today.

The dynamics he has with his current touring band was amazing. You can hear the tightness of the band and their playing. His guitar player Naoki Morioka is someone that I have followed ever since I first saw him tour with Marty back on 2018/19-ish in Singapore.
One of the highlights was definitely the Tornado of Souls solo where the guitar duos entered the song just before the solo together. They created a skit where Naoki-san would start the solo, then being cut off halfway by Marty who started a fake argument with him, leading Marty to then taking over the solo from the top again. You can check out the video on my Instagram. Link to the video: (https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6jDkASyGFU/)

Another surprise I got was when Marty started playing Dragon Mistress from his first solo album, Dragon’s Kiss. It was such a classic and one of the best songs in that album, in my humble opinion.
Overall it was a great experience and show and I would definitely love for Marty and his band to come back again to Singapore.
Yngwie Malmsteen
In the early 80’s, Malmsteen gained a widespread following for his work with the band Steeler and then with Alcatrazz. When he launched his debut solo album, Rising Force in 1984, it showcased his unparalleled speed, craft, and classical influences, earning him critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase.
Opening with his most iconic song, Rising Force, he drove the audience wild. Everyone’s energy was pumped up and singing along to the lyrics and immersed in the guitar and keyboard solos. What a great start.

Along the way the classics started coming up one by one for the most part along with a few new songs that I admit, I was not too familiar with. We would be treated to songs like Evil Eye, Paganini’s 4th (I think?), Far Beyond the Sun, Trilogy, Seventh Sign and many more! Who wouldn’t want that in a set list?
The concert ended with Blackstar on first the classical electric guitar then onto his amazing YJM Strats.
The guitar was loud, very loud as it should be in a Yngwie concert. You could see the semi-wall of Marshall stacks which I believed a lot of them were actually turned on. The classic Yngwie tone was there. Every note was clear and articulated whether the volume was rolled off or at 10.

Towards the end of the show, we get Yngwie doing his standard ripping of strings off the guitars (except the low E string), tossing it around and then getting his pitch shifter to raise it all the way up to kill off everyone’s ears. And we get the iconic and really cool Yngwie pose as see above.
For Singapore, this was a glorious night. Two guitar heroes have come together to put on this amazing performance for us and it will be a night to be remembered.