Zappa Plays Zappa – Zomby Woof
I mentioned getting Dweezil Zappa’s autograph in a previous post. I managed to get 5th row tickets to Zappa Plays Zappa at Orchestra Hall in Chicago in 2007, and the crowd energy was so intense that Dweezil stuck around at the front of the stage for about 1/2 hour after the show ended. Zappa Plays Zappa is basically a band that Dweezil put together to play his father’s music. I saw them 2 years in a row and in 2006 (where my seats were not so good) the special guests included former Zappa band members Napoleon Murphy Brock, Terry Bozio and Steve Vai.
Here is a clip of the song Zomby Woof from the 2006 tour featuring an unbelievable solo by Steve Vai, who, in my opinion is the best guitar player alive. Even if you don’t go for wanky guitar playing, you have to appreciate his absolute mastery of his instrument.
UPDATE: Youtube removed the Zomby Woof video so I am posting Echidna’s Arf from the same tour. It’s a pretty nice composition too. Hard to believe a band playing this live, but Zappa did it way back in 1972.