Yngwie Malmsteen, born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, has been a monster guitar player since age 10 when he formed his first band, Track of Earth, with a classmate. By the time he was a teenager, Malmsteen was being heavily influenced not by other great guitarists, but by classical composer Niccolò Paganini. In the 1980s, while taking a break from his band Alcatrazz, Malmsteen released Rising Force, an album that won him Guitar Player Magazine’s Best Rock Album and got him nominated for a Grammy. From there, the Swedish-born axe wielder and solo machine saw his star rise—and rise and rise. “Heaven Tonight” off Odyssey became a breakout hit. Malmsteen became such an acclaimed guitarist that he and Eric Clapton were the first two musicians Fender released signature Stratocaster guitars for. The neoclassical metal icon ascended to even further heights when he joined G3, a supergroup which also features fellow string instrument virtuosos Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. The dude is such a megastar in the heavy metal world that he has his own award in the Xbox 360 version of the game Guitar Hero II, which players receive if they are able to play 1,000 notes or more in a row. These are just some of the reasons Time named him the ninth greatest electric guitarist of all-time.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 7:30 p.m. June 7, starting at $27.50 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
