Rock the Ribbon charity concert, and “the future of rock and roll”

On October 10 I played Rock the Ribbon, a benefit concert that Ney, my guitar teacher, put on at Crazy Uncle Mike's. I played five songs with his band.

Three of them had my solos: Over the Mountain by Ozzy Osbourne, Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold, and Beat It, with the solo Eddie Van Halen played on the original. Hail to the King was the one I thought about most. The solo runs 44 seconds, and there is nowhere to hide if the timing slips.

The Beast played bass on Over the Mountain. Right after the song he took the mic, put his arm around me and told the crowd, "These guys, this is the future of rock and roll." I did not expect that.

Ney switched to bass for Hail to the King and played guitar next to me on Seven Nation Army and Hellraiser, where the whole lineup was on stage.

What I learned: a live solo is more about staying calm than playing fast. Next, I want to have something of my own ready for the next show.

The videos are below.