Yngwie Malmsteen Comes to Hartford, Connecticut’s Infinity Music Hall May 1, 2022

May 3, 2022
International Concert Reviews
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

Upon arriving at Hartford’s Infinity Music Hall shortly after doors were to open, I was able to walk right in and pick up my credentials at the front desk. This venue has a separate bar area that is outside of the concert area. Everyone was congregated here, and I could still hear the bands sound-checking. They ended up letting us in about 30 minutes late without explanation. I have to mention that this is one of the nicest theaters that I have photographed in in a long time. Once inside, I was able to speak with an employee who informed me that the reason for the late opening was that the smoke machines had set off the smoke detectors earlier during sound check and the fire department had to come. This meant no smoke machines could be used this evening. The lights dimmed and the crowd was ready for the first opening act.

JessiKill hit the stage first. Hailing from San Antonio Texas, this female fronted band seemed like they get much of their inspiration from Iron Maiden. They were well-oiled and had a great time on stage. Next up was Alpha Venturi. They are a New York based hard rock Trio that has a unique sound melding rock, funk, and melodic metal. Their debut, self-titled, album is out and available on all streaming platforms.

JessiKill Band:

Jyro Alejo – Guitar

Jessica Espinoza (Jessikill) – Vocals

Arturo Knight – Bass

Jordan Ames – Drums

Alpha Venturi Band:

Sean Quinn Hanley – Guitar/Vocals

Tyler Stackhouse – Drums

Edward Rojas – Bass

Kurt Deimer , (the band), took the stage, with its namesake donned in a top hat, jacket, and silk shirt. Kurt is the singer and persona of the band. His voice is deep and monotone, which gives the band a very unique sound. One fan sitting behind me referred to their genre as “talk-rock”. On guitar was Phil X of Bon Jovi, so this was an unexpected treat. Talk about true rock stars on stage, this band pulls it off both musically and visually. One of the songs they played, “Burn Together” features Geoff Tate sharing the vocals on the studio recording. They also did a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”. Kurt Deimer’s new single, “Hero”, will be available May 6.

Band:

Kurt Deimer – Vocals

Phil X – Guitar

Yngwie opened his set with “Rising Force”, probably one of his most popular songs. The keyboardist takes on the vocals on this tune and does a killer job at it. It was nice not to have the smoke machines firing off tonight. It makes photography a little easier. Although, the lighting was still saturated reds and yellows and usually dark. At one point, Yngwie said to the lighting tech “Who do you think I am, Stevie Wonder?, I cant even see my guitar”, as he held it up trying to get the light to reflect off it. Yngwie’s guitar madness shined, screaming through his wall of Marshall stacks, although several times he had to politely ask the sound guy to turn down the keyboards. He changed up his setlist a little from when I saw him last fall, with the additions of “Toccata”, “Now Your Ships are Burned”, and a few others. Throughout the set Yngwie does his signature kicks and throws lots of guitar picks to the crowd. It was nice to see a few other local guitar heroes in the crowd supporting Yngwie. If you like shreddy melodic guitar, prog-rock, and heavy metal, this is one tour not to be missed.

Yngwie has several dates around the Northeast this week, and next weekend will be playing at the legendary M3 Rock Festival in Maryland with the likes of Kix, Lizzy Borden, Tom Keifer, Extreme, Blue Oyster Cult, Tesla, Skid Row and many more.

Yngwie Malmsteen is:

Yngwie Malmsteen – guitars, vocals
Nick Marino – keyboards, vocals
Emilio Martinez – bass, vocals
Brian Wilson – drums

Setlist: