The show started an hour late and the crowd had become restless - tickets were pricey - jeering and whistling. Yet, the second Malmsteen began the concert - in his unusual way, offstage - all frustrations fell away.

Excitement reached a crescendo when he finally appeared onstage and burst into a ferocious guitar riff. He looked better - fit and trim - than when I last saw him a few years ago in Singapore.

He opened, as he always does, with "Rising Force" and followed with "Demon Drive", which had many of the audience on their feet early.

Malmsteen and Doogie White split vocal duties on the fast-tempo "Cracking the Whip" and "Crown of Thorns". On "Exile", the tempo was flawless, a real thrill for the audience.

But the volume was turned up way too high causing everyone around me to complain that the sound was garbled.

The acoustic set was superb. After "Far Beyond the Sun", the man who turned instrumental shredding into an art form, swapped his white Ovation Viper for a black one, then later changed to his electric guitar for "Dreaming" and "Gates of Babylon", before wrestling valiantly through "Baroque and Roll".

The versatile White did a great job singing and interacting with the audience.

Throughout the concert, Malmsteen was all over the stage doing more than his normal share of guitar twirls and kicks, often playing the guitar behind his back and with his teeth and, to fans' delight, tossing dozens of guitar picks into the crowd.

Malmsteen played flawlessly with intensity and emotion; he pulled off the Trilogy suite with perfection and minimal improvisation, before segueing into "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" and "Never Die", which were great to hear.

Drummer Patrick Johansson backed up with an impeccable set.

For an encore, Malmsteen danced beautifully in and out of his legendary melodies, playing the classics with a fiery passion in "Black Star" and "I'll See the Light".

An evening with Malmsteen is like a musical journey through a multitude of genres: pop, rock, metal, classical, R&B and peerless improvisation.

On Saturday, he didn't simply play guitar, there was an emotional, spiritual and mental fusion of man and instrument.

A first-rate showman, he lived up to his legendary status with this amazing concert.

Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

The Nation