During an appearance on Riffs, Beards & Gear, Steve Vai was asked about his “nightmare gig,” recalling the worst show of his career.

The gig took place during Steve’s early-’80s tenure in Frank Zappa’s band.

He explained:

“It was one gig, and it happened in 1980 when I was on tour with Frank Zappa. This was the first tour I’ve ever done, I was 20 years old – the first week of the first tour, I’m 20 years old and I’m on tour with Frank Zappa.

“I had no idea how to get my sea legs together, how to navigate the roads, so to speak; so I’m staying late, not eating right, not sleeping much, and that doesn’t work on tour. I lived in New York, and then California, and the first show, after a week we’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and this was the gig.

“It was at the Armadillo World Headquarters [in Austin, TX], I think it was out there. This was a club, Frank had done a gig there and made a pretty popular record there, [1975’s] ‘Bongo Fury,’ and this was the last show of this historic venue.

“They were closing it down after they asked Frank to do the last show because he basically popularized the ‘Bongo Fury.’ And it was a large club, and we were doing two two-and-a-half-hour shows that night.

“It was an old club, it was summer, it was way down south, and it was 120 degrees [49 °C] on the stage, and I was sick as a dog. I was so sick, I was dehydrated, I wasn’t sleeping, and I was so sick and, you know, you got to do the show anyway.

“I was so out of it, I had to stand on a hand truck and, like, it’s strapped in and get wheeled out onto the stage and propped up next to the keyboard player, Tommy Mars, and all I had on was a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a bucket.

“Not only was I projectile-vomiting through the whole show – I was pissing out of my a*s, and it was not fun.”