Yngwie Malmsteen at Irving Plaza

Yngwie Malmsteen started his first band at age 10 in his native Stockholm, Sweden. As a teenager, he was heavily influenced by classical music, particularly 19th century violinist composer Niccolò Paganini, and also discovered his most important rock guitar hero: the similarly classical-influenced Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and later Blackmore’s Rainbow. Shortly after arriving in America at age 18, Malmsteen became known for his neo-classical playing style in the heavy metal bands Steeler and Alcatrazz. He became a solo artist in 1984, has recorded more than 20 albums and recently published Relentless: The Memoir.

At Irving Plaza tonight, Malmsteen stood before seven eight-foot stacks of Marshall amplifiers. He had a vocalist and a backing band, but it did not matter. The dazzling, dizzying guitar work was the one and only focus of the music. Malmsteen played extended solos on every song, and one could only marvel at his various techniques and sounds. It became such a technical display that all else was sacrificed—lyrics, melody, and the musicianship of the other players was rendered white noise in favor of the showcase of Malmsteen’s mastery of the guitar. By the end of the show, ironically, he threw the guitar in the air several times and watched it crash to the ground, then smashed it to bits and tossed the parts into the audience.