Breaking news: Mats Levén is a total rockstar and we’re not biased at all 🤘💥! He just played two epic shows in Tokyo, Japan, and we’re still reeling from the awesomeness 🎸🔥. The setlist was packed with Yngwie Malmsteen classics, because who doesn’t love a good dose of Swedish shredding 🤯🎸? Backing Mats were the incredibly talented Jien Takahashi on guitar, Ollie Bernstein on bass, Kohta on keyboards, and Kouta Mikawa on drums – talk about a dream team 🤩🎶!
We’ve got the scoop on the setlist, and it’s a real treat for fans of Yngwie’s music 🎁👀. The songs included “Braveheart”, “Sacrifice”, “Heathens From The North”, “Enemy”, “End Of My Rope”, “Alone In Paradise”, “My Resurrection”, “Playing With Fire”, “Poison In Your Veins”, “Air On A Theme”, “Like An Angel (For April)”, “Only The Strong”, “Casting Pearls Before The Swine”, “Another Time”, and of course, the title track “Facing The Animal” 🎸🔥. And because one setlist isn’t enough, the encore featured “Hit The Ground Running”, “Rock ‘N’ Roll City”, and “Fallen Angel” – yes, please 🤩👏!
In a backstage interview, Mats talked about his decision to revisit the “Facing The Animal” material, and we’re just going to pretend we’re not totally obsessed with his every word 💁♀️👀. He said, “Well, it kind of felt like they wanted me to do Yngwie stuff, so we said, ‘Okay, let’s do the whole album,’ ’cause it’s a pretty cool album 🤩🎸.” And by “pretty cool”, we’re pretty sure he means “totally epic and life-changing” 🤯🔥.
But wait, there’s more 🎉👏! Mats also talked about the challenges of learning the lyrics again, because who doesn’t love a good challenge 🤔📚? And let’s be real, the man is a total rock god, so of course, he nailed it 🤘🔥. He said, “I refuse to look at monitors or anything, so… But it was cool 🎸👍. I made it 🎉. I remembered the lyrics 📚. And it’s cool to play it 28 years later in the original keys, so it’s like a challenge 🎊🔥.”
Now, we know what you’re thinking 🤔👀: will these be the only two shows featuring a performance of “Facing The Animal” in its entirety 🤞🎉? Well, Mats said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah 🙅♂️. I mean, I might do it somewhere else 📍👀. I had some requests, but I have to wait and see 🤔👍.” So, basically, he’s saying it’s a possibility, but don’t get your hopes up just yet 😜👀.
And because drama is always more fun than no drama 🤪👀, let’s talk about Yngwie’s recent outburst 🤯📰. He blasted some of the singers he’s worked with in the past, saying they’re trying to capitalize on his brand 🤑👀. Poor babies 🤕👶, can’t handle a little bit of Yngwie’s shade 🤣👀. He said, “Let’s be clear 🙅♂️: performing on MY SOLO records does not equal ownership, authorship, or legacy 📚👑.” Ouch, burn 🤯🔥!
But seriously, Yngwie has a point 🤔👀. He’s a genius guitarist and songwriter, and his music is iconic 🎸🔥. And let’s be real, the man is a total shredding master 🤯🎸. He’s worked with some amazing vocalists over the years, including Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals, Joe Lynn Turner, Göran Edman, Michael Vescera, Mats Levén, and Tim “Ripper” Owens 🤩👏. And now, he’s handling lead vocals himself, because who needs a vocalist when you’re Yngwie Malmsteen 🤣👀?
Mats, on the other hand, has had a significant amount of input on the lyrics of “Facing The Animal” 📝👀. He said, “Well, at bit different from song to song 🤔📚… a song like ‘Braveheart’, Yngwie had the title to the song and then I wrote most of the lyric and some melody lines 🎶👍.” And because we love a good story 📚👀, he also shared that “Alone In Paradise” was an old idea from the “Odyssey” album 📝🎶. He said, “I only completed that lyric 📝. Actually, Joe Lynn Turner’s backing vocals were still there when we recorded 🎤👍.”
In conclusion 🎉👏, Mats Levén is a rock god, and we’re not biased at all 🙅♂️👀. His shows in Tokyo were epic, and we can’t wait to see what he does next 🤩👀. And as for Yngwie, well, let’s just say he’s still the king of shredding 🤯🎸. Long live rock ‘n’ roll 🤘🔥! 🎸👏
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
