Vegas Rocks! Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award

Hey Folks,
Last Sunday I attended Sally Steele’s 8th VEGAS ROCKS! Magazine Music Awards in Las Vegas, and what a great night it was.
It felt less like an awards show and more like a gigantic, rock-and-roll family reunion, only with better hair, more leather, louder guitars, and considerably more tinnitus.
I got to reconnect with so many old friends, make some new ones, and watch a whole bunch of deserving folks get honored. It was great hanging with Michael Anthony, Tracii Guns, Gilby Clarke, D.J. Ashba, Mitch Malloy, Chris Kael, Franky Perez, Jeff Scott Soto, Eddie Trunk, Bruce Kulick and so many other great artists and characters. And a special shout out to my beloved Power Twin duo of doom, Brother Billy Sheehan. Whenever Billy and I get together, the collective number of notes per square inch in the room immediately becomes a public safety concern.
There was such a beautiful spirit in the room. Underneath all the volume, swagger, war stories and questionable fashion decisions, there was a genuine feeling of community and a shared love for this strange and wonderful thing we call rock and roll.
And somewhere in the middle of all this, I was deeply honored to receive a Lifetime Achievement award myself. After all these years, it still feels wonderfully surreal to be acknowledged by your peers and by the community you grew up in. I’m sincerely grateful.
A humongous thanks to Sally Steele for continuing to carry the torch. Sally created these awards and has been championing rock music and its community for decades. Putting on an event like this is a monumental lift, with about 10,000 moving parts and probably 9,997 opportunities for something to burst into flames, and somehow she pulled it all together with heart, humor and true rock-and-roll spirit.
Sally, you delivered like the Rock Queen you are.
And to all the musicians, artists, friends, fans and beautiful freaks who were there, thank you for keeping this spirit alive. We’ve all traveled some miles, collected a few scars, lost a little hair, gained a little wisdom, and apparently still refuse to turn the amps down.
I feel very blessed to be part of this powerful, colorful and enduring community.
Long live rock and roll.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 20: Steve Vai speaks during the 2026 VEGAS ROCKS! Magazine Music Awards at The Orleans Showroom at The Orleans Hotel & Casino on September 20, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/WireImage)