Stevie Ray Vaughan Plays First Japanese Concert EVER

From Texas To Tokyo

In 1985, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble took their act on the road, embarking on a journey that would take them to Japan for the very first – and only –  time. His iconic performance, immortalized as both a live album and DVD, featured closing number ‘Lenny’ mixed with the lazy instrumental ‘Riviera Paradise’ that absolutely blew the crowd – and us – away.

‘Riviera Paradise’ was the final song Stevie played during what would be his final show on August 26, 1990.

We know that Stevie was a triple threat; writing, singing, and playing came as naturally to him as breathing. However, it’s during his instrumentals that we’re able to fully grasp exactly how talented and passionate Stevie was when he had a guitar in his hands! The amount of soul put into ‘Riviera Paradise’ and ‘Lenny’ was absolutely outstanding – in fact, it may be near impossible to inject that level of soul into words. Where words often failed Stevie, each bend of his guitar strings managed to express the feelings he wanted most understood, and his performance here is no different.