Joe Satriani and Steve Vai's friendship with each other (and the guitar) started as kids in New York. It’s still going strong five decades later, and for the first time they  joined up for the Satch/Vai tour. It wrapped up at on May 12th at Luther Burbank Center For The Arts in Santa Rosa, CA and Satriani has shared the message below with his fans:

"The SatchVai Tour shows were so much fun, so exhilarating, and so deeply emotional for me. Standing next to Steve Vai every night, improvising just like when we were kids in my backyard, was positively cathartic and transformative. It’s hard to put into words the unique connection Steve and I have. When we put on our guitars and start making music together, it’s like a time-warp and a hyper-present all rolled into one continuous 'now.' Hugs and thanks to all our stellar band members, crew members, local crews, management, agents, accountants, doctors and all the service providers that took care of us when we would roll into their town. More hugs and thanks to our fans who have given us the greatest gift, their attention and their loyalty. I am forever humbled and grateful."

Check out Satriani's photo gallery from the tour on his official Facebook page here.

Vai and Satriani recently collaborated on a new three-part piece of music, "The Sea Of Emotion". The duo recently spoke with Guitar World about the collaboration. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Satriani: "When Steve and I decided the time had finally come for us to collaborate on an album I immediately thought of our humble beginnings, where we came from, and our teenage rock ’n’ roll hopes and dreams. To anybody else, it may look like just a field, part of the sprawling Carle Place Public School complex, but for some of us, back in the early ’70s, when the sun went down and the moon came up, (that field) became 'The Sea of Emotion'. We would hang out there late at night and share our deepest thoughts. The memories we shared at that location so long ago became the inspiration for a musical journey in three parts. Each part of the song has little reminders of what we were so into musically back then, including a chord sequence that Steve and I would sometimes jam over during guitar lessons."

Vai: "As young teenagers, we would sit overlooking this magnificent field and wax on generously for hours about the meaning of life and many other deep, rich discussions. We deemed this field 'The Sea of Emotion'. Connecting with Joe on this track, and the other music we are working on, is perhaps the most rewarding musical collaboration I’ve ever engaged in. Although we’ve toured and recorded jams together through the decades, for this music we are intimately bringing together our melodic impulses and playing techniques and creating something that is bigger than the sum of its parts."

Read more via Guitar World here.

Check out the official video for "The Sea Of Emotion, Pt. 1" below.