First Reaction - Polyphia “Ego Death” ft. Steve Vai 

Let me know in the comments what else I should react to!

Tim writes most of his stuff on a keyboard and transposes it to guitar. He has his own Neural DSP plug ins that help him get his tone.

Steve Vai showcased his 'feel-good' style in this song.

One of the great things about Polyphia is that it gives guitar/instrument geeks the opportunity to talk about nerdy shit like tone, tunings and technique. No matter what you're skill level is. Such an inspirational band already and I really do think they're going to be superstars in the next five years. It would be a crime if that supreme instrumentality doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

Man, I didn’t realize who you were at first, Taking Back Sunday was big soundtrack of my younger years. Steve Vai is the reason I picked up a guitar when I was 12, after seeing the Yankee Rose video. He’s been an inspiration going on 36 years for me. Tim, Scottie and the rest of Polyphia are some of favs of the newest generation, so this was a just an eargasm. What a song all the way through. This is gonna end up being Polyphia’s “For the love of god” I’m gonna meet Steve in November, hopefully I don’t have one of your moments lol haha.

The other main guitarist is Scott LePage. As you saw, he is also amazing. The whole band is insanely talented

I loved your reaction. I can really see the emotion on your face. It's really cool when different generations get together and that's what happened in this song between the band and Steve but I think this also applies to the audience.

Woooow my fav guitarrist seying my fav guitarrists

A lot of those synth sounding guitar parts you were describing are due to their guitar sounds being fed through Tim's signature Neural DSP plugin as opposed to a traditional effects pedal board set-up. Gives a mind boggling amount of variety of sounds. Great reaction btw. It was cool for this to be your first Polyphia track!

I am so glad I am not the only one that this song has brought tears to my eyes...

Miami is a top 3 fav song from TBS for me and the solo is perfect. idk what those critics are talking about. Literally fits fine. I never once second guessed it the song is so loud and robust in the chorus and the solo takes it to the next level before the bridge!

Polyphia has been one of my favorites since 2014. I listen to them everyday 🤣😅 scotty and tim are definite inspirations of mine and mr Vai of course 😅

jesus the world is wild. here i am watching people discover my current favorite band, and whose channel do i find but the guitarist from my favorite band in high school. polyphia dominates my spotify in 2023, but i had three tbs shirts in 2004-2008

I think what Vai brought was musically the perfect choice. If he'd come in with hardcore shredding, it might have seemed like he was competing with Polyphia. I also think it's so cool that Vai's legato style can be layered on top of Polyphia's more staccato, percussive style, and it just works. Definitely one of the best collabs I've ever seen.

Skateboard tricks is an incredible metaphor. As an older skater nowadays, but the feeling of landing an impressive are hard trick. Is something special in that imagine coming up with an incredible guitar solo is similar

love you Fred. Breaking Pangea and TBS meant so much to me when I was learning to play guitar almost 20 years ago. Lullaby to this day is still one of my favourite songs.

By far the best breakdown of this amazing song. You don't pause every 5 seconds to talk nonsense. You just vibe, smile and then every now and then you tell us what you think of it all. You seem to enjoy it, don't blame you, what a tune! Plus you seem to be a really nice guy.

I have the same goosebumps everytime I see someone reacting to these videos, since the first time I saw it

One of my favorite instrumental bands ever. My stepdad got me into to Steve in the late 90s and I introduced him to Polyphia with this song.

Yo Fred your solo on “Miami” was fantastic and one of my favorite parts on Louder Now.

I really enjoyed your take and reaction to the song. I grew up with Taking back Sunday, Underoath and other similar bands and I’ve recently started listening to your band now. Wishing you the best in what’s to come.

Thanks for highlighting the keyboard quality that pervades this song. You’re absolutely spot-on pointing that out. They don’t really need one since Tim plays the way he does.

You really bring a maturity to your reaction. Considering you are a generational hero who helped create a soundtrack for our childhood (which we still sing too if the mood is right) it is amazing that we all have met on this long road of music not stuck in the past (like so many from previous generations) but discovering together the depths of sound. That is in large part thanks to you and your friends in those dive bars in Tempe and Nashville or the Main Stage who brought us into music with such creativity and emotion we became addicted to sound and not nostalgia. We will never stop singing with the windows down to the songs of our youth but in-between tracks we will and have always said "... but have you heard this yet?" Thank you for the reaction and God Speed!

seeing you tear up with steve was so emotional. I don't have any personal connection with Steve or even knew about him before this collab (22 year old over here lol), but seeing these reactions from people who DO have this connection has made me soft with this song, making me tear up as well when Scott's first electric guitar solo kicks in and obviously in Steve's solo. All the feelings from his fans have definitely come through to me. Thank you for this one!

This reaction was honestly magical. The _joy_. And I love it when people can explain _what_ they like and what is surprising and stuff. Some people just say, like, “I like the bass tone there”, but it’s more useful to explain how it’s different or why they noticed it, Anyway, glad you made this!

Fred, you wrote some of my favorite songs ever while in TBS and were an early band that inspired me to want to pick up a guitar! Aweeome seeing you on RU-vid doing music reactions!

What! The solo is so fucking good on Miami though! I never really thought about it being out of place. I love Louder now! So happy to rediscover you man! I remember checking out The Color Fred a long time ago. Will definitely jump back in!

Steve Vai is definitely the coolest guy in the room!!!

On another note... miami is one of my favourite ever songs. Love the lyrics. Love the guitars. Especially the solo. Incredible!

bruhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh whaat Taking back Sunday takes me back

A true FAN of STEVE VAI... God Bless Brother...

More content like this please! Really dig listening to your insight

I was in a young touring band and our manager got us tickets at Loyola in New Orleans…..you guys, Jimmy Eat World, and The Format if I remember correctly. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a bunch. So thanks for that Fred

Hoping around to genuine musicians and seeing their different reactions to different parts gives me those goosebumps

is the encounter of generations of music in a beautiful single moment that's why we got goosebumps

I am so glad you did a reaction video to these guys. I am sure you did it mainly because of Steve, but these guys are awesome as well! Good video, man!

I’m a huge Vai fan and he played that piece like he always does. He has a new line of guitars from Ibanez and it’s call the PIA model named after his wife. Check them out and see how much he has evolved with the gem to the pia. My first cd back when it came out was passion and warfare! I got to see the 25yr album anniversary of that cd in concert and it was amazing!

I always loved the miami solo!

the polyphia rabbit hole is massive, the music is just incredible!

Can't wait to see you reaction to the rabbit hole that is Polyphia. MAD RESPECT for The gods of Olympus to pass the torch to the Demi-Gods up and rising. If you react to PLAYING GOD ... You may just under stand the deep respect from Stevie VAI ❤❤❤

the SG i bought in high school nearly 20 years ago because I really digged your style sits on the rack next to my Ibanez AZ i got because I dig Tim's style. Funny how things come around, thanks for the dope vid 🤘

I love i can see all of your passion through your eyes! Easily my favorite react to this song! Stay true brother!

Loved your reaction, also thank you for Louder Now!!!

I saw you back at the record store on the Disney boardwalk when where you want to be came out and you did that small acoustic set. Also, I LOVED the solo in Miami. That was when the Guitar Hero games were in their prime and I wanted to see Miami as a song on there so bad. I dont care if some review said it was out of place or whatever, it was my favorite part about that whole album. This song is great, its awesome to see guitarists separated by so much time come together to give us this amazing collaboration and watching a guitarist from a band that I really resonated with growing up see and enjoy it for the first time! On the off-chance that you haven't heard them yet i'd like to recommend Thank You Scientist - Feed the Horses

Great reaction. I can relate aswell. Met Steve Vai in 2005 during a meet and greet. Couldnt even talk properly, and felt all clumsy, haha.

Wow what an awesome collab, on a side note I had no idea you had a channel! Big fan of your work

from what i saw from the video. i think that the people that sat on the throne played the type of music or shreds that they are really good at. and it was a video of showcase of what all the guitarist can do that got put together on the ending of the video. it was the most beautifully thought video directing and storytelling loved it.

I watched like 30 Reacts to this i never get Tired of Steve Vai s second Solo

I really enjoyed your take on this song I will have to check your band out now

Cool story about your first gig. Mine was megadeth of the Peace Sells tour.

Keep doing these reactions please!

Hell Yeah!!!

You seem like a really chill dude, Fred. Subbed!

This is going down in the History Books.

What! The solo in Miami fits beautifully

I'm a huge fan of that tap solo you did live on Liar, that was pretty badass.

Alternative Press said that about that solo in Miami? First off, that song is one of my favs on that album… that solo is the shit

Vai was recently asked about his collaboration with Polyphia and he said "I don't know what it is but I am in it"

Tiny moving parts is my thing! new kids popping off this era with new generation of shredding

Really a fantastic song and collab. If you’re going to go through some polyphia stuff some excellent beginner reactions are GOAT and Playing God, probably their 2 most popular songs, both for their listenability and technical skill.

You look so happy watching this video

The trumpeter in the end is Ivan Jackson from brasstracks. Really cool band, deserves to be checked

Dude this is absolutely insane am i right? or am i right? I just looked up reactions to it cause i just heard it for the first time as well.. Then Im subbed to you.. Nutty! Glad to see your well!

Miami is an excellent song!

Yeah, really fucking nice! 👌

Hi Fred, been listening to your music since TBS back when I was in college, glad I was able to discover your RU-vid channel. I'd like to suggest you give a listen to Polyphia's collab with Chino Moreno called "Blood Bath". It's a great take of Polyphia on what seems to be alternative rock

Alternative Press is wack, "Miami" is my favorite track on "Louder Now" and that solo was so sick!

I almost cried also...very imotional

"Oh shit!" Yes, this is the proper reaction lol

That's crazy I didn't know that Bill Nye could play guitar so well

I discover polyphia when they tour with coheed and cambria, I follow them since. You should call Josh. I'm pretty sure he can tell you more about them.

You need to check out the rest of the singles from this year.

This is the reaction I needed and didn't know it. Seen you in Tulsa back in 2005 and was hooked. Check out (Upside Down) Jason Richardson & Luke Holland Ft. Tim Henson.

I met Chi from Deftones in 90a he signed my ticket and I said "you guys are awesome" my drunken mind got that gem of.

Best "react" that i see so far!

More reaction videos please!

"playing god" by these guys is easily one of my favorite songs of theirs and it's a totally different vibe...so is "genesis". idk if they've ever written a song that isn't insane tho lol.

The magazines called it wildly out of place? Huh. I thought the solo from Miami was what MADE the song for me...

Damn…. Polyphia fucks me up man… they’re so good it’s like… ridiculous.

I think it was a great solo and fit in Miami perfect

You should check out other songs Polyphia have released this year

Fred, just curious if you've been into anything from the context of artists like Fatse, 93feetofsmoke, shinigami, ... That whole scene

When all you do is play guitar all day and night to get this amazing you don't have time for a haircut 😂

If you could react to ‘greenish blues’ by Steve Vai, that song is amazing and only one reaction on RU-vid.

Tim sometimes reminds me of Joey. Also, the drummer is ridiculous. He has a Coheed tattoo. Idk why… these guys could play circles around us with one hand haha

the solo in Miami was so fkn good... fuck them bahaha. i liked it then, and i like it now

Thank you now go do Intervals please :)))))

I cant read enough comments to see but, you did notice that all of them were sitting on a throne for their first bit?

the drummer(i think his name is 'clay')..in my view is ' new-bohnam"...his music iq is in top-tier.. when music makes a person smile..i think..everybody wins.. and i specially loved vai's choice of "i've done it all, i'll go with the melody"...he served the music..put some heart in the polyphia machine..and didn't fall for dck-size measurement with number of notes in a bar...

Hey, Fred! I don't if you'll agree but IF you were to play instead of Steve, how will you play your part in Ego Death? Hope you'll answer with a cover video of Ego Death. Hehehehe

When Steve plays, Polyphia's ego death.

It's good but, I mean, it's no One-Eighty by Summer :P

Tryout Polyphia - Playing God

Most reaction intros don’t interest me. Yours did. Nice job. The personal stuff was entirely relevant.

Go to bed, Fred... you are drunk!

a lesson of half an hour? bru so little time... 1 hour is minimun here (argentine)

The only guitar player better than Steve Vai is Ralph Macchio in Crossroads.

Check out their song G.O.A.T.!

Noodlers