Virgil Donati @ DRUMscene Live Tour Sydney, Australia 

Virgil is the drum version of Shakespeare, his playing will be remember and studied extensively long after he is gone. He is on a completely separate level to 99% of professional drummers. Utterly incredible.

Thank god he didn't waste his time with Dream Theater!

Virg is the pinnacle for what is possible technically and creatively.

Donati and Colaiuta are the modern drumming gods.

Mind = blown ... The greatest drummer to walk the earth. No one displays this amount of technical skill with that much power and endurance. I have met Virgil twice at clinics and had a 1-on-1 lesson with him; those 2 events have given me years of challenging practice routine.

Virgil's playing is creative, technical, fluid and addictive. I purchased "In This Life" and have played it straight every day for 4 weeks. Phenomenal drummer.

Virgil Donati, the embodiment of absolute stick and feet control around the drum kit!!! His talent is just unmatched and I honor his dedication and artistry. Thank you Virgil!!!

Virgil D and Vinnie C.... They are IT...

Virgil, out there blazing the trail for us mortals to stumble down in pursuit... so many of the things he plays are so brilliant and difficult, and I think he just creates much of it spontaneously. That's why it sounds so effortless, even though a drummer will know it's next to impossible. This is what pushing the limits of human ability looks like; it no doubt has taken brutal self-discipline to get this far. Virgil seems to be that rarest of persons, who not only finds supreme potential for a certain skill, but dedicates fully to it.

Holy moly....Virgil is a freakin' timing machine and it's like he has a 8-core CPU for each of his limbs each working totally independently damn it....

Nobody has such a upper body control under extreme speeds like virgil does. Those rolls around the kit make even mangini look like a drumtech asking for a lesson.

This is really beyond belief. This is such an amazing solo. The playing is so smooth and everything is executed so seamlessly. What more can one say? Virgil is one musician that never gets boring. He is always evolving, both technically and artistically.

A lot of drummers sleep on Virgil he's a beast! And he's on another level with his drumming! I love how he playes traditional grip and blazes!!! I'm learning a lot from him!

The progressive drumming GOAT. This is what a completely uncompromising lifetime commitment to pure physical, intellectual and creative excellence looks like. In the history of Mankind no one will ever match him in this regard.

MY FAVORITE DRUMMER OF ALL TIMES!!!! HANDS DOWN!!!! VIRGIL KEEP EXPLORING YOUR LIFE LOVE WHICH IS THE DRUMS MAN!!!!! YOU'RE SO AWESOMELY INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

Virgil's creative freedom is powered by such a solid grasp of fundamentals, that he can literally "ride" them and allow them to dictate time autonomously, freeing his attention to seek playful and creative manipulations with no distraction. This is my highest aspiration in all creative endeavors, not just music. Amazing stuff.

Imagine if Skynet sent back a Terminator, and part of the Terminator's mission was to 'hide in plain site' as a musician. This is what it would look like. Virgil is a machine!

Holy crap.... Its sad that we can only appreciate a portion of this. Going in and out of time like he does is beyond us, and will probably only be appreciated by people years from now.

C'mon... absolutely, mind blowingly beautiful

Virgil, thank you for sharing. Continued success and Happy Drumming!

Best drummer ever!!! His playing is effortless. It’s like he’s creating his own rudiments as the music plays along

Dear Virgil , I think this must be the first time of the last 10 years that I don't use the cursor to speed up the video... You have everything a drummer can dream of : technicity , inspiration, speed, power, endurance, creativity and this without losing the most important qualities to me , groove and sound ...You literally mesmerised me all your performance long and I sipped every second of these twenty minutes like my first kiss... I hope someday you 'll stop by the Loire Valley, I"ll be there

Been watching/listening to Virgil for years and even met him on a few occassions. It seems like every time I come back to him after not paying attention for awhile he completely amazes me.

That was one of the best drum solo performances I've ever seen.

Beautiful ! While guys like me were partying and thinking we could jam, this guy was practicing. Unreal independence! Wow

Still one of my favorite drummers and inspiration, his musicality and independence is remarkable!

Amazing touch on the instrument. Untouchable!

This is what a lifetime of dedication looks like.

What I find with Virgil is that he sounds musically complete when playing solo. The grooves are complex and independent enough that it feels oddly and intangibly like a whole band playing.

Master of odd timing

This is just AWESOME. I mean, how much hard study habilities we see here, years, and hours behind a room, sticks and books. THANKS FOR THIS VIRGIL.

Dear Virgil, this has to be one of the best moments I've ever seen in a long long time since I've heard about you first back in the 1990's. You've really come a long way and it shows. Here's to many more years to come of great musicianship!!!

such a great drummer with a great sound and phrasing , great attitude and perfect dynamics … thank you !

One day, Virgil went home to mow the lawn. Seeing that I played drums, and more in traditional grip (See picture above) this bastard took the opportunity to copy ALL my technique and ALL my licks ! Moral : "always be wary of Australian gardeners". (Especially if they wear a cap with PEARL written on it...)

Amazing !

When drummers are so good they just piss you off.

He does so stuff so techinical and look so easy a lot of people prolly don't even realize what he's doing and how insanely hard it is until you try it or try to understand it. He makes it look so easy when really it's insanely hard and technical with supreme coordination.

Awesome. Seen Virgil four times now. First time I seen him when I was 14 blew me away. Just getting better and better.

I think he has taken his skills to a new level because that was AWESOME. Skills, the man has skills !!!!!

Best drumming I've ever witnessed ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are awesome drummers in the world . Then there is Virgil the freak Donati. No one can compare to the skill level on earth .

Duuude! It is so cool when you get to this level of making the rhythm melt and freeze over and over again...

Can't get enough of his bass drum and snare sound.

Really like his technique and the way he plays smooth. Very nice accents and fills!

Virgil is one of the few musicians that never stops improving and pushing boundaries. Fab solo too, I was transfixed!

Great sound and mix, Virgil. The music is something I wouldn't mind jamming to myself, and the playing is typically superb. You consistently push the boundaries...

Some off the coolest perpetual motion with ghost notes between snare and hi-hat that I've ever seen.

thank you Virgil Donati. i"ve seen this solo more than 1000 times

A Masterpiece by a Rhythmic Master !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know a performance is great when I see it and immediately decide that it's the greatest thing I've ever heard. It's happened listening to/seeing this.I mean...!@$#$%!! Incredible..

This is a YT gem worth revisiting for inspiration. An entirely new level and layer in the atmosphere of musicality, technique, and pure majesty with volume control. Henceforth, the Donatisphere. Can I send a Holiday card of thanks to the sound engineer who mic'd your drums?

You are my hero! I absolutely admire the hell out of your playing!😀👍🎶🎵🎵Been following you from Holdsworth to Steve Vai and Derek Sherinian with Mac Alpine. and of coarse your insane piano playing and original music is just of another world altogether! Keep up the fantastic work and THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Just Incredible!

master of the time signature...

Simply terrific.

Truly Great Solo. Outstanding technique of course, but it was creative, passionate and just riveting. This is a new high of drum set playing.

Virgil, once again you sent me straight to the ER! Have mercy!

Skip forward and back to any place in the video ... his timing doesn't change .. rock solid metronome this guy

It's like listening music outside the solar system!!! OMG!!!

Virgil!! You're a monster player man!! Cheers!

So good!! I saw the Ruination US tour and hearing and seeing the music being played took me to another dimension entirely.

Thxsomuch virg💗🛸💥🙏💥🛸💗

he is a fucking monster ... :D

The thing I love about Virg (apart from the fact he’s a fellow Aussie) he can play dead straight all night if the gig requires it.. amazing virtuosity and amazing ability to just sit in the pocket if need be!

Stunning. My head almost exploded. Virgil is too dam good on those drums.

impresionante-impredecible-implacable-impoluto-impecable-impresionante otra vez!!- y me faltan palabras que empiecen por im- para decir que ACOJONANTEMENTE perfecto!!!!!.....

Virgil is my favorite drummer, your style is unique. When i see Virgil's playing, my had is go out )))))))))

I just became an even bigger fan of Donati.

Excuse me but listen to the bass lines behind all of this, holy smokes, never heard anything like it

Can’t even describe what I’m watching..

One of a kind!!! All world!

MIND BLOWING!

Unreal playing. You're such an inspiration, Virgil!

the scariest thing about Virgil is that every time I see a new video, he's doing something even more impossible than his last video. In my opinion, e's pushing the limits of the instrument farther than anyone else, save for Jojo Mayer . There are technical wizards like Mangini and Lang and Bozzio out there, but I find Virgil's playing far more muscial and more interesting than them.

UNREAL!!!! That said, there's a reason why few people listen to stuff like this. It's incomprehensible and completely unpredictable. You can't even tap your foot to it lol!

Wow! Awesome performance, audio and video quality top end! Great job Virg!

Thanks for uploading this, Virgil! Due to financial and time constraints I couldn't get to the show so this is much appreciated :)

gracias virgil por compartir tu musica eres el mejor

thumbs up if you think that the only band that could match Virgil's technicality and really use his skills to raise the band's music to infinite levels, was Planet X.

Not only I love your style , but the sounds & tones of your drums as well! And strange to say this as I've never expressed this way before, but some what Architectural?I don't know , but the word just came to my mind! Lol.Your drumming sounds like you are building something in a very good artistic way!!! Very creative & expressive not to mention skillful! And it's QUITE TASTEFUL! And wondering how come I didn't listen to your music SOONER!?Which I did a couple of weeks ago...& to be honest I was not that excited , or impressed with the particular piece...,but now I AM! Three clips I watched now are very musical & melodic! Plus maybe I'm more used to this type of music now.? I loved weather report .So... Awesome!!!

7:52 Just filthy in that groove. 🔥🤘⭐️ Some of the best footwork I've ever heard in a solo. Virgil in full 🐲mode.

Wow! Incredible solo! My favourite from Mr Donati so far

Virgil has definitely convinced me to buy a new set of Pearl Eliminator pedals.

Just amazing

Incredible!

Virgil is one of those musicians who only gets better with time.

Just WOW ... love your groove man.

As fierce a fire as I have seen in any drummer!!!!!!1

KILLER snare drum sound!

Been watching Virgil solo since 1993 and certain years were frustrating for him. He had so much technique but he couldn't figure out how to not spend all this time beating the drums to death playing as fast as possible thus developing a relationship between himself and the tonality and range of sounds the drums give back to us. If you watch him in 2007 his solo is sick but he's not doing anything you haven't seen before he's totally off any chart. But when he stops to restart you can tell he's not sure how to take it two a more musical platform. Here he nails it, Now he is in the same league as Simon Phillips. But Phillips cannot do this technique anymore which he did in his twenties. That is one of Virgil's great strengths, the older he gets nothing slows him down or tires in out. He never seems out of air, and the longer he plays the stronger he gets. but in this solo he's extraordinary musical. This solo is like a Symphony Orchestra played by one man. The only other drummer I've ever seen in history who can do the same things and never run out of steam was young John Bonham. I'm probably older than most of you Botham would take 45 minutes solos, and he would always get the biggest ovation of the night at any Led Zeppelin concert.. What he did was physically impossible even if you were right up front. And unlike Virgil who is had 30 to 40 years to practice John Bonham played inhumanly and left every drummer behind after 1 year on the kit. The two greatest drummers of all time. I say bravo to Virgil Donati for constantly upping his music game in the art of drumming by learning nuance and finesse in addition to his obvious inhuman strength and speed. I cannot wait to see him play after the covid crisis is over. Always wonderful to see musicians that get a gift from the universe.

Virgil Donati you is very great and very strong.......................

only one word,aaaaaaaaaaamazing

Now that is One Bad Ass Drummer. He just might be the Best Right Now!

Incredible drum audio !

That is Awesome.

I love you Virgil and I'm pissed that i cant get closer to you

I wanna watch this over and over to lean a couple licks outta this, mater piece of fills and patterns!!

this guys ok! i wanna see more!

Increíble, Virgil, de otro Planeta !!

thanks mr virgil perfecy

Alas! Virgil you're not human anymore...