The second article has great coverage of the sound check, and the third one features a 30 minute interview with Steve himself and footage of the concert. This article is Part I in the Steve Smith & Vital Information 25th anniversary special: 'Setting up Steve's drums'.

As renowned as he is, Steve still takes care of his own setup, in every country, on every stage in every venue. No roadies, no drum techs, its just Steve taking care of his sound himself. The Sonor drum kits are provided by the local importers or dealers in the countries. During the set up Drummerszone.com asked Steve about technical matters that are important for him on stage and for his drums.

This first video of Steve features the musician like we all are: setting up drums, tuning the toms and a lot of noise and changing lights while the stage is being built for the show. Yet, Steve is focused on setting up his drums and on the other task at hand, the interview with Drummerszone.com. In approx. 9 minutes you see and hear Steve:

• talk about the tour and his setup
  
• tuning his drums
  
• about stage sounds and monitoring
  
• his setup through the years and his cymbals
  
• about The Sonor Steve Smith 30th anniversary kit
  
• counting all his drum kits in Europe, the West Coast, the East Coast and at home
  
• play a first sound check

Vital Information 2008 is:
Baron Browne - bass (Billy Cobham/Jean-Luc Ponty)
Steve Smith - drums (Journey/Steps Ahead)
Tom Coster - keyboards (Santana)
Vinny Valentino - guitar (Bill Evans/Jimmy McGriff)

Vital Information have released twelve cd's from 1983 until now. 'Vitalive!' will be released soon, remastered and with a bonus track.

1. Vital Information (1983)
   
2. Orion (1984)
   
3. Fiafiaga (Celebration) (1988)
   
4. Ray of Hope (1996)
   
5. Where We Come From (1998)
   
6. Vitalive! (1999)
   
7. Live Around The World: The 'Where We Come From' Tour 1998-1999 (2000)
   
8. Live From Mars (2001)
   
9. Show 'em Where You Live (2002)
   
10. Steve Smith & Vital Information: Come On In (2004)
    
11. Global Beat (2007)
    
12. Vitalization (2007)

Sonor Steve Smith 30th Anniversary World Clinic Tour
In the video with this article Steve talks about his Sonor anniversary kit. From September 1, 2008 until December 12 he is on the road for the Sonor Anniversary World Clinic Tour. 2008 also marks the 31st year that Steve has been with Sonor. Steve's 30th Anniversary kit has been released and Steve and Sonor are celebrating this milestone with more than 50 clinics all over the world.

The 30th anniversary Steve Smith set
The drum kit is based on Steve’s setup that he has been using for over twenty years. Steve uses this setup in studio sessions and live on tour with his groups Vital Information and Jazz Legacy.

All shells are hand-made by Sonor craftsman in Germany. The shells are made of Beech Wood with a Birdseye amber outer veneer and are constructed to make the drum kit a versatile work of art.

Whereas the 20"x 16" Bass Drum shell is made out of 6.1 mm, 9-ply Beech Wood, the 14"x 14" and 16"x 16" Floor Toms as well as the 8"x 8", 10"x 8" and 12"x 8" Tom Toms and the 12"x 5" Snare Drum are made out of 8.1 mm, 9-ply Beech Wood. The Bass Drum comes equipped with a removable Felt Strip on both the batter and resonant sides.

Phonic style Claw Hooks with wing screws gives the kit a Vintage look. The specially engraved badges on all shells just give a hint what this kit is all about.

Only 100 of the 30th anniversary kits will be made. Contact your Sonor dealer if you are interested in owning one. It comes with an MP3 player with some of Steve's favorite tracks that he has played on, as well as some footage from the Drum Legacy DVD.

You find all the images of the set under the IMG-tab.

All clinic dates are available on: www.sonor.com/stevesmith/

In the meantime, stay tuned on Drummerszone.com for the two upcoming articles with more pictures and videos:

Steve Smith & Vital Information 25th anniversary special
Part II: the sound check
Part III: the interview and the concert

Steve Smith plays Sonor drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth "Steve Smith" Signature Sticks and Tala Wands, Remo Drum Heads, Shure Microphones, DW Bass Drum Pedals and Puresound Snare Wires.