The first show that I ever went to when I was a kid, Yngwie was the opener, and despite the fact that I was there to see him, I went away from the show feeling like I'd gained so much from being able to see his playing and performance up close and personal. There was a great deal of honest emotion that came through in his playing.
I think it's fair to say that at the time that Yngwie was making a name for himself, neo-classical guitar wankery hadn't quite become the cliche that it is today. Certainly Yngwie playing does seem a bit formulaic at times, but unlike many of the musicians that were influenced by him, he was not simply rehashing some other guitarists discarded ideas. You also have to hand it to someone like Yngwie who has almost exclusively played Strats throughout his whole career, a guitar that does not easily lend itself to fits of shredding.
I especially love Mr. Dave's architect analogy, which in a sense is another way of saying if you don't know what you're listening for, you might not appreciate what you're hearing.
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