show review
bozguitar Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jun 04, '06 11:53 pm
This is the first time that I had the chance to see Joe and Eric perform live - and to have them both on the same bill was a real treat! The Commodore is a great venue and is just the right size for a show like this. I was really quite amazed that the show wasn't sold out as there is only a 900 capacity, but it must have been mighty close. At any rate, once inside the smell of 'BC Bud' was strong in the air as everyone waited in anticipation....

When the lights went down and Eric and his band came on stage, it was a real treat to see this humble master of the guitar do the thing that he does so well. However, I thought the sound was not optimum and his guitar did not come through quite as clear as I'd hoped. However, he did a fine set of material from his albums and it was nice to hear him vocalize with a few of them. One highlight was definitely Hendrix's Manic Depression. Its so great to hear Jimi's music live on through the hands of these masters of the guitar and I think it just goes to show how incredibly bright Jimi's flame still burns on in the minds of so many guitarists of our generation.

My wife and I got as close to the stage as we could just before Joe came on, but still were at least 30 feet from the stage as the avid fans were obviously not giving up their spaces... not even if nature was calling! Joe hit the stage with a white JS guitar and commenced to knock everybody out with his guitar prowess. He is truly a master of the 6-string! Later in the set, he switched to a Super Colossal guitar which he quipped he had "won" and proceeded to play the title track off the new album. During one song Joe even played guitar with his teeth - a technique originally made famous by Jimi, and one that, unlike Joe and my colleague Jimmy Thackery, I have never been able to master. Hilights for both my wife and I were One Robot's Dream and Summer Song. Chant Song was also a gass! The Peavey JS signature amps sounded great - punchy!

Its great to see how the band interact on stage. I read an earlier post saying that both Joe and Dave were sick - it just goes to show that their professionalism and their thoughtfulness for their many fans lift them up and pull them through.

I was hoping to meet Joe and the guys as I am the same generation and have the same profession and Joe and I share at least one mutual colleague. However, it was not to be - as we were from out of town we had to split right after the show. Too bad, as I had a gift for Joe which I thought, after seeing photos of Joe 'icing' his hand", might be of some help. Hey Joe, if you're reading this or if one of your crew is reading this, if you'd like to email me and let me know where I can send this 'Powerball', I'd be glad to mail it off to you - its been really helpful in strengthening my wrist and hand and is also very recuperative after a strenuous evening of gittar playing (it also emits a cool blue light when activated)!

Anyway, GREAT SHOW... hope I'll have the chance to say "hi" next time!

Boz Roz

PS- To the 'suit' outside the Commodore who looked like he had just jumped out of his Porsche and was hanging around trying to scam a ticket for $10 - get a life!!

j63 Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sat May 20, '06 11:46 pm
WOW what can I say? This was my thrid time seeing a Joe and by far my best experince at a Joe show. The set list was awsome. I was directly in front of joe's pedal board the whole show in the front row, it was amazing beyond words. The man is brilliant, what he does with a guitar ive never felt or seen before. I was real happy to finally hear Circles live, thanx Joe. Ten Words, Just Like Lightning, Super Colossal, and One Robots Dream are my 4 favorite songs off the new album, they sounded more than amazing to hear live. Last year I won the aftershow pass givaway and had the honour of metting Joe, this year I decided to buy the Platinum Package. It was an experince I will never forget. There were only 7 of us. First we got to go in while Eric Johnson was doing his Rehearsal/Soundcheck and watch that for 15 to 20 minutes, i was more than thrilled. After he was done we all went for a tour of the stage then stood next to Joe's JSX amp and got a few pics with the Super Colossal guitar(wow) Then we went back outside and waited to get in the show early. After the show we all went to the back room and waited for Joe. When he came in we all had a chance to ask him questions, most of my questions got answered and i got caught up in the moment and forgot the others. We all got our pics taken with Joe. Thank u so very much for signing my guitar then holding it up for a pic, I am more than honored, im never gonna come down from this high. Joe is the most down to earth guy he really seems intersted what people have to say and always has a smile. Thanx again Joe Special Thanx goes out to John Iverson. U made the whole experience go so smooth, u treated us great. I hope to see u in the future Joe shows. Thanx for the pepsi

omnislight Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Mon May 15, '06 7:54 pm

really great show...gotta say though that having EJ open makes joe's act look a little bit....TOO polished, and all his jams at the end of the songs sound a little bit....TOO similar. No offense though, i love Joe to bits and his set rocked - just "thinking out loud".

standouts? - always with me always with you - hands down the BEST version i've ever heard. As well all of the "super collosal" material was SO good live. I had a friend go who wasn't keen on the new album at all, but agreed the material transates excellently to the stage.

-the meaning of love- i like joe's ballads...when he threw in the opening notes to Rubina before playing this song, i was seriously moved. To Joe: play Rubina live more!

complaint: fix jeff's drums for God's sake! almost EVERY review of the tour has complained about the crazy drum levels....honestly what is the point of show reviews if you don't learn from them. When i can feel it in my chest, it's too loud. Other then that, joe's volume was really good...maybe a TITCH too loud.

8/10, i would go again next time for sure

luck1001 Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri May 12, '06 10:37 am
The show was absolutely amazing. I've seen Joe atleast 6 or 7 times and I thought this was his best performance. The guys improvised at the end of almost every song.....it was great. Eric has such an amazing tone and he didn't disaapoint although I was hoping to hear some songs that he didn't play. I got to meet Joe at the end of the gig and what a down to earth and generally great guy. He answered some musical questions and then we spoke about Hendrix a bit. I can't wait to see him again. Thanks Joe!!!!

moltencoil Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri May 12, '06 12:09 pm

NOT OF THIS SUPER COLOSSAL EARTH

Vancouver,BC-1900hrs: Gates open and the queue goes all the way to the Orpheum, with the chauffer-driven stretch limos at the curbside and senior patrons throwing us those dagger looks that we somehow managed to dodge. It's the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for them, JOE SATRIANI for us!

2000hrs: "No, Satch doesn't use Fenders!" "Yes, that's a reissue Strat being tuned by the roadie, so Eric's gonna go on soon." An hour's worth of his version of Double Trouble live just barely gave justice to his brilliance in a one-night stand. Sad to say front acts tend to be the Marines to soften up the hard emplacements set up by what might be approxiamtely ¾ guitar players in the audience! Nobody comes close to his 'tone', and you'd even know it's Eric with your eyes closed; the set was a modest demonstration of his talent. However, what suffered the most was Mr.Johnson's closer CLIFFS OF DOVER which might've signalled that the Commodore Ballroom's PA system has melted. At least, Eric can sing. Well, that's Vancouver City Limits for you...

2130hrs: Incense-generated smoke emphasized the blue haze effect opening number FLYING IN A BLUE DREAM, and the Peavey-fed feedback started the show. About 2-½ hours later and approximately eighteen tunes culled from a two-decade career, Mr.Satriani ended his 2006 British Columbian gig with SUMMER SONG. Just as easily as the dance floor was filled with adoring Vancouverite fans, it was left sprawling with empty beer bottles and mugs...leaving proof of ECHOES of a glorious gig. Not a tossed guitar pick was left behind!

Highlights of the show were extended versions of CIRCLES and ALWAYS WITH ME... (how's Rubina?), which in my opinion reflect Joe's Golden Age and spawned a whole generation of six-string warriors.

Having been an active "fan" (hell, we performed JS tunes since '91 in the garage on weekends as accurately as we did, controlled feedback and all...write the accountant/guitarman: bob2vai@yahoo.com) for so long, credits also go to the back-up musicians, bus driver, roadies, tech guys, make-up artists...the whole production was worth the weight of GST in pull-offs and hammers-on.

This is perhaps a rather fitting tribute to the man who calls himself Joe and continues to spread the gospel of rock, and to finally be in this beautiful strange city and be a witness to Beautifully Strange Music.

MoltenCoil,40 hails from Manila,Philippines and just arrived in February

regolith Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Thu May 11, '06 9:22 pm

This was the second time seeing Joe, and it was awesome, though not as good as the last time (on the Is there Love in Space Tour). The reason being the setlist was much better the last time, and there were a few 7 string tunes on the list too. I really dug the second "strange" set. But hey, we got to see Cool#9, flying in a blue dream, circles, and a few other classic tunes.

But his playing was perfect, as always.. how the hell does he play for 3 hours straight without making a single mistake, and while playing at ludicrous speed? He was enjoying himself so much up there, loving every second of playing for us.

On an unrelated note, Shaun Verrealt, the guitarist of Wide Mouth Mason was also in attendance. Its really weird meeting him as bring a spectator in the crowd rather than being a performer. That was cool.

sleepdaddy Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu May 11, '06 8:58 pm

What else can you say about Satch that hasnt already been said? This was my 4th time seeing Joe and he never fails to impress me each time. I got to meet him after the show lat year, but missed out on the opertunity this time around. I managed to snag a set List after the show and it was as follows.... -Flying In A Blue Dream -The Extremist -Redshift Riders -Cool #9 -A Cool New Way -Satch Boogie -Super Colossal -Just Like Lightnin' -Ice 9 -One Robots Dream -Ten Words -The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing -The Meaning Of Love -Made Of Tears -Circles ENCORE -Always With Me, Always With You -Surfing With The Alien

Great Job Joe, Hope to see you next year, solo or with a new G3 Tour. (may I sujest adding Derek Trucks or buckethead to the g3 lineup with yourself and Steve?) l

spidvh Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu May 11, '06 12:26 pm

Man, my ears are still a'ringin'! But it was so worth it! Satch just tore the place up. The Commodore was a small venue with 900 attendees, so i was able to get Stage Right, directly in front of his cabs and mic. Eric Johnson played first and I really love his stuff, so this was a real treat! Then, when Joe came on it was so apparent how much of a crowd-pleaser he is. He genuinely loves doing what he does best.

Thanks for some great memories.

bowcop Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu May 11, '06 11:08 am

Now I have to say that this was just an awesome show! The energy was amazing and the music perfect spot on! This is amazing when you consider that Joe is just getting over food poisoning and Dave had a high fever the whole show. If Joe and the boys read this....Huge thanks to Jeff for the passes and tickets and sticks !!!!! Thanks to Joe for the insane amount of autographs( my sons guitar, my Joe posters! Thanks to Galen for just being a great guy! Joe you were gracious and friendly as always! THANK YOU!

For those of you who are waiting to see this show.....Crowd chant live is just....AWESOME!

This was my second time seeing Eric Johnson. He is one of the greats! I thought he played a great set list. His long intro into cliffs of Dover was just an awesome piece of musianship!

brother_john129 Wed May 10 '06
324
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu May 11, '06 1:44 am

This was my first time seeing both Eric and Joe and the show was amazing. I took my Dad (a guitarist himself) along and although he's not accustomed to Joe's music, he left the show amazed.

Eric opened the show, and although he's not one of the flashiest of players, he seemed a little flat. He even joked about how they'd play twice as good next time, and then followed it by saying 'just joking'. Loved the sound mix, although at the start his mic wasn't up high enough and it was a little hard to hear him singing. Despite his almost lacklustre set, his playing didn't seem to suffer. I was unfamiliar with a couple of songs, but his technique seemed to be right on (I was really impressed with his right hand work). He played a nice variety of country, blues, a little Hendrix and a little Monkees with a twist.

Joe took the stage next and the energy in the place went up tenfold. Joe just seems to exude an incredible amount of energy, even more than is relayed in the DVDs. He played to the crowd and really interacted with everyone (including the guy who relentlessly held up his 'Mastercard-esque' sign). His tone and sound mix was great, as I was able to last the entire concert without having to use my earplugs and was able to leave without the ringing in my ears experienced at other concerts. He played a tonne of songs off Super Colossal and as well a tonne of the 'well knowns'. As if on G3, Joe and Dave really had a great time jamming in the middle of songs and Joe's left hand work was top-notch. Loved when he broke into the Enigmatic during one solo, as it was great to hear something off Not of This Earth. At the end of the night, for the encore, they played what we all hoped was coming: Crowd Chant. Topped off the evening in style with the crowd having a great time with Crowd Chant. Thanks Joe, Galen, Dave and Jeff for the great show!