So, the 4th or 5th time I've seen Joe, and the worst.

1) One protracted, self-indulgent, tweedly-deedly ending to a tune in a gig is bad but forgivable; to have them virtually every other tune was incredibly tedious. It's the antithesis of why I love Satch's music - the musicianship, the craft, the execution.

2) I also struggled with the question and answer / crowd response stuff. Alternative arrangements or segues are great, but please leave out the gimmicks! I don't need anything else.

3) I was surprised that he played virtually all of the new album, although I was then incredulous that Can't Go Back (my favourite by miles) was left out, yet dross including Three Sheets to the Wind stayed in.

4) When I saw the big screen, I was really hoping that there would be close-ups of Joe playing. Unfortunately, all we got was some half-baked videos. Maybe the lack of the close-ups was more a limitation of the venue than anything else, but it would have been great.

5) When the first three tracks were from Joe Satriani, Engines of Creation and FIABD respectively I had high hopes for the variety of the playlist. But the rest of the set selection didn't live up to that early promise. I'd easily have swapped some of the weaker tracks from Unstoppable Momentum for a few from Strange Beautiful Music in particular.

6) Finally, but most importantly, the sound was verging on atrocious. The bass was completely muddy, with the lower frequencies clashing horribly and with no definition, especially the bass drum and bass guitar. Again, that might have been partly a product of the venue and where we were sitting, but I find it hard to believe it *had* to be that bad.

On the upside, I loved how the gig kicked off with the drummer, Mike Kineally (sp?) was a revelation, and when Joe is good - he's unbeatable!

Sadly, unless the next album is on a par with his finest, I'll have to think twice about going to see Joe again.