Joe Satriani - home > show review

gracesdad	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon Nov 11, '02 8:20 pm
So, only a 10? This show was incredible! I've been a guitarist for 25 years, and, never in my life, have I ever seen anyone make it look so easy. I certainly didn't expect a 3 hour show at this particular venue, definitely worth more than the 20 bucks I paid for the ticket. My friend, Scott, and I are HUGE fans, and I'll be there on December 8th to be, once again, amazed and dumbfounded. It would be great to meet Joe in person, so I'm hoping to win the aftershow passes so my best friend, Scott can come as well. I look forward to another incredible performance by an outstanding talent. God Bless, Joe!
kurto	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Thu Mar 01, '01 8:35 pm
Though I've always been a fan of Joe's music, this was my first time seeing him live. As expected, his playing and showmanship were more than entertaining. Dressed in black from head to toe with matching rap-around Ray-Bans, and with his hairless cranium reflecting off his chrome guitars, the notes rattled off my eardrums like an endless stream of bullets from an Uzi. Where else would you rather be in Grand Rapids, MI, on a cold April evening? Check out my homepage for more info on this show! hometown.aol.com/wakajawako/myhomepage/index.html
Dad	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Thu May 18, '00 5:14 pm
Fabulous! The venue was just the right size, I was able to get right up to the stage. The light show was excellent: understated and effective. But, to the point, all of the guys were hittin' the note! The music these four produce is so powerful and has so much presence, its amazing. It was also great to hear so much of Crystal Planet...the show opened with "Time," which set the tone for the rest of the show. I had a question going in about how some of tunes from EOC would play, but they were wonderful. I am a contemporary of Joe's who has been fortunate enough in life to have seen just about all of the greats, including Hendrix and Clapton (when he was in his prime), but I have never seen or heard anyone who plays like Joe. Great show!
jaguar5150 (Brad Peter)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon May 08, '00 11:44 am
I have seen Joe for the third time now, and it just keeps getting better. The lighting was especially good this time around!! I was on the web page as soon as I got home looking to see if there was another show within driving distance. Sadly, there wasn't. I will be looking forward to a return through the Michigan area soon, hopefully this year! Enjoy the shows!
benwolf (Ben Wolf)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon May 01, '00 9:29 pm
Unbelievable! There's not much more to say than that. I've been a loyal fan since about 1991 (11 yrs. old). I've got all of Joe's CD's, I've played covers of his in concert, and I've even written reviews on his albumns in some smaller guitar magazines. Nevertheless, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that night. If you consider yourself a fan, it is a necessity that you see him live. Not only is he a technical and a musical master, but his showmanship and stage presence multiply the impact of his performance. About the crowd: What? There were other people there? Some of you need to stop paying attention to the crowd and start listening to the music. Enjoy the show. And to Battery81: Who are you to critique the set list? Joe obviously didn't make his money or his musical career listening to people like you and me. I don't think he needs any advice. Methinks he's doing quite well on his own. Just enjoy what he gives to us. Thank you Joe, it was a truly amazing performance. Keep it up. ~Ben Wolf
skipswim (Skip Thompson)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Tue Apr 25, '00 2:47 pm
I drove from ouside the Detroit area to the gig and it was worth every mile and every effort of time. This was my 5th time seeing Joe and it was if not the best one of the best shows I have ever seen him and the band members put on. The last time I saw Joe his set was simlar to this in fact his tour was called an evening with Joe Satriani and he played for two an a half hours with a 15 minute break. This show seemed longer and the song selection was very good with a selection from each of the studio CD's. This tour set list differs from the Spring 98 Crystal Planet tour with only 4 songs from Engines of Creation. I know Joe has been getting a lot of slack for EOC but let me say the 4 songs he performed were as good as anything for the whole concert. I think people should reserve their jugement until they see these songs performed live. Clouds Race Across the Sky was such a great tune. I had seen the set list beforehand so I went back and listened to all the songs. CP had 6 songs, Surfing had 5, Flying had 4, Engines had 4, Extremist had 3, JS Orange had 2, and one each from Earth and Dreaming #11. Also thier was the great Bass solo from Sturart Hamm called Quahogs Anyone from his Cd called the Urge which was spectatular. Jeff and Eric were great also and the band sounded tight and excellent. I especially liked hearing the pair of 9's both Ice and Cool with Cool being always a cool song because of the light show and different arrangement for every show. I totally disagree with battery 81 in his post about the comments about the crowd because they were getting into the music and they were very well behaved and not drunk and insultating. I was in the middle about 5 rows back and the people I talked to seemed to be very knowledgable and appreciative of the show and that you don't see often. In fact some of ladies couldn't see very well and a lot of the guys went out of their way to get them close to see. I really think Joe and the band liked the audience from the feedback I was getting. I stuck around after the show and talked to a lot of different fans from all over the State and I didn't hear any complaining about anything about techno stuff or nothing. Everyone seemed to think this was an awesome, kick ass, excellent show which it was. The band came out by the tour bus and signed posters, cds, and even guitars. Joe and the band seemed genuine appreciative of the people's support and they signed a lot of stuff. They spent as much time as they could with us before they had to board for Toronto. On the way home from the show I passed the tour bus on I-96 and they got off at the Ionia exit. I got home and to sleep at 3:00 AM but this excellent show was worth it. People out there, see this man and his band because you will be thankful you did.
OzZlaw	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 7	Posted: Tue Apr 25, '00 2:03 pm
I was expecting to hear this new electronic stuff. E.g. Devil's Slide sounded like an ordinary rock'n roll song. That song gets its character from the sound and equipment that has been used (not mentioning Joe's style etc.). Kind of dissapointed but it's always a pleasure to see him on stage (and the rest of the crew). OzZ
kirihon (Nathan Simmons)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Tue Apr 25, '00 11:47 am
My first time seeing Joe could not have been better. From the opening licks of Time to the second encore's Rubina, Joe never stopped putting 110% into that guitar. The song selection was very good and he actually played for 4 hours (7-11:30 with breaks). The crowd was very responsive and the band played to us very well. After the show he did stop to sign things for those of us who stood outside the tour bus waiting for him to come out. Being able to the shake the man's hand was a nice touch. He seemed very down-to-earth and was very nice to everyone, (he thanked US for coming to see HIM !!!). All in all it was an incredible show...Stu's bass solo was amazing and every song was played to virtual perfection. (I think Joe broke a string and finished the song without missing a note...that guitar didn't come back out on stage). Thanks Joe, for everything you have put into your music...it shows.
tmhamm	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Tue Apr 25, '00 8:01 am
Although nothing will beat the first time you ever get to see Joe, this was a very special evening. This was the 5th time for me, and the first for a "all Joe" show (no warm-up). This gave the guys a chance to play a good selection of "the hits", some of the new stuff, and even pull off some more obscure tunes. Unlike some of the previous show reviews, Joe did not play 3 hours straight thru. They started 15 minutes late, played for 75 minutes, then took a 15 minute break, then came back for another 75 minutes. Joe was not flawless (I noticed towards the end he started playing without having the volumne up on his guitar, Oops. I've been there). I agree with the previous review, that Stu could have been louder. Eric appeared to not be as much of a performer as Joe, but he was very talented. Jeff was excellent on the drums. I do not agree with the earlier review about the crowd. You go to a SEE Satriani, and his music does not lend itself to a mosh pit. I was even getting irritated with the people who seemed to not have gotten past 1985. Folks, here's a big tip: JOE CANNOT HEAR YOU SCREAMING REQUESTS FROM THE BACK OF THE CLUB!!! Thanks Joe, for coming back to town. We always look forward to it. You did a great job, and the rest of the band was excellent. See if you can convince Stu to come back to Grand Rapids, on his solo tour. Fan tip: The only way to get the special edition CD was to buy a $40 long sleeve shirt that didn't even list the tour dates on it. Also, the CD only has 4 songs. I would have easily gone with one of the other short sleeve shirts (they were nicer), and paid an additional $10 for the limited edition CD. However, this was not an option. I couldn't bring myself to buy a shirt I didn't even like, just to get a 4-song CD for $40. Hopefully Joe will come up with another way to get this limited disc. This looked like an idea for unloading some unpopular shirts.
sh0kr0k (Tammy Zepp)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Tue Apr 25, '00 3:39 am
The scale is NOT high enough!! The show was virtually flawless!! Joe played sooo well and fluidly. Stu was excelent with his bass solo! Eric & Jeff were awesome too!! The light show was outstanding and the sound was so clear! There couldn't have been a netter time and place to have this show! After the show, I caught up with teh band (FINALLY!) I got pictures, autographs, a guitar pick, and lots of memories! That was so awesome!! I was working with teh sound guys and for the club too, and everyone kept saying I wasn't going to be able to meet the band, but I DID ANYWAYS! LOL! Satch Rulz!! (Hey Joe, if you read this, thanks for the interest in my website! It means a lot to me! I finally got a shorter address! You are so nice!) Thank you guys for coming and putting on a top-notch show!! (thanks to the road crew too!) - Tammy http://electrocuted.com/satch
vaiguy777	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon Apr 24, '00 11:08 pm
This scale above doesn't go high enough, it was like a 30 on a scale 1-10. Amazing is an understatement to say the least. Joe nailed every note of every song, and did some real cool improvising in The Crush of Love. Really loved the new stuff too! Thanks for signing my guitar Joe, and taking a pic w/me, I will never forget this night as long as I live. Hold on to your seats Toronto......
battery81 (Adam)	Mon Apr 24 '00 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Mon Apr 24, '00 11:02 pm
Everything was perfect except a few things. Stu's bass should have been louder; it was hard to hear over Joe and Jeff. Although the Orbit Room was perfect in other respects, the "18 and over only" policy really pissed me off, especially since I first saw Joe when I was 17. I could nitpick about the set list, but I realize you can't please everybody. Still, not enough new material. Other than that, everything was great. Great set, great sound, great solos. Also: not Joe's fault, but the audience was lame. Thanks to MTV and alternative radio not enough people my age are into Satch (except guitarists), and the audience was a lot older than my typical crowd. No movement at all, even in the mosh pit. Maybe if Joe egged them on a bit they'd move their feet. P.S. Thanks for the pick Joe.