I had a rough week and was realy looking forward to seing Joe one performing live and boy, it was worth the wait. It started off with the classic flying in a blue dream and I was hooked for the rest of the evening. Grabbed a little glass of whiskey and I let myself go wild. Thanks for that wonderful evening Joe.

Chab

The Opener: I think we can all certainly appreciate how amazing Eric Johnson really is. As much as I respect him as a musician, I must say I didn't feel that his performance in Montreal was his best. Having seen him a couple times in the States, I felt that his sound was not exactly as great as I was hoping for. Putting the technical difficulties experienced at the beginning of the show aside, I felt that, especially for a musician like Eric Johnson whose career and reputation as a guitarist is based entirely on the uniqueness of his tone and clarity of his every note, his performance and the sound quality that night didn't exactly do him justice. But, as guitar enthusiasts, I'm sure his audience was able to look past this and see the virtuoso he really is.

The Main Act: Joe Satriani. Wow. I thought it was phenomenal. What was additionally amazing about Joe Satriani's performance was the connection he made with the crowd. You can feel, when you see him live, that he actually enjoys playing for crowds, and that makes the performance that much more engaging for the audience. I was able to catch him on his G3 tour (with Steve Vai & Yngwie Malmsteen) and like his last performance in Montreal, as far as I can tell, this one was absolutely flawless.

Overall: It's really refreshing to have such talent sweep through Montreal. We are not often visited by these two in particular, and I personally can't wait for them to return.

Still after a few days later I cannot believe how FANTASTIC Joe was. He was on and what a show we saw in Montreal. This was the second time I have had the pleasure to see him. It was some much better than when he came with G3. The best money I have ever spent for a show.

To bad Eric Johnson was hindered by bad sound. I know that he is a great guitarist but he was a bit sloppy. Hope the next time his sound will not let him down.

Ciao

1way2rock

Great show Joe! The sound for your part of the show was great. Can't say the same about the sound for Eric Johnson though.

I was also disapointed to be standing up in the stairs for 2h30min, having bought the tickets 2 months in advance and arriving an hour before it started. Please pick a better location for the show next time. A+

What a show !

Ok first a few words about Eric Johnson. Great guitar player, great guy but he lacks a little bit of stage presence. To top it off, the venue had quite a few sound issues with Eric's set, the sound of the whole band cutting on and off during the whole set. Nonetheless, Eric and his band delivered a stellar musical performance.

As for Joe :

Absolutely killer sound - I don't know if it was where I was in the venue, but I have not heard Satch's set so clearly in 20 years. Maybe it's the JSX amp, who knows !

Jeff Campitelli and Dave Larue are also amazing - great band.

Of course Joe remains on top of his game, ripping through classics such as Flying in a Blue Dream, Satch Boogie, Circles and The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing ( killer damped hammer-on sweep riff or whatever name we need to call this technique - Potato Sweep ! )

Add a cool improv on the end of Always and the classics got even better.

But what really struck me was the songs off the new album, Joe and the band absolutely nailed them down to the last note and even more.

I have to say that Crowd Chant was it for me...I still have goose bumps - 4 days after ! The way Joe and the crowd interacted was incredible. This song will probably become an anthem for Satch's future gigs...

All I can say is go see the show, once, twice if you can, or more if you can afford it !

As for song selection, 10 songs from the new album, 10 from the back catalogue - I would probably expect a few song surprises, but hey who am I to decide.

Now, if could only find the money for the Premium package to meet with Joe...

Joe, please come back soon, please ...please...please !

Thanks,

Chris

This was the third time i saw joe, the other two were in g3, and i must say it was a blessing to see him perform for a whole 2 hours, the guys seemed in great shape and their playing was very tigh.

This show will be etched in my memory for a long long time and thank you joe for this memorable evening.

Hope to see you soon again in montreal !!!!

This concert has been the second time I have the opportunity to see Satriani grace the stage with his guitar excellence. However as good as the concert was, I was a little disppointed due to several things.

Eric Johnson experienced a few technical difficulties, as the house PA system went out on him several time within the first few songs. As always, Johnson's playing was top notch, but his song selection and tone(s) used were not. His signature sound proved to be overly trebly during the performance, which in turn made it slighlty painful and piercing. He went through a good chunk of his catalogue, from country to his sultry jazz and blues classics, and threw in a few fun pinch harmonic melodies that were superb.

Joe Satriani is a god among guitar players, and opening with Flying in a Blue Dream illustrated why. Throwing in some of his new tracks -unfortunetly Theme From a Strange World did not make the cut- he blended the classic Satch with his later works. Now not to sound like I was unhappy with the performance, it was just that Satch didn't change his set list that much since the last time I saw him, or even from the live dvd. Albeit the classics (ie Surfing..., Always..., Circles and Cool #9) were great, it's getting to a point where I want to hear some more of his amazing catalogue. What happned to Why?, A Train of Angels, Mountain Song, and anything from Engines of Creation? I'm a little bit confused why he avoids some of his most phenominal and emotional works for his classics. Maybe the fans need to be a part of force for change.

Other than that, I would rate the concert a 9.5. The sound was relatively well balanced -as sound miracles in a club are few and far between- however his on tour guitarist (which I've forgotten his name) could not be heard at all. Jeff was phenominal and elegant as always, however, he spent more time keeping the time than being a percussionist.

There were some ethereal moments during the night, such as during Surfing With the Alien and Crowd Chant, which went off perfectly. I think Joe must always get a rush out of having the audience keep the beat by clapping and getting such an amazing response. His fretboard acrobatics are at a level that is beyond any classical composition and has a sense of melodicism that is truly out of this world.

At the end of the night this was superb event of creativity and performances. Hat's off to you Mr. Satriani and Johnson. Cheers.

Alex

Too bad you couldn't rank a show higher than 10 , this was definitely an "eleven". This is the first time I have seen Joe live and was not disappointed. I felt like I was in a dream. I have watched the live in San Francisco DVD, hundreds of times and always imagined what it might feel like to see him in person. Words cannot properly describe the feeling of awe and pride I had for being in the same room and breathing the same air as this guitar wizard. From Flying in a Blue Dream to Summer Song he was flawless and inspirational. You truly can see his love for music and his compassion for our aprreciation of his artistry. My highlight was the intro to "Rubina" before he went onto "10 Words", though I think all who attended will say that 'One Robot's Dream" was definitely the tune of the evening, Oh yeah and I too have to get me one of those robot's ! The new ending to "Always" was really cool too. There is so many things that I could list, but all who were there have there's too. So I won't take up any more space.

I cannot wait until the next time around, I will definitely be buying a Premium package. All the best on the rest of the tour and a safe return to San Fran !!

The reviews from previous shows indicated Joe's performance was exceptionally powerful. I attributed this to the usual hero worship we all experience when it comes to Joe. But his performance at the Metropolis was better than I have ever seen Joe perform. Even classic older songs that I have heard and seen performed many times, like "Satch Boogie" had a refreshing level of intensity and excitement. Simply put, Joe was on fire, like I've never seen before. The exchange of energy between band and audience was incredible. The notes flowed from Joe's fretboard with precise and seemingly effortless execution as he interacted playfully with the audience. It was a remarkable evening, one that will remain etched in my memory. I left the show with the revelation that over the 20 years of Joe's solo career he has yet to peak. For any artist in any discipline this is truly a rare phenomenon. And I realized that a part of the excitement that is Joe Satriani is that he is still growing as a composer, a musician, a performer and as a human being (or alien, I'm not sure). In other words, the best is yet to come. Not bad for a guy who will turn 50 this July (I didn't believe he was that old but confirmed it with him after the show).

I do have some constructive criticism though. Galen should be given an opportunity to stand in the spotlight and shine every once in a while. Maybe trade licks with Joe similar to what was done on "Borg Sex" with Eric Caudieux on previous tours. Another issue, which perhaps has more to do with the venue than with the band, is that our tickets said that the 'use of' cameras was strictly prohibited. I followed the rules and didn't bring a camera yet there were tons of people in the audience taking pictures without any confrontation from 'security.' So what really is the policy with regard to cameras?

I went to the show as much to see Eric Johnson. And as much as I love his work I was disappointed with the performance, which I attributed to the hindering context of being the 'opening act.' I saw Eric as the main attraction on his "Ah Via Musicom" tour and it was a spiritual experience! I respect the humility he showed in even agreeing to being an opening act. But the least they could do is get the sound right during sound check so it doesn't take the first two songs of the actual show to get the guitar and vocals dialed in! I can see this happening once or even twice but this far into the tour??? This just doesn't seem fair to a musician of Eric's outstanding caliber.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Joe after the show (as the guest of Deathlord...thanks man!) and tried to convey my appreciation for all the years of great music and inspiration. Through all the ups and downs of life Joe's music has always been there as the soundtrack of my life. I also got to talk with Jeff and Dave for quite a while. They expressed as much appreciation of me, as a fan, as I did of them. These guys are truly a class act. Guys, many thanks for taking the time to meet with the fans. (Just wish I had brought a camera!)

Excellent show as usual, Joe is the best there is no question about it.It was my 3rd time seeing him and I will see him everytime he comes to Montreal.

I gave him a 9 because he didn't play FRIENDS...No hard feelings Joe! :)

First I want to say that Joe Satriani is my most favorite artist of all. I absolutely love his music. This was my first Satriani concert I went to. It was AWSOME!!! Haveing Eric Johnson opneing up for him was a real treat too. There did seem to be a few technical difficulties but that was nothing, just to have joe right there in front of me playing for all of us made me grateful enough. For the money and the hours of standing around this concert was damn well worth every penny and minute. I love the way joe moves around on stage and how he always seems to have some kind of quality of connecting to the audiance. I can't wait until the next time he comes around!

Joe Thankyou so much for a phenomenal night! God Bless

I had already seen Joe with Sir Johnson for G3 sessions. It's a pity that technical problems prevented Eric to show how an accomplished musician he is. The whole concert sound was not very good.

As always, Joe "the Alien" Satriani set the concert hall on fire ! The track list was very ingenious as joe's newest and hence less known songs were played between his famous hits. The audience was crazy as well.

On every continent I saw him, Joe iswas incredible showman and he still looks like in his 30's. Can't wait for the next G3 with Steve.

Satch Rules!

Great show but early technical difficulties undermined Eric Johnson's performance which have led some to say he isn't that good of a guitarist. That is completely false: Eric Johnson is a top rated guitarist: Do you actually believe Joe Satriani would trust him if he wasn't good? That fact alone shows his professionalism and dedication to musical excellence.Eric Johnson is truly a brilliant guitar player and having met him backstage also a genuine/grateful human being. Joe's performance was unbelievable (as usual), A MUST SEE FOR ALL TRUE GUITAR PLAYERS!!!

PS: Thanks for signing my guitar (JS 100) Joe!!!