Where to start....ranking 1-10 what's that about....who is not gonna put 100 out of 10! ooooh I really cannot express in words how fantastic the show was...I know it has been said before...but you just don't believe it if you haven't been to a gig...watching a DVD of a live gig is just not the same...you HAVE i mean HAVE to go see him play for yourself...there is nothing like it...Joe has such control over the guitar, the stage, the pedals, the amps, the crowd, his trainers....OK OK ...everything just everything....

The songs played were a perfect balance of old and new but with twists that made it all outstanding...Always with Me, always with you was just fantastic....but what a suprise to have a real fast jam in the middle of it! but Joe was just having such a good time up there...jumping around...and giving us all he had....Jeff's playing was superb and Dave and Galen gave their perfect support to make the whole thing perfect!.....Oh boy just watching those fingers and the absolute mastery over his guitars...to see it with your own eyes...to feel it with your whole self...I know I know this is a rubbish review coz I can't remember all the tracks names and I am not technical....but it was soooo superb...joe plays with such feeling even the new ones...just like lighting, super colossal and of course crowd chant which everyone was rocking to (even the guy I was sitting next to who had not even moved a muscle through the whold gig...hmmm got up for this one!) was just great....I mean of course your jumping up out of your seat and whistling and clapping after every song....but with crowd chant you really feel like you can give something back to JOE!....I hope with all my heart that if there is another tour...I can go to all the venues....for this I will take my fear of travelling and face it head on....

oh and I really have to mention the guy two rows in front of me that spent most of gig crawling around on the floor desperately looking for the picks that Joe kept throwing out to us...I really hope you had seen Joe play before coz if you hadn't....you mad man...you missed the gig!.....If I had caught one I would have given it to you...your desperation and the fact that you never found one saddened me!

I really could rant on and on...but I will leave it to someone more technically minded

THANK YOU JOE AND ALL THE CREW FOR THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE EVER!!!!

SATRIELLA XX

Observations from The Apollo

This was my first Satch gig... well, one where I was actually there as opposed to watching it on vid or DVD... and it really was both outstanding and inspirational! The sound quality was impressive. Okay, the bass could have been upped a bit in the mix but consider this... that amazing wall of sound, all just came from three guys... and one crazy lead guitar player!

No fancy props or way over the top light show... no, that's not what we came to see. And, they came from every walk of life, here in Britain... to see Mr. Satriani play his guitar. There were people old enough to be my grannie... and young enough to be my grand kids (if I had any)! That's truly saying something.

I don't know what it's like in the States, but here in the UK 'corporate rock' has starved the people of that vital elemental component of rock music... lead guitar. They say 'rock' outsold pop recently for the first time? By 'rock' they're referring to rather kind of limp bands that strum away and yodel a lot. And there are no lead guitar breaks any more.

I wonder... is that really, because it means you first need to spend a lot of time learning to play your instrument properly... before you walk down the road and get a record deal? And that it requires you to spend hours and hours practising on some kind of a regular basis?

Anyway 'they' say there's no market for it anymore... just as they did when Joe wanted to cut his first album I believe? Thankfully, Satch continues to boogie like no other guitar player can. And to this very day... continues to prove them all wrong. <-

JOE- I am so glad that you do the Platinum tickets for your fans, Matt and I had a FANTASTIC time! I have to say that without a doubt it was THE best gig I have ever attended! The time just flew by, you played with so much passion, it was such a personal performance... I absolutely loved the jam at the end of AWMAWY, also it was so great to hear so many of the new tracks as well as your older ones. The only track I was praying you would play that you didn't was Midnight, but you can't do them all I know! One Robot's Dream came across brilliantly, so atmospheric... my other favourite moments were Surfing With The Alien, Circles, Super Colossal, Flying in a Blue Dream... the list is endless...

The time you took to talk to all of us afterwards was very much appreciated. Thanks for answering my questions (although I would have loved to have asked a couple more!) and for accepting my gifts (especially Jean Luc Picard...!) And THANKYOU to John for all his time, hospitality and patience... and of course thanks Jeff, Galen and Dave :)

Can't wait for you to come back to the UK soon, I will definitely do the Platinum experience again as I need the answers to my other questions... and I need to re-assure myself I didn't dream the whole thing! When the photos come through hopefully I'll convince myself I did in fact SHAKE JOE SATRIANI'S HAND!!! It was such a perfect end to such a special day:)

Thanks so much Joe for it all - Suzie :)

Wow, how frigin amazing was that?!

This was my first propper Satch concert after seeing him at G3 in 2004, and I was totally blown away. FIABD was a great opener, and from then on it was a brilliant mix of old and new songs. I have to say, Redshift Riders has now become one of my all-time fave Satch songs, it blew me away last night! AWM,AWY was another highlight, and i loved the new ending to it. Crowd Chant was AMAZING!! When I first ever heard this song, I must admit, I wasn't too keen on it, and wasn't too sure how the UK audiences would take to it, but last night put a stop to those thoughts! It was a great experience singing along (or trying to sing along) with so many other Satch fans. Summer song was a perfect song to end on. My necks hurting from all the headbanging i did last night!

I thought Johnny A was excellent. It was great to hear some Hendrix and Led Zep. A really nice guy as well.

Thanks Joe for a really outstanding night. You truly are a master of the guitar and I hope you continue making music and touring for many years to come. You da man!

Cant wait for G3! Whos it gona be?!!!

Dave.

The most fun I've seen Joe have in ages. He really seemed vibrant tonight. I had a platinum package ticket and it was worth absolutely every penny. As always, Joe was gracious and humble and nothing was too much for him to sign or talk to you about.

John was an excellent host and really added to the experience, I agree with the book idea. Go on John, it'd be a great read.

I really can't think of a better way to enjoy myself than the time I had at this gig. Joe's set was wonderful, opening with my favourite 'Flying'. His new material really worked live and One Robot's Dream was beautiful.

All in all, my 26th Joe gig was just as good as the others but the added benifit of meeting them man just addd the perfect finishing touch. I would heartily recommend the Platinum / diamond packages to anyone.

Sam.

Hammersmith Apollo: Well this was the one I was waiting for and Joe didn't disappoint. His playing was fluid, masterful and truly expressive. He managed to breath new life into "old" favourites and faithfully reproduce the nuances of the new material. For me Joe is now the Grand Master of guitar and has gone beyond technique to the point where he just "becomes" the music. And what music! With ITLIS, I was afraid the material might be running a little thin but SC has proved that Joe is not short on inspiration. Red Shift Riders had me flying around the cosmos at warp speed, A Cool New Way was treated to a flurry of improvised extensions expertly woven into the main theme, One Robots Dream was a revelation to me live as it's one track I didn't really "get" on the CD. The Meaning Of Love is my new favourite ballad and has knocked Love Thing off it's podium.

The only reason I'm giving this a 9 is down to the heavy handed and pointless policy of The Apollo with regard to picture taking. The staff took on the persona of a Swat team and anyone would have thought the audience were wielding 9mm Beretta's not crappy little cameras. The constant interventions were quite off-putting and totally unnecessary. Come on, this is never a problem at other venues so why here?

I'd like to thank a few people for making the evening such a memorable exerience. Firstly Jon Iverson for taking care of us during the Platinum experience - you managed to make a difficult job look easy. My fellow fans and enthusiasts - I can't remember all the names but it was a pleasure meeting you all. Lastly Joe - words fail me man. You are living proof that it is possible to rise to the very top of the tree and still keep both feet firmly on the ground. You are indeed Super Colossal and I have never met anyone as kind, gracious, hard working and genuine as your good self. Thank You. I better end there - I'm getting a little misty eyed!