There are two reasons I couldn't give this a 10, but that's probably being unfair. Before I go into those, a few opening comments though. I have recently (in the past few months) discovered Dream Theater. I had heard of them some time ago, but had never heard their music. I got "Images and Words" cheap from JB HiFi and thought it was great. I have since purchased "Octavarium", which only got better. When I saw the ad for G3 tickets (the morning they went on sale, no less), and saw that the lineup included John Petrucci, how could I not go? (Actually, it didn't matter who the other two were going to be. Joe would play, that's all that really mattered to me!).

I hadn't heard any of John's solo work before hand, but I was duly impressed. "Jaws of Life" was a fantastically powerful opener, and from the moment John started to crunch that out, you just knew you were in for a great rock guitar show. It wasn't long before the drummer caught my attention though. He was good. Sadly (for John), the drummer's ability coupled with John's introversion (he often seemed like he was playing to the band and not the audience) meant that the drummer stole John's set. He was awesome. When it was announced that the drummer was none other than Mike Portnoy (the drummer of Dream Theater), things finally clicked. This was no ordinary percussionist, this was the multi-award-winning Portnoy, a master of the sticks and skins. With Dream Theater never having toured Australia, I am very grateful to have seen Portnoy and Petrucci play together live.

Now, to my criticisms. Firstly, I am not such a huge Steve Vai fan. I have nothing but respect for him, I think he's an awesome musician and a great showman, but his particular brand of guitar-work isn't quite my cup of tea. As a result, I found myself getting slightly bored during his set (my sincere apologies to all Vai fans). Secondly, I was slightly disappointed with Joe's performance. His last Melbourne show for "Is There Love In Space?" was so amazingly fantastic (that show was without question the greatest show I've ever seen), my expectations were unfairly high. Unfairly, because, quite simply, it is unfair to expect Joe's short G3 set (short compared to his solo show) to be as all-encompassing. Joe didn't play some songs I'd have loved to hear him play, but he did play my favourite. And that brings me to what was, in my eyes, the pinnacle of the show.

"Always With Me, Always With You" is my favourite Joe song. Joe played it fantastically, adding those little extra improvisations that he tends to do when playing it live. He even played the little pizzicato extended ending (like on "Live in San Francisco") that I love. But then he kept going. He extended this even more, leading to the introduction of Steve Vai for the start of the G3 Jam. I don't really like Vai's playing, but his soloing during this part was awesome. With the backing bass theme of the extended AWM,AWY going, he played some beautiful music that still moves me. But wait, there's still more! Things calm down a bit and mellow out, then John Petrucci steps up with his hauntingly beautiful swell-work before continuing with his solo. From here it just kept going, with Joe, Steve and John taking turns to work their magic. Finally, Joe brings it back with the arpeggiated AWM,AWY theme, bringing things back down to earth. That extended AWM,AWY ending was about seven or eight minutes long, but I wished it could have been twice that. It was just awesome. I hope beyond hope (if anyone's listening!!) that this show, or in the very least that song, was recorded and will be released. It was easily one of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard, live or recorded. Yes, it was that good.

I enjoyed myself at the concert, but mostly because of its specialness, having never had either G3 or John Petrucci/Mike Portnoy in Australia.

My main problem is that which I normally have at live concert, the mix. Sometimes the guitars were clear, like during Steve Vai's Whispering a Prayer, but other times, like during the G3 jam, it wasn't very clear who was playing what.

However, this whole G3 visit was more of a package of experiences, because the day after this concert, I went to Allan's Music and met John Petrucci and had him sign my copy of Score DVD by Dream Theater.

A couple of days after that I attended the Masterclinic of Dave La Rue and John Petrucci, which was the icing on the cake. I even got to ask Mr. Petrucci a question and he answered, which was pretty cool.

Overall, a great experience, and I would encourage any guitar afficionado to attend any similar events in the future!

What a fantastic show, loved it, loved it. I will 100% be there again if Joe ever comes back to Melbourne.

What a talent. Thanks for the great memories. I am still buzzing from the show 4 days later. Can't wipe the smile from my dial. :-)

I flew in from New Zealand on the day for the concert. As a fan of nearly 20 years, this was too good to miss.

I was amazed. For nearly four hours my bones lay floating in the hospice of the soul - resting as some pure blue alien liquid was poured into my veins. Just as I thought my being would pass from this world into the next the G3 jam pulled me back, and reminded me that there is so much joy to be had in this earthly realm.

My God that was an incredible experience.

Great Gig, Joe rocked the place as usual. Petrucci was a bit of a statue and Vai was as strange as ever. Nice venue however crowd participation was poor. I didn't like the fact that we were all seated, got the feeling that people weren't sure if it was ok to stand or not. Overall a great night though!!

Hope to see Joe back in Oz next year!!!!