Joe Satriani - home > show review

RSVampire (Ryan Saldivar)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Sep 21, '03 1:27 pm
Very VERY awsome show! I loved Petrucci and Vai and of course Satriani rock'd the joint down. I was a little bummed that Paul Gilbert was in the LA show right before mine. But hey I saw some great guitarists and some awsome music! Can't wait for the next G3 conert. Thanks!
carney (brian carney)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon Oct 15, '01 6:38 pm
I loved the show it was my first time seeing Satch, Vai, and Petrucci at a concert. It was also my first concert in my life and a great one to see. I came to see all the drumers because I am a drummer myself. That end of it was so cool but, i think seeing the "Guitar Gods," was even better. First John Petrucci came out and tore up the stage. Then, Mr. Steve Vai came out and totally tore it up too. Then, last , but certainly not least Satch came out to show off his stuff. And then the actual G3 started with all three guitarists. Anyway, thanks for the awesome show guys!!!
Metalhead Ted (Ted Crowl)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sat Jul 28, '01 12:11 pm
I saw the show and I was blown away. I thought the Warfield was a great place to have the show, I don't think there is a bad seat in the place. With the show starting with John, he came out setting a blistering pace and didn't let up at all. He totally kicked ass, not to mention his drummer Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater who was awesome to say the least. Then you had Steve Vai & Billy Sheehan, who I didn't know (Billy) was playing on this tour, come out and blaze through "Shyboy" from there DLR days. With Steve's incredible guitar playing and showmanship (quite the showman) and Billy's fabulous bass playing, it's hard to beat those two when they are together. Great to see those boys playing together again. Then comes the master of the guitar, Joe Satriani with his guitar wizardry and creativity, he is just totally amazing to watch. Just when you thought the show couldn't get any better, they all come out on stage and have a jam session. Who could ask for anything more. The concert lasted over three hours long, that doesn't include setup time between each set. I honestly can't say enough about this "G3" tour. Hope you guys and gals enjoyed it as much as I did. MTLHedTed
astrobiob	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Tue Jul 10, '01 12:33 pm
The show, with the cartoooonish lineup, was all it could have been. First, John Petrucci and his band were great. John's approach as a heavy kind of player with lead chops, to the degree he develops both, is a rare combo. To think he composed these song offerings for a tour, on what you could depict as short notice, speaks to John's accumen as a musician's musician. Mr. La Rue had some nice, jazzy, tastey bass licks. Steve Vai and his band with Virgil Donati and Billy Sheehan were the highlight of the night for me. Steve was on fire and played three songs from his last CD. I've seen Dr. Vai three previous times, but the sounds were just so much better this time out. I believe his band was recrooooted from Monster Island. Steve and Billy work about as well together as two guys can in a band, I think. Billy is not above making fun of Steve on stage, too. I noticed a little boot waggle going down. A lesson in how to keep it mentally loose and musicaly tight? ...See: Vai and Sheehan. Then, my man Joe came out with Stoooo and Jeff and ripped through a booming set for the home crowd. The jam session was one for the ages. It was all I could do not to run up on stage and grab a guitar during "Voodoo Chile (slight return)" (call it a craving). Two Jimi covers and a raucous rendition of "Down, Down, Down", what more can a guy ask for? Thank you, Joe, for helping to pull together such an awesome array of talent. Most inspiring.
House (Michael J. House)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sat Jul 07, '01 5:37 pm
We were waiting and waiting and finally John Petrucci came out and played some new songs that kicked ass. And at the end he through a pick into the audience and hit the ground and my friend standing next to me bends down and pick I still don't know how he saw that because it was so darkbut he got John petrucci's pick. then Steve Vai I didn't like steve vai's first couple songs because I couldn't heasr anything he was playing. He had 3 guitarists and a bass that seemed that they all were all on 10 volume and steve was on like 6. but after that it was good. Then Satch came out and you could hear him just fine he played new stuff and some old favorites and played the chromeboy and the js2k seethrough js and then they all came and jammed they soundd really good together overall I think the concert rocked but standing 5 ft. from the stage for 3-4 hours was hard on my legsand joints. but I do it again. Mike House
surfsup (charles hartig)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 6	Posted: Thu Jul 05, '01 2:06 pm
I'll only see these artists individually again. Satriani's set: flying in a blue dream, surfing with the alien...I want NEW stuff!! I've seen Joe MANY times and always left happy accept at these G3 shows. All the artists were great except I heard Joe and Steve do the same songs too many times. The encores were great! You know I probally would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't seating near the top!, but the seats were ok, it was just TOOOOOO HOT!!! Anyway, Joe see ya in the future... ./Chuckman
Dmike (Dave Wash)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Thu Jul 05, '01 1:07 pm
$80.00 for Ozzfest the day before, $40.00 for G3, and it was no contest, G3 is the winner by fatally kicking Ozzfests' collective ass!
wave function (Jonathan Hsu)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 8	Posted: Tue Jul 03, '01 5:44 pm
The show was really great as expected. John Petrucci was an excellent addition to the G3 lineup. The first song was a 7-string melody that really showcased the sheer balls of John's rig. I must say that John's guitar sounded absolutely awesome. I had been waiting to see Steve Vai live for five years (since he skipped SF on his Ultra Zone tour) and he was really good. Unfortunately, Billy Sheehan's bass rig was about ten times louder than Steve's so all I really got to hear was the bass. He was a great bassist and all, but I wanted to hear Steve, not Billy. Vai played the Animal, which was awesome, as well as a couple off of the new album. He closed with For The Love Of God which was cool except he was out of tune by a bit. Satch's set was the usual Satch set. Particularly good was Rasberry Jam and Cool No. 9. The jam was truly exceptional. The first song was an easily forgotten ZZTop song, but the two Jimi songs were great. Little Wing was truly marvelous, as I could actually hear Steve's guitar. I had the privelege of obtaining aftershow passes to this one, so I got to meet Steve, Joe, and Stu afterwards. They were pretty cool. Steve has really big hands and they were both shorter than I expected. I'll put pics on my webpage. Altogether, great show.
hubie08 (keith huber)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 11:23 pm
Great show all in all. Everyone had super great tone and played with tons of energy. It was a blast to watch. I was very impressed with John. Steve was amazing and Joe was brilliant as always. Too many tall people blocking the view though.I felt sorry for all the short people who couldnt see like my girlfriend. I would just like to say that Joe and Steve should merge their talents and work together. CAN YOU PEOPLE IMAGINE THE MUSIC THOSE 2 DUDES COULD CREATE IF IT WASENT FOR THE MUSIC LABELS AND THE CONTRACT RESTRICTIONS BLAH BLAH BLAH ?????
mgmountain	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 5:25 pm
All 3 bands were tremendous. John P. wrote original music just for the tour and it was great. His last song was a medley of Liquid Tension and DT - wonderful. I have all of the Dream Theater and Liquid Tension albums and I look forward to more of John P's excellent work. His style is heavy and melodic. His band included Mike Portnoy on drums - very busy and often too loud but I loved the drumming anyway. In contrast to Petrucci's style was Steve Vai (who had Billy Sheehan on bass). As usual, they were amazing together (they've been playing together for 20 years!). The dueling guitar-bass work was mind-blowing. Steve is a master of distortion and volume control and he gave some incredible solos. Joe S. played many of my favorites - Surfing with Alien, Blue Dream, to name just 2. He was intense and precise and Stu Hamm on bass is the ultimate complement to him. The only thing I did not like was his bald head and tacky sunglasses. Everything else was perfect. I loved the format of 3 separate bands. Took about 4 hours total including the jam at the end. I look forward to the next G3 show.
JakeTaz (Jake Williams)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 3:32 pm
Wow man! That was amazing! John Petrucci (who I never heard of before this but instantly liked) was a kickass opener. He played three long songs that he wrote just for this tour, but if they ever come out on CD I'm buyin' that one! The second one sounded kind of Middle Eastern and the third one had this stuff that was almost like Celtic dancing music mixed with shred! I thought J.P. was a good mix of metal and melody like Satch crossed with Metallica. Steve Vai was crazy and it's hard to believe that he's even human. I'm going to give away a big surprise here: I couldn't believe it when he started his set, him and Billy Sheehan came running out on the stage and bashed out an incredible rendition of Shyboy! Billy sang great DLR vocals and it was a classic Rock and Roll moment! Vai beat the crap out of his guitar and did some truly amazing guitar stunts. It's hard to describe. See this crazy dude live, you won't believe it! He played For the Love of God last. Satch opened up with Summer Song (I think). He played really good but he fucked up a couple times on Raspberry Jam. He played those two songs, Surfing With the Alien, Flying in a Blue Dream, Always With Me Always With You, Satch Boogie, The Extremist, Devil's Slide, I think that's about it. For the 3 way jam they played in this order: La Grange, Voodoo Child (both with Sheehan on vocals), Little Wing (with Vai on vocals), and Goin' Down (with Satch on vocals). It was a great show and Joe was the best. The highlight of the evening was Satch Boogie & Voodoo Child. I would definitely do that again and I wanna see Joe on another solo tour.
porksandwich (Christopher Clement)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 1:38 pm
Well... the was the first time I had seen Satch, Vai and John P. Let ms just say this... THEY MELTED MY BRAIN! My only reason for not giving them a 10 was the sound. They sound guy must have been deaf cause it was WAY too loud for a venue like the Warfield. At some points it was just a wall of sound, but I digress. This show kicked ass! John P held his own no problem against Satch and Vai. I was amazed that he wrote all new stuff just for this tour. Wow! Vai was... well, AMAZING. I still convinced he's a alien... no human can play like that. BTW, Mr. Vai came up to the first balcony and sat down next to me and took a listen to Satch. I was so in to Satch... I didn't even notice until he walked away! Man, do I feel like a dork. Satch was fluid and astounding. Everything I thought he would be live. Anyway, an unbelievable concert by 3 unbelievable players. I haven't had the nerve to plug in and play yet, I'm still swimming in the afterglow. AMAZING!
musicanml (steve jacques)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 2:45 am
I can only descibe this concert in one word...AMAZING. To start off, i hadnt heard of john patrucci before i heard he was gonna play at this years g3 so i downloaded a few dream theater songs. To be honest i was more amazed with dream theaters drummer mike portnoy than i was with john. When john took the stage i was not expecting this guy to rip as much as he did. John patrucci and mike portnoy have a karisma that feeds off one another. They played very tight and very complicated, to me they played as one mind almost. Then steve vai took the stage with billy sheenan and i knew shit was gonna go down. Steve vai's set was the single greatest musical set i have ever encountered. I didn't catch the drummers full name, i only heard his first name virgil. This guy tears up a drumset like none other. He looked to me like he was in his mid twenties but he played with his sticks with a traditional grip which surprised me. Steve played an awsome set and he added a few surprizes, which i wont mention. I think the most incredible part of his set (which i also thought was the highlight of the show)was the dualing leads he played with billy sheenan. I coul go on for pages about thins set but ill move on. Satch came on and played an awsome set also. He played mostly the usual favorites with a couple oldies. As the others before him he played a flawless set. Stew played very well and put on a great stage show also with tons of energy. When all three came out it was great. they started of with a song i never thought in my wildest that they were gonna play. Then they played some classics and left the stage. As the the five of them stood there (Satch, Vai, Patrucci, Hamm, and sheenan) i realized that i would probably never see a more talented line up then that for the remainder of my life, and im only 19!!!!
unclemark	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 6:54 pm
As always a very professional and fan interactive show, I was a little bummed that Joe played a little shorter set but Joe and steve always rock the house, It was my first time seeing John and he knows how to put on a show, hope to see ya in concord.
GuitarDude96	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 4:03 pm
This show was great! This is by far the best show i've ever been to. I hadn't really heard much if petrucci's work before tonight, but I must say that I'm very impressed. He's a very good player. During Steve Vai's set, I think that vai's guitar should have been a little louder... There were times when I had trouble hearing him. Satriani's set was great. I liked it just fine with out the 2nd guitarist. During always with me, always with you, stu hamm was doing a tapping thing the whole time so he was playing the bass part and the rhythm guitar part. that guy is amazing! My favorite part of the concert had to be the cover of voodoo child. I think that Petrucci and Vai should have both been louder during the G3 Jam songs, but too bad... The show was awesome, and steve vai threw me his pick! Everyone should see this show, it's just so great!!
faisal (Faisal Naqvi)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 2:09 pm
I have seen Satch live on tour for his Engines of Creation CD at the Fillmore last year. IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE. I saw Steve on the Passion and Warfare tour in 93 or 94 in New Haven. Also, IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE. I have never seen John Petrucci live or even have heard any of his Dream Theater or his solo stuff. So I was very impressed by him. He rocks. To see these three guitar shredders together, puts any other rock show to shame. What a great show. John was a welcome addition to this year's G3 lineup. He was awesome. Very melodic and heartfelt guitar work with an incredible degree of control and feeling. Mike Portnoy, his comrade in arms from Dream Theatre, is a drum god. Dave LaRue's bass to Mike and John's playing was the icing on the cake. Steve, as usual, was the ultimate showman. Guitar god. Absolute control. With Billy Sheehan by his side, he tore it up. I was there for Satch, who, in my opinion, shred the guitar the most of the three. Stu and Jeff were his perfect companions. This time Eric Cardieux was not on the tour with Satch. I liked this setup better with no keyboards and no rhythm guitar. The jam in the end with all the three was the ultimate climax of the show. I can finally die happy now. I hope they make this tour into a DVD or VHS release like they did with the previous one. I can't wait what they do for next time.
skrambl	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 2:01 pm
parting shots from a phenomenal evening...petrucci/portnoy tore it up...portnoy was a revelation live and his partner played tastefully...Paradigm Shift smoked...Vai was Vai...inspirational (especially Whispering a Prayer and for the Love of...)..Sheehan killed and seeing the two of them together again made the evening...Joe and Co. were tight and loud...Cool #9 and Surfing were highlights...the "jam" was a seamless showcase of talent...Voodoo Chile and La Grange were excellent and Little Wing (w/ the three trading shots with the smiling combo of Hamm/Sheehan looking on..) was perfect...closed w/ Goin Down and it was over...great show and execllent performances by all
Get a loaf (Marshall Benson)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 4:24 am
Man, that show really kicked ass. John was the first one on. He was much better than i thought he would be. His playing is very heavy and melodic. great player! I really enjoyed his set. He's one of my favorites, now. Have to get his new album coming out... between sets, they had to change drums and amps and so forth, they only took about 10-15 minutes, they were real quick. good job on that. and then Steve Vai came out in his silk red bandana and leather trenchcoat. this was the first time i have seen him live, and he totally blew me away. Some songs were confusing... I guess they were off the Fire Garden album, but his guitar had this really muddled sound. like there was too much mid frequency or something. but, he did play "The Animal" so, I was happy. great job on "For the love of god" and "Jiboom." Anyway, his bassist TOTALLY kicked ass. Billy Sheehan. Man, he rocked. John and Steve's drummers were INCREDIBLE. i was totally blown away. Then good 'ol Satch came on, and played the classics. I would like to add that he did an especially good job on "Extremist" and "Devil's Slide." I would have liked to see him play some more songs off of crystal planet and EOC, but hey -- the classics work for me. Summer Song was really cool. and the jam songs, those were beyond amazing. what more can I say? how can you describe perfection? It was really cool to see so many great musicians together with so many different styles, just jamming. my first rock guitar concert -- that was huge. i am very satisfied with the experience. Joe was totally awesome, good job, man!! Hell, everyone was awesome. How can i POSSIBLY pick a favorite!?? Damn! I had a GREAT time at the warfield. kick ass show. I'll remember this as long as I live.
GuitBone (Justin Nelson)	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 10	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 2:45 am
I was surprised from the very beginning of the show. I didnt think the concert had started yet and that just the roadies(who were really good) were playing. This was mostly due to the drummers attire. But I quickly realized this was the real deal. A blistering 45 minute set by John Petrucci left me giddy. He also gave us fair warning of what was to come. I came back from the bar and awaited Steve Vai. The opening song was a high speed wall of sound! I was once again surprised by the attire of Steve Vai, as he looked like he was still in the 80's but he quickly ditched the dated duds. Steves set lasted more than an hour and should have gone longer :-) I gained more respect for him and now understand how much of a guitar god he truly is. Joes set was great as always but felt stagnant since I heard nearly every song the same as I did at the Fillmore in December. The Showdown was Killer! The Super Band blew through a ZZ Top tune and 2 Jimi Hendrix tunes, Voodoo Chile and Little Wing. It was a great tribute and a realization as to where these 3 great men started from. The only dissapointment was that the showdown was so short. Great Show and I cant wait to see it again! Justin
Sitarra	Sat Jun 30 '01 The Warfield San Francisco, CA, US	Rank: 9	Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 2:17 am
This was my first G3. Wow - it was fantastic - 3.5 hrs of music (with just a very little bit of intermission in between John/Steve and Steve/Satch. John Petrucci was fantastic - had never heard of Dream theatre, and the sound in this little intimate theatre was really great. The drummer was awesome for John, had the best sound of all three drummers (more on that later). SO, I had never seen Steve Vai before, and even though some of the other reviews said his "act" gets old, I thought it was great. Very theatrical and a great showman. He got the audience going with his command of our attention and that guitar. His bass player in the band was really a good showman too. Then when Joe came on, I was surprised not to see the 2nd guitar player hs has had before. Stu , Joe Jeff were a good trio but the sound seemed to have been turned up to the point of distortion for Joe. That was disappointing because I could tell his songs were just executed to perfection! It was the bass and drums that sounded a little bit muddy. I think JOe played the songs the fans wanted, but next time he should just wow us all and play new stuff - we'll get used to it! The last set with everyone was really great (no extra walk-ons) with ZZtop and Hendrix songs. Everyone seemed to be having a great time on the stage and that carried to the audience. The audience was great - full house, loud, receptive and appreciative! The sound thing for the Joe and the G3 is the only thing making this a "9" vs a "10" for me! I feel quite treated to have seen these hot guitarists. OK. I look forward to reading more reviews!