Notes.doc

Satriani takes his live performance to the next level, November 8, 2006

I've been a Satriani fan since his first album, and especially after the release of Surfing with the Alien. My one gripe was how static and simple the support parts in his compositions were, specifically, the drums and bass. More recently I've gained a greater appreciation of why this was so. First to highlight his incomparable ability to write an amazing guitar melody, and second (and more obviously) to highlight his amazing technical virtuosity. Nevertheless, this lacking in the support areas has been addressed continually over the years, for example, with the frequent use of the unbelievable Stuart Hamm on bass.

This live CD & DVD set is by far the most dramatic step forward in the area of support, and it is what makes this a definitive Satriani live CD/DVD. Specifically, the extended versions, the jam-outs (or jam-ins), which include some very interesting stretching on Joe's part also, highlight the dynamic nature of this big step.

In recent years, Joe has used the reliable backing of bassist Matt Bissonette & Satriani stalwart drummer Jeff Campitelli. And while Bissonette is a decent and very reliable musician, he is not by any means a mind-boggling technical virtuoso, as is the aforementioned Stuart Hamm. Likewise, Campitelli had never really pressed any buttons for me as a drummer, as my leanings in that area tend to be toward the likes of guys such as Neil Peart, Vinnie Colaiuta, Terry Bozzio, etal. I have been to many G3 shows, and the energy level always seemed to be higher when Steve Vai was out with his amazing band (particularly with the likes of Billy Sheehan on bass in recent years, and Tony MacAlpine on Second Lead Guitar and Keyboards). Satriani was always reliable and perfect, but the energy never quite seemed to go through the roof, like in Vai's band.

Another G3 repeat offender, John Petrucci, guitar player for the current greatest band in the world, Dream theater, last toured with G3 with Dave LaRue on Bass and Dream Theater cohort Mike Portnoy on drums. It was much of the same thing - high energy. What would you expect from 2/3rd's of your members being Dream Theater guys?

I bring this up because now Dave LaRue is touring with Satriani and is the bass player on this live outing. And he is the one difference in the lineup. I have been familiar with LaRue's phenomenal abilities as a bass player for many years, having seen him play in the Steve Morse Band, the Dixie Dregs, as well as a previous G3 tour that Petrucci performed on as well. LaRue is not only a virtuoso who can stand toe to toe with any other bass player, but he is also a team player. When the required playing is to sit back and support & do the great support job Bissonette had done in recent years, he does it and he does it well. However, when it's time to stretch...

Then there'e Jeff Campitelli. Always has been a GOOD drummer. Well, we're hearing some stretching from him on this recording as well. This recording proves his abilities as an excellent drummer. His performance in the jam sections with LaRue and Satriani is superb.

Next there's rhythm guitarist Galen Henson. He fills in the spaces accurately, doesn't make mistakes and never gets in the way. A perfect shadow for all the holes that are hard for one guitarist, even Joe Satriani, to fill up.

And then Joe. Always amazing. But now that he's freed himself up a bit to stretch out and to play off of the other musicians more, and not always just in front of/on top of, however you want to say it, he is truly shining on another level.

I am a big fan of Rush. And one of the many great things you always notice about Rush is how well they play as an ensemble. They are all virtuosos, and they are virtuosic together, as a unit. Similarly, this ethic is displayed by Satriani's band on this live outing also.

The most important thing about this is that the wealth of new tracks from Super Colossal (one of his best CD's in years) are well performed, and the older, tried and true mainstay tracks have almost all been given a new spin, making this an ideal live performance.

Finally, Satriani's guitar tone is ridiculously amazing. This should be used to sell the JS model Ibanez & to sell whatever amp setup he is using.

Highlights: "Cool #9," "Circles" & "Always with me, Always with you." Especially the jamming: The jam-in on Cool #9 & the jam-outs on the other two tunes. For the newer songs, "One Robots Dream."

This is what I've always wanted to see Joe do, to stretch out. And now that he has done so, he's exceeded my expectations, which I did not think possible, because they were very high.