Joe Satriani

So, last night the wife (who is almost 9 months pregnant and a trooper!) and I went to see Satch at the Vets and it was awesome. The acoustics are the best of any venue in my small state so it really made the music just pop and ensconce you like a living breathing blanket of melody and mirth. It started with a video on a screen that was summarily dropped and the band launched into Shockwave Supernova. The songs sounded heavier and crunchier due to the aforementioned acoustics and the 3 Marshall stacks didn't hurt. Joe played all the hits (almost the entirety of side one of "Surfing with the Alien") and a few tracks of the new album. Two 70 minute sets bookended a 15 minute intermission. He came out for 2 encores (I Believe and Surfing with the Alien) and the crowd lapped it up.

Most people were my age or older and there were a few teens there with their parents. That was cool to see. I really liked the videos that were played on the back screen as they fit the theme of the song or were the videos for the few songs Joe has actually released as singles and shot vids for. I can't believe I have been a fan since Freshman year of HS and I also can't believe that Professor Satchifunkilus will be 60 this July! The interplay between him and his band was terrific and the backing musicians are talented in their own right. The second guitarist/ keyboardist, Mike Keneally, was awesome. And the drummer, while seemingly pedestrian at first, shined in his solo time to begin the second set. This is a group of musicians that really enjoy playing and entertaining together.

In conclusion, a fantastic show that I hope to have the pleasure of seeing and experiencing again someday. Highly recommended.

Mike Keneally is the second guitarist????? That dude jams!!!! I just looked up who the rest of the band is. Bryan Beller and Marco Minneman are in his band as well???? I gotta see this tour.

oh poo! I already missed him!

Keneally and Beller have been around for a long time. Here they are as Stanley Snail w/Kevin Gilbert and Nick D'Virgilio in 1995:




I'm a Kevin Gilbert fanboy, btw!

Good stuff, chewie! One of the things I have always liked about Joe is that he's not afraid to have talented people around him to push him to be better and keep him at the top of his game. Unlike an Yngwie, whose ego has to be front and center and doesn't want competition.

I would love to hear him jamming with Marco. I've been terribly burnt out on Satch for a long time now but that would freshen things up a lot.

It was a great show and they really did jam a lot. At one point, they would start the bars of a few iconic songs (Smoke On The Water, Heartbreaker, Satisfaction) and the crowd would recognize and so the guys (Satch, Keneally, Minneman) would go in another direction. It was so cool. I am such a nerd for that shit.

Sounds like an awesome show. I'll have to make a point to check Satch out next time he's on the road.