show review
zirm Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jun 14, '02 12:26 pm
Very awesome! Joe got some cool feedback during the jam at the end. This concert was definitely an experience.

speedy1 Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Mon Aug 06, '01 10:30 pm
Anybody interested should go see this show. The best I have ever seen. Totally friggin awesome. Any satch fans interested, there is a new band G-Force with an awesome guitarist to check out with free downloads of music. WWW.gforcerocks.com . This guy should be the opening act on the next G3 tour. Vai and satch are the true guitar gods of our time. Thanks for a great time and an amazing show.

??? Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Thu Jul 19, '01 1:13 pm
This show was absolutley incredible, I have seen Joe four times now and he has been awesome every time. The G3 tours are an absolute treat. You must see this tour!!! I brought two female friends to the show and it was their first time seeing Joe or Steve live and they were absolutely wet by the time Stevie was done with his set and then Joe came on and blew them away. Thanks guys!!! I did not win the aftershow passes which would have been great, but I think my aftershow party was a little bit better. There is always alot of dudes at Satriani shows but guys I highly recommend bringing your chick or any chick (hot ones preferably) hell bring two, to a Joe or a G3 show . You will be surprised how many girls are into this music and getting them to a show definetly works in your favor. Thanks again guys for an incredible show. I cannot wait for you to come back in this area again. The Keswick is an excellent place to see a show the sound is much better than the Electric Factory and the view is great from anywhere in the place. Please use this venue again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only reason I gave this show a 9 and not a 10 was that Joe played a little shorter than I would have liked but I will definetly be at every Satriani show in this area whenever he comes back!!!!

guts
(robert gerlach)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 6:49 pm
this was the first time i have seen any of these guys and i was totally blown away. a friend from work turned me on to joe's engines of creations, and i have bought most of his cataloge since then. i missed his EOC tour in philly, and will always regret not seeing him solo. this guy fuckin rocks!!! i grew up listening to hendrix, page,clapton and trower. EOC is one great CD. i was in the 2nd.row but on the right side. i wanted to be in front of him, but maybe next time. where is the video of this tour, i can't wait to buy it. the dvd of joes live in SF, i hope it goes on sale soon. steve vai is one strange dude, but he can play that guitar, a real showman. thanks guys

uziel2000
(Frank Pizarro)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 12:04 pm
Being from far away lands,(Puerto Rico is not that far but aparently for touring musicians it is.)I rarely get to see such a quality show as the one I witnessed on July 12. Of all the G3 tours that have come and gone, this one had a very special meaning for me because all three guitarists are very profund inluences of my own guitar playing. THANK GOD I WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA !!! Although I had a nose-bleed seat, way back in the very last row, I didn't care, I was there. First was John P., who has taught me more about practice and playing discipline than anyone else. I hope he puts out an album of the stuff heplayed because its some of the best instrumental music I've ever heard. Very tasteful playing and Mike Portnoy is the most awsome drummer. Dave also played great. he finished with Erotomania (for the Dream Theater fans) and some stuff from Liquid Tension Experiment. A third thru the show and I was already floored, but nothing could prepare me for Steve Vai. NOTHING. Of the three he is definetly the showman and what a show! Steve and Billy Sheenan make an excellent duo and they reflect their love of playing with each other so much. By the time he played For the Love of God I was literaly breathless. But the best was yet to come. After a slight delay, Joe came on and played an incredible(albeight short)set, with The Extremeist being the definete highlight.(a song I requested on my set list by the way) Finishing with Always with me akways with you, it was time for the jam. In my wildest dreams have I heard such masterful playing. I was praying they played Voodo Child (YES !!!!). They started with La Grange from ZZ Top followed by the Hendrix tune. By that time I couldn't help it anymore. I ended up front (sorry if I annoyed anyone but it was too much for me) screaming and cheering. Even if it was for two songs I got to see the masters up close. They REALLY let themselves loose on Voodo Child, with Vai playing like a madman. the addition of Billy Sheenan to the jam was not only great but crucial. An incredible show all around and an unforgetable night for me. Thanx guys for a great show. Joe, Steve, John, Dream Theater, remember Puerto Rico. I'll be patiently waiting for you.

LpJp16
(Ray Migneco)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 15, '01 2:07 pm
Possibly the best show I've ever seen, the only thing that could top it is when I saw just joe play for 2.5 hours last spring. Petrucci's had excellent songs, especially his 3rd and 4th ones. Vai was interesting, especially when he came out in that skirt! But he and Billy Sheehan really blew me away! Vai did a superb job with the songs from "alive in an ultra world." Vai is definitely the showman. I can't describe the feeling I felt when I saw Joe take the stage! He opened it with Cool #9, and then devils slide, which had some amazing solo sections. I had to Honestly say satriani and his band mixed the best, where as John P. was a little too bassy and Steve's band just wasn't mixed right. As expected, Joe was solid and amazing, and the jam at the end of the set was thoroughly impressive with hendrix and zz top songs with the classic "goin down."

slipkid Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 8 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 3:58 pm
i entered my comments about the keswick show as soon as i got home last night but they never showed up here so thought i would try again...i will simply say again that i was *DISAPPOINTED* in this show despite *LOVING* all the music/playing that went on..ALL of the artists were great & i was blown away by the sets by petrucci and vai (what a showman!), and the playing of sheehan and larue and portnoy and keneally and stu and well everybody on stage all night, *BUT* joe played WAY TOO SHORT!!! only 40 minutes!!! i was there primarily for satch, and i had 3rd row center seats, and it was like seeing this concert in my living room, but only 40 minutes for joe's set? i'd rather almost see him from the nosebleed section play for 2 hours...sigh...next time please give joe an hour at least, and shave some time off of the first band (no offense to john p., he was great but he was not the headliner y'know)...last comment, please drop GOIN' DOWN from the jam, maybe i am in the minority here but why do people like this song? to me it is one of the worst, most boring songs ever written, and to make matters worse many artists cover it (like joe walsh for example)...i just don't get it i guess; there are like 15 million much better songs to cover that would allow the guys to stretch out and jam, without being so boring...sorry to be a downer, long live G3 anyway, if you don't have tickets to see the tour and were just thinking of going, GO ANYWAY DESPITE THIS REVIEW, you'll love it if you just accept it as a short taster of each artist, but be sure to bring joe's new live CD with you in the car to play on the way home to make it seem like he played longer than the last time you went to the dentist ;-)

jonno
(jon shapiro)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 1:59 pm
AMAZING! Johnny P. was the first to take the stage, he played some songs i was not to familiar with because i never really got into solo petrucci. i could hardly recognize him with his short hair! after the entire audience sent john a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! he played one more song and called it quits. vai then came out and tore the freakn' roof off! once he was done and after a slight delay satriani came out to a bluesy jam and then palyed all of his hits. once the satch man finished, the 3g's jammed to 'la grange', 'voo-doo chile', and 'going down in the key of c'. as everyone walked off stage us fans were yelling "1 MORE SONG!" but to our dismay, it was over.

Cyber Alien Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 12:48 pm
What can I say?!? In my 22 years of seeing amazing concerts, this show was DEAFinitely THE BEST I've ever seen. The greatest guitarists, drummers, & bassists in the world all jammin' away from just a couple feet away (I was in the 2nd row ~~ "Totally Satchurated/Got Satch" shirt). I was hoping for some picks, BUT I got Mike Portnoy's drumstick instead! Not too bad! Actually the highlight of the entire night for me was watching MP beat the hell out of those drums! Thanx Mike!!! Although I didn't win the aftershow passes, we all were able to get autograhs & talk to pretty much ALL the musicians (except for MP who had left earlier/bummer/I will have to get the stick signed next time). My wife & I were able to get several autograhs each from Joe, Stuuuuuuuuu, Steve, & John (now I wish I brought more stuff, but I didn't want to be greedy). They were VERY cool to hang out UNtil everyone who wanted a signature got one. Thanx to ALL you guys!!! I had originally brought a CD-R of the 6/26/01 G3 show in Phoenix, AZ (in MP3 format) to give to Joe as an early b'day present (his b'day is Sunday), but when I found out it was John Petrucci's b'day that night (we all sang "Happy B'day" to him), I ended up giving it to John as a present (Sorry Joe! Will have to catch you next time). Maybe John can have Mike make copies for you & Steve & any other band members who'd like to have a copy of another amazing show. Anyways... my review pretty much matches what EVERYONE seems to be posting, so I'll leave it at; "AMAZING, AMAZING, show EVERYONE!!!" BTW Joe: I'll make sure that Dan Simmons gets the personally autographed "CP" CD. This is the 2nd time I've had a signed copy of "CP" and gave it away. The next one I buy (tomorrow?) I'll have to get signed too & hold on to that one! Thanx to EVERYBODY for making this one of the best days of my entire life!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah... Joe: I'm not surprised you got lost. We were driving around lost for about 1/2 hour or more trying to figure out where the hell Easton Road was, when we were on it most of the time.

hansman
(Keith Hanson)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 12:17 pm
Let me start by saying John Petrucci & Steve Vai were excellent ..... but I would have liked to see more of Joe, like 2 hours maybe!! Joe smoked the neck on his Ibanez with perfect tone & pitch along with an absolute sense of rythym & style. The man rocks period. The only thing that is keeping me from rating this a 10 is I wanted to see more of Satch.

crawkert
(Craig Weikert)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 10:12 am

I'll mainly just concur with what everyone else has written. These were the best seats I've ever had at a show [8th row]. I find it incredible that these guys aren't in great demand. I kept saying to my wife I can't believe we just drove down some back roads to this little place that only holds a little more than 1,000 and got to see these guys. In a way it makes me sick to know that garbage like Limp Bizquick, and the like, are so popular these days. In this building last night were 3 of the best guitarists and 3 of the best bass players in the world and had it not been for the internet, I would have never known it! Enough for my commentary on the state of music today...

This was the first time I saw Vai live and the 3rd time I saw Joe. I had heard of Dream Theatre before, but never listened to them. I won't forget Petrucci now though. A great performer, very tasteful licks. He really rocked and didn't overuse the tremolo or two handed tapping techniques. Mainly a straightforward shredder. And that drummer he had, Portnoy?, What a command of the drums! One of the most rock solid drummers I have ever witnessed. His playing was pounding inside my chest. If you had kidney stones going in there last night, they surely would have been broken up by the time you left.

I've seen Vai on the G3 DVD from '96, otherwise his show would have totally blew my mind. I was somewhat prepared though. The only thing I'll say negative is the sound was kind of muddy. Vai's guitar didn't come through as clear when all were playing. I didn't think he needed to bring along that Weiner guy. Guess he was trying to give some young guy a break, so I admire that. Some people have commented that Vai was too much of a show-off, but it left me wanting more. The whole place erupted after each of his songs.

And poor Joe... I guess he got lost trying to find the theatre? We all waited more than a half hour for his set and some people were getting irate. Joe has probably had more commercial success as a solo act than Vai, but in his shoes, I sure wouldn't want to follow that act. I think the long wait took the energy out of the crowd. I wanted to hear some stuff from Crystal Planet, but I don't think he played anything more recent than The Extremist. His set was over too soon for me. Joe's set had the best sound mix for sure, and his playing as usual was perfection. It's interesting to hear how his solos have mutated over time, adding notes here and there and playing ahead/behind the beat. I think the whole event would have come off better with Joe batting second. Hope that's not perceived as a knock on Joe, I still love him.

Le Grange is an absolutely perfect Jam song. As far as the other two songs, it was pure glorious cacophony! I thought my ears were going to explode. Durig Voodoo Chile, Vai appeared to be doing a pretty amazing two handed tapping thing on the neck, but I couldn't hear it through the sound fog.

Anyway, I can't give it a 10 due to the delay of Joe's set, which apparently cost the audience a couple of songs.

mgm
(Michael Meschter)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 10:04 am

Raking??? What other ranking can you give the greatest musicians? And that encompasses everything from composers, players, and performers? I'm losing count on how many times I've seen Joe and to see Vai is phenomenal. I've seen Steve several times but would actually would like to see him come around more often. You guys always thank us for coming out and allowing yourselves to perform for us... That feeling of devotion is mutual. It is us, and especially myself, that would like to thank you for giving us such a great gift, your music. The passion and emotion that you play with cuts right through to my core. It is on honor and privilege to see the greatest show on earth. And that is what I call the G3 tour "The Greatest Show on Earth." I exposed six new people to this show and that is the buzz of the day.

So once again, I want to thank Joe, Steve, John, Stu, Billy, and everyone else for their powerful music and incredible performances last night. You guys ROCK! And I'll see you again in two days in NY...

Mike

Shpank
(Steve Wainwright)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 9:53 am
The show was awesome!! Joe had some setup problems which took some extra time. He apologized, but said he would make up for it, which he did. He managed to get the whole set in with a shortened time period. I sat front row and was going nuts and he kept pointing at me and laughing. It was so Cool!!!!! Stu was awesome too. Vai stole the show with his normal theatrics. Steve Vai, an arms-length away. A dream come true. He killed with Jiboom and was out of control on VooDoo Chile when the 3 G's came out. At one point Vai stuck his guitar out to me and let me strum the chord for him. Yeah Baby! "It's ok man, I'm in the band!!". John was also killer. I wasn't familiar with his songs, but man, that guy can shred! I swear I saw little pieces of wood flying off of the neck. This is my third G3 concert and it was by far the best. Of course, being front row swayed me a bit. Great Show!!! Thanks Joe! Thanks Steve! Thanks John! See you next time you're in Philly! Anyone attending future shows is in for real treat! Have a great time! Peace. Shpank

RichisJoe
(Rich Penecale)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 9:39 am
Well, lets start by saying that i have seen satch play 3 times now, vai 2 times and petrucci 3 times and every time i am still kept on the edge of my seat in amazement. THis time was special though because i got to meet and get autographs from Joe, Steve, John, MIke Keneally, Dave Larue, Billy Sheehan, and zStu Hamm. It was an honor and privledge to meet these guys and be able to talk to them. I shook hands with the greatest influences on my guitar playing in my life!!!...It was the best experience of my life. THanx to everyone involved!

minn
(Chris Minatelli)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 9:06 am

To: Joe, Jeff, Stu, Steve, Billy, Mike, Virgil, Dave, John, All the roadies, technicians ETC. Totally awesome! What more can I say? To spend an evening with my favorite guitar heroes. For me, it was a performance of a lifetime, I felt so privelidged to be there. It made my day to see up close; the creaters of my favorite music, guitar schredding rock and roll.

Last night was even more special because for the first time ever, I was able to get front row seats. The view was so good, I watched very closely to see how you played my favorite songs. Joe, the tapping sequence in the middle of Satch boogie; you make it look so easy.

After the show, You were nice enough meet fans and sign autographs. I thought that was really cool and I have alot of respect for you for doing that.

Extra special thanks to Joe Satriani, Stu Hamm, and Steve Vai for signing my guitar chordbook. Whenever I practice in the future, I'll think of actually meeting you. It was a night that I will always remember, thanks guys!

Chris L. Minatelli

Satchman9
(John Stahl)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 7:51 am
Well, there isn't to much more that I can add to what everyone else has said about this tour already. This show was way beyond anything I expected it to be. I knew going in what the setlists would be, but was completely floored by the perfomances. I've seen Joe twice before and knew his set would come off as perfection, which it did, as far as his playing was concerned. However, I was ever so slightly disapointed that Joe had to dump Raspberry Jam Delta-V from his set due to time constraints. I didn't find out until later that Joe arrived late because of poor directions to the theater. It also caused the end jam to be shortened by one song, ( Little Wing ) which is something I really wanted to hear. That, however, was a minor glitch in an evening that provided more pleasures and suprises than I can ever explain here. John Petrucci clearly showed that he belonged in this G3 lineup. The fact that we all were able to sing "Happy Birthday" to him was a real bonus. This was the first time hearing John play live and I have no intention of it being my last. It was also my first time seeing Steve Vai live, which has made me regret not seeing him before when I had the chance. I won't make that mistake again either. He wore the label "Showman Extrordinare" so well, that he basically stole the show. I had flashbacks to the Crossroads movie as I watched him take command of the audience. Overall, this show ranks right up there as one of best that I've seen in over 30 years of concert going. What can top this in present day artistry and enjoyment ?............NOTHING !!!!!

rosey8810
(Marc Rosenberg)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 7:48 am

Phenomonal as usual!

John Petrucci was a welcome surprise, I found myself totally enthralled by his work, and glad to see he is enjoying it as much as the other guys.

Steve Vai, what can I say. He amazes me every time I see him live. While his work on disc is unbelievable, it can't even compare to seeing him in person. Absolutely awesome.

And of course, Joe, my favorite! He never has disappointed ever, and he didn't Thursday night! The set was perfect, and he was as on as ever.

As for the ending, ZZTop & Jimi covers? Man, it vaulted that show to one of my top 3 faves EVER! Seeing Steve & Joe together in that zone with Petrucci was unreal! Too awesome to describe..........

Great show guys, thanks for rockin up Keswick!

Best, Marc Ambler, PA

evbro
(Evan Brown)
Thu Jul 12 '01
Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA, US
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 13, '01 12:58 pm
I have to rate this show a ten, because anything i could ever complain about can be more than made up for with other things that happened this night! Ok, first of all the Keswick is a great theater, I've been there once before, and yes it's confusing getting there so I'm not surprised the guys got lost! Great comfy seats as well (which also means Mak and I didn't have to show up over 4 hours early to get good standing spots like we did for Joe at the factory). First thing I noticed was that the guys started right on time. A rare occurance at most concerts, but very nice! John took the stage first and I must say he was fantastic! I'm a huge fan, but wasn't sure what kind of instrumental solo stuff he'd pull out. All I can say is as soon as his CD with that material comes out I will buy it, period. Head-bobbin' tunes, incredible player. Portnoy was as usual fantastic, and Dave on bass was great! Good MusicMan duo there! And tonight was John's birthday so we all sang him happy birthday as Mike gave him a cake. After his set I went and bought a G3 shirt (they're nice too!) Next came Vai (my earplugs were ready!) His set was full of pure virtuosity at its finest! As most people have said he was a great showman, and his set was very entertaining. I especially enjoyed the song he played from the new album (which I don't yet have, I was too busy buying Joe's new live album) which he said was recorded in Istanbul. Very ethereal-sounding three-part guitar harmonies. Then after a few delays Joe and company hit the stage. No Eric this time, but Jeff and Stu as usual were right in sync. Joe's lights were the best (it was his set after all, wasn't it?) and he delivered a solid, rockin' performance! I loved it! And I'm loving Devil's Slide live more and more. The Extremist was another highlight. Joe's songs are the best! He is one of the most tasteful guitarists ever. And then finally, the moment we were all waiting for. THE JAM. Words can't describe the jam. It was awesome. La Grange was great, Voodoo Chile was terriffic, in my opinion the best song in the jam, and then I was very pleased to hear Goin' Down, and I was singing along. I think they cut out Little Wing cause the Keswick wouldn't let them play any longer. Oh well, can't win 'em all I guess. Well, after a great show, Mak and I accompanied our two friends to grab something to eat and, uh, relieve ourselves before we went back to catch everyone outside. As it turns out, Vai left in quite a hurry so I never got to meet him, but I'll get my Passion and Warfare insert signed if it's the last thing I do. But John came out and seemed very tired, so I got a quick auto, said a few words, and left him alone so as not to bother him. Then I saw Stu, shook hands and had quite the pleasant little conversation with him (thanks stu! I didn't need an autograph this time cause at the EOC tour I got one and I got your pick too!). Then I saw the crowd migrating towards the tour bus - it was Joe! Now I met Joe after the EOC philly show so I already had autographs and even a picture with him, but this time I had new goals - Mak and I were gonna update our picture, and I was going to concentrate on sputtering out a semi-coherent sentence this time around. I managed to, shook his hand (he remembered me by the way, thanks joe!), and I left quite happy with myself. Then on the way out I saw Mike Manning and he gave me a G3 pick! Thanks Mike! And to top it all off, JOE TALKED ABOUT ME IN HIS BLUE MESSAGE ON TALK TO JOE!!!!! I was so pleased with the night I can't even describe it. I could go on forever but this is waaaaaay too long as it is so I'll stop now! Great job everyone!