G3 1996

1996 marked the beginning of G3 - this first year featured Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson (plus Kenny Wayne Shepherd for the first few shows) and toured North America.

Joe Satriani's band lineup included Stu Hamm on bass and Jeff Campitelli on drums.

Steve Vai's band lineup included Mike Keneally on rhythm guitar, sitar, keyboards & percussion, Philip Bynoe on bass and Mike Mangini on drums.

Eric Johnson's band lineup included Stephen Barber on keyboards, Roscoe Beck on bass and Brannen Temple on drums.

Press Release Excerpt:

The most influential Rock Instrumental guitarists of the past decade -- Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai -- joined forces as "G3" for a U.S. tour in October of 1996. It was an unprecendented event, as never before had these three premiere guitarists appeared and toured together.

Eric, Joe and Steve join together for an incendiary jam on three all-time axe-man favorites: the Freddie King/Jeff Beck classic "Going Down," Frank Zappa's immortal "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama," and a nine-minutes-plus blues workout on "Red House" by Jimi Hendrix.

The 1997 release (available on CD, VHS, and DVD) "G3 Live In Concert" captured this tour and features performances of all three guitarists, as well as the evening's finale where Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai played together onstage for the first time.

Here's a list of shows played on the tour.

October 11 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
October 12 - Los Angeles, CA. - Hollywood Bowl
October 13 - San Diego, CA. - Summer Pops Bowl
October 14 - Las Vegas, NV. - The Joint
October 15 - Phoenix, AZ. - Mesa Amphitheatre
October 17 - Austin, TX. - Austin Music Hall
October 18 - San Antonio, TX. - Sunken Garden Amp.
October 19 - The Woodlands, TX - KLOL Radio Show
October 20 - Dallas, TX. - Dallas Music Complex
October 22 - Cleveland, OH. - Cleveland Music Hall
October 25 - New York, NY. - Beacon Theater
October 26 - New York, NY. - Beacon Theater
October 27 - Boston, MA. - Orpheum Theater
October 30 - Columbus, OH. - Veterans Memorial Aud.
October 31 - Auburn Hills, MI. - The Palace
November 1 - Chicago, IL. - Aragon Ballroom
November 2 - Minneapolis, MN. - Northrup Auditorium

1996 G3 poster
G3 1996 Poster

Promo photo
G3 1996 Promo Photo