show review
nash_18 Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Aug 17, '03 3:55 am
I went to the show to see Dream Theater, I didn't really know Joe's stuff ... but he came on first and blew me away!!! DT was insane too ... a show like that makes me realize how much I really suck at guitar :-)

jmgomes Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Apr 06, '03 9:21 am
Amazing Concert Joe!!! The new band is great too, but i miss Stu Hamm and by the way thank's a lot for playing chords of life and Midnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

heavyd Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Dec 03, '02 3:33 pm
As alway -the best!

amitro1 Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 22, '02 4:01 pm

Okay, this date signifies the first time I had heard of and heard Joe Satriani's music. I have been a fan of DT for a year now (thanks to the friend who bought me the ticket to this very show for my bday!) and I was stoked to see DT. When my friend and I got to the amphitheatre, we had just missed King's X, and Joe was just finishing his first song of the set....and I was in awe.

Just the way he is able to make the guitar an extention of his body....the music was amazing and beautiful....I was VERY glad I was able to see him.

The night was capped off with DT doing an amazing set....the show totally exceeded my expectations, which is why I give it a 10!

keep the amazing music coming joe!

superbacon Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 9 Posted: Mon Sep 16, '02 4:30 pm
Being in Ottawa, it's difficult to see either of my favorite two music talents: Satch and Dream Theater. Seeing that they were both playing together, I couldn't miss this one. Took my brother who was in from Winnipeg, who isn't a huge fan of either, more into Alice In Chains stuff. Anyhow we both thought it was awesome, we didn't have very good seats, but watching Joe's fingers on the guitar on the widescreens on the side was unbelieveable, during some of the riffs, I could see others watching the closeups on the screen and were just as much in a jaw-dropping awe as I was. I wasn't a King's X fan before hand, but I heard Joe's interview on KNAC.COM about a month back, about the story about the lead from King's X in line to get Joe's autograph in Minnesota. That was an awesome interview (I think it was almost an hour long) and helped me appreciate this group of three talents put together for this tour. Dream Theater's show was great too, actually it was well done. I know everyone thinks the sets were too short, but with 4 hours of solid music, I have no complaints, worth the price. Although $40 for a tour T-shirt is nuts (probably priced by the hijackers at the Molson Amphitheatre). Anyhow Joe must have made a big impression because as soon as my brother (who doesn't have one JS or DT CD) got back to Winnipeg, he bought "Strange Beautiful Music". I think that explains it right there.

whojackafibby Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Sep 06, '02 11:19 pm

SEP 6 2002 - UPDATE...............I miss that evening.............justjoan - on live chat - mentioned a 3 hour Satch concert and comparing it to a religious experience........... I need one of those. Come back Joe !!!! **********************************************************************************************************************************

That's it. I am now totally hooked with no cure. I have now been offically SATCHED.I did'nt think my body could have goosebumps for 1 1/2 hours straight. But it did. And I LIKED THE FEELING. Ya know, subconciously the show wasnt long enough, so damn it...I dreamed the whole show over again while I slept last night. It was evident that Joe was enjoying last night as much as we were. Well, maybe with exception of the 'damned bugs' that were attracted to the lights and his ears Nick and I also spent half an hour after the show with Joe. This was , the ultimate concert experience for both of us. The perfect way to wrap up a cookin' summer. Already putting my coinage away for the next show. Which, I am hoping will be at Massey Hall.As for the other bands, Kings X - They seemed to drown each other out but they rocked, they did! Yep, I like them. The last few songs grabbed the crowd The lead singer sure had fabulous stage presence DreamTheater:Is it me or does James Labrie sort of have the Yngwie look? What a voice ! One guy in the crowd was wailin with him, kind of reminded me of Mark Walberg in the concert footage of RockStar. Top notch musicans...and Petrucci......what can I say.....I like the guy and what he does with his machine. Wish I had have seen the G3 with him....................

Ears ringing, foot blisters blistering, walking to the subway, with a hugh grin on my face....I HAD BEEN CRITICALLY ROCKED !

fic Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Sep 04, '02 7:39 pm
The only reason this wasn't a 10 was because Joe didn't play longer! I'm more or less putting my review in because I'm pretty sick to my stomach to see what people are saying about Dream Theater. They are by far one of the greatest bands around. I'm a huge satch fan myself so don't take this the wrong way, but how can you say Joe was the best that night. If people would open their eyes they would see what kind of response DT got, far greater. THEY were superior that night, and far more entertaining. DT stole the show with Joe coming a close 2nd.

miguelrc Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Sep 04, '02 5:14 pm
This was the second time I get to see Satch, first one being in Santiago, Chile, needless to say, it was more than words can express (and I am not talking about the aftershow, thanks Joe for that special moment!) Well, since I came to Toronto almost all of my rock heroes had played here, however I didn't go to any concert but Satch was the exception, I had to be there! With the blessing of my wife and my newborn baby (one week!) I rushed for the concert. You'd have to be there! all the atmosphere was great! I bought my SBM T-Shirt and a big 28 Oz. beer and sat just to see Kings X begin. not bad. The excitement took the crowd when they left and the roadies began to set everything, and then Chrome Boy made its appearance for sound check, all the crowd roared!!! When Satch began, the sun was almost set and the lights made their special effect work; when the dialogue of FIABD began, man, it was total madness!!!! With a nice outfit and the special, incredible, magical aura that this guy has, the concert began...just amazing...Midnight was a surprise, Starry Night beatiful, but I really rocked with Raspberry Jam, wow! We missed the encore, the crowd was great that night...Stu was missing and Jeff got a big ovation from the audience...Great night! The only thing I regret was not to buy the JS Coffee Mug!!! Thanks Joe, come back soon!!...DT? who?...I left after Joe's set, I had to made some milk for the new baby!

drakethesnake Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Sep 04, '02 10:47 am
What a show, too bad it was extremely short. Joe did "Midnight" and it blew my mind. I wish he would do more instrumentals like that at the show. But oh well, there is only so much you can play in one hour. I really loved the Crushing Day tune. Holy crap, satch you still have the speed! My only dissapointment was that the Satch set was too short. Kings X sound wasn't so great and Dream Theatre, well they were ok, but i just came to see Joe.

hazmat Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 8 Posted: Tue Sep 03, '02 8:49 am

The reason this show gets 8 out of 10 is not because Mr. Satriani's playing was below-par, quite the contrary. It's the venue itself that put a dampener on the mood. Three hours to find a parking spot, having to tolerate Kings X (I couldn't understand a word that was sung, and the guitar, while passable, is nowhere near Mr. Satriani's level).

And to top it off, after waiting and waiting to see the Bald One emerge, I was treated not to watching his wonderful playing, but instead I was fortunate enough to get to stare at the back of four inconsiderate... "people's" heads.

I'd have stuck around to see Dream Theatre if there had been more of Petrucci and less of the vocalist, but his singing style got so irritating I had to leave after the first few songs.

Overall, the show was excellent. But I much prefer the more intimate venus, such as the Massey Hall show Mr. Satriani played here last year.

silverguitar Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Sep 03, '02 8:05 am

Hello fellow Statriani supporters,

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to catch the G3 2001 Tour in Toronto at Massey Hall. At first, I was not sure whether or not I was going to attend this concert. Back and forth from Ottawa, it is a 10 hour drive. Nonetheless, in the past couple of weeks, I have been reading the excellent reviews on the official Joe Satriani and Dream Theater websites, and it was too hard to resist. I am a big fan of Joe’s (since 1990) and Dream Theater’s (since 1998). They are both wonderful artists — probably the most talented musicians in the business at the moment. I had seen Joe Satriani twice before live in concert (1990 - Flying In A Blue Dream Tour) and (2001 - G3 Tour). Both times, I was spellbound with Joe’s command of the instrument. Stach is a unique artist — his sense of melody and timing are simply outstanding.

On to the concert review at the Molson Amphitheatre (Toronto, Ontario). First of all, for those who are not familiar with this venue — it is wonderfully situated on Lake Ontario (inside Ontario Place, an exhibition complex), near the island of Toronto — city centre. It is a magnificent building, the venue is designed like the old Greek Epidarus theatres, and it is covered from the stage are to the grass area. On this particular night, a cool breeze was blowing and the temperature was dry and mildly cool — very nice atmosphere. Needless to say, my cousin (who is a Torontonian) and I were stuck in a bad traffic jam. Once we got down to the Canadian National Exposition grounds, they were charging $23.00 for parking (is that extortion or what?). No way was I going to pay that much to attend a concert. Finally, we found a “free” parking space, situated a good 10 minutes from the venue.

When we arrived at the Molson Amphitheatre, two scalpers were offering dead centre tickets in section 101 or 102. How much you ask? $150. I said: Are you crazy! Since I had missed King’s X because of the traffic jam and the parking search, I said the maximum I was going to spend on tickets was $35. A compromise was reaches and the tickets went for $37.50 each in section 202 (left side of the stage, right in front of Joe). As I was rushing to enter the venue, Stach was playing the manic intro to Crushing Day (that is the song that made me a fan in the summer of 1990 when heard it on the radio while vacationing in Cape Cod with my parents). I took my seat and absorbed all of Joe’s artistry. Suffice to say, the sound mix was excellent — Joe’s guitar tone was excellent as usual. I love the way he utilises guitar effects (Digital Delay in particular) to accentuate certain musical passages — very tasteful. By the way, Jeff drum sound was awesome. That drummer made an excellent impression on me and my cousin. Nice DW drum set. With respect to the bass player, Matt Bisonette, he played very well all night. However, I prefer Stu’s sound (not to take anything away from Matt). Performance rating 9 ˝ chrome guitars out of 10.

As I remember, here is the set list : JOE SATRIANI Flying in a Blue Dream (Missed Intro Song — Buying Tickets from Scalpers) Crushing Day Devil's Slide Cool #9 Satch Boogie The Crush of Love Mind Storm Seven String Midnight Starry Night Raspberry Jam Delta V Always With Me, Always With You Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing Summer Song

Encore : Friends

In closing, Joe Satriani remains a true guitar innovator and an humble musician on stage. Keep up the great work, Joe.

After a short intermission (15-20 mins) in order to change the gear and time to go to the washroom, Dream Theater featuring local hero, James LaBrie, took the stage while the intro to Pull Me Under was played over the PA. This band is the best kept secret in the North American music industry. I am glad that these guys teamed up with Joe Satriani for this summer tour, they deserve to play nice venues like the Molson Amphitheatre. I applaud the promoter who put this package together, nice job. Earlier this year, I saw Dream Theater in Osaka, Japan while I was vacationing there. However, I preferred this performance. The boys were on fire and very tight. Seemingly, they made an impression on my cousin who was not familiar with their music. I rate their performance 9 ˝ dreams out of 10.

As I remember, here is the set list :

DREAM THEATER Pull Me Under 6:00 Hell’s Kitchen (Instrumental) Burning My Soul War Inside My Head The Test That Stumped Them All Blind Faith (w/o the double neck guitar) Jordan Rudess — Keyboard Solo — outro to Blind Faith Instrumental Medley (Erotomania, Soccer Ball Match, et cetera) Lifting Shadows Off A Dream The Spirit Carries On

Encore : Learning To Live

lcbo Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 8 Posted: Mon Sep 02, '02 1:55 pm
As usual it was great to see Joe but I would haved prefered him to headline. Dream Theatre actually surprised me. They were heavier than expected and the musicianship impressed me. They were really tight. I knew that Petrucci could "shred" but the whole band was good. As for Joe, I think Stu Hamm is missed. I liked the set list but we deserved an encore. Sound was pretty good(sat about half way back dead centre Sect 303). Overall It is still great to see and hear Satch play live anytime.He is the master!! He can even keep playing when a bug flies into his ear. Come back soon.

ianlyd Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 8 Posted: Mon Sep 02, '02 9:00 am
Joe was really on and seemed to be really into the gig. My only problem is I had to wait 7 songs into the set to hear music from the new album? I found that really strange and then he only played 3 songs from it. Is that how you promote your new material? Other than that Joe kick ass of course. A true monster on guitar!

doctorrock Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Mon Sep 02, '02 5:33 am
The vituroso talent shone bright on a warm Toronto evening as his impeccable performance was flawless from beginning to end. A set list was right on the money with Surfing With The Alien and others and from the new CD,Brain Storm just a fabulous show. My only complaint;not enough crowd enthusiasm as there was not an encore.Bummer! I assummed Toronto would go bonkers for Satch!!??

nicklee Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 10:47 pm

I don't know about those two JS Clone melonheads (lol) but all bands were great...

Joe was phenominal as was Dream Theatre...I'm amazed that they can compose such music and perform in synch with each that strictly and be so attent to timing, accuracy and perfection.

I found Joe's playing and performance was alot looser and relaxed, so to speak...His vibratos seemed to ring the notes better.

As for Dream Theatre, again, they put on a great show...John's playing was definately smooth as buttah....but then again, I thought Orientals and Italians played soccer well...

jtrimmer Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 4:06 pm

Another night, another kick-ass Joe performance. I actually wasn't going to attend as Joe was not headlining (and I'm not a Dream Theater fan), but as soon as I read here Satch was doing 'Crushing Day', my $50 was spent!

Like most other JS fans, I spent numerous hours mastering Satch songs, especially back in High School, and my 'crowning achievement' was learning Crushing Day front to back. Last night was my sixth JS concert, and seeing him play that meant the world to me. I wish I smuggled in a recorder so I could hear it again. :)

My only gripe on the Satch show was the middle of MindStorm when Joe does the funky tapping stuff on the album. I was disappointed when I saw that he 'bypassed' that for the rhythm stuff. Oh well, I paid for Crushing Day, so everything else was a bonus.

I also missed Stu...and although Jeff is a great drummer, I miss the old school Jonathan Mover. Maybe they'll all get together again sometime.

A note on Dream Theater: I tried all week to get into their music, and although 'Pull Me Under' is pretty good, the rest of the stuff really didn't click for me. I enjoyed John and Mike at G3 much more than at this concert. Isn't the singer dude about 15 years out of phase? Looks (and sounds) like he belongs in 1987. :)

Anyway, as usual Joe rocks and I enjoyed it. Hopefully one of these times I'll win the Backstage passes!!

DJT

mercedes5_10 Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 12:55 pm
I went to the Toronto show last night. It was pretty amazing. I have never seen Joe play before, so for me, as an aspiring musician, it was quite the inspiriation. As for the opening band, King's X, I didn't really enjoy their performance. Everything seemed offbalance. All I could really hear was the drums and then some background noise. And then Joe came on, which was amazing, as I mentioned before. Next was Dream Theater... now I don't really like to listen to Dream Theatre, I find their albums long and repetitive, but they did put on an amazing show. Each member of the band was an amazing musician and they kept most of the audience captivated through their 15 minute long instrumentals. I was impressed. The only problem with the show, was the fact that I happened to get seats behind the only 6 die-hard dream theatre fans who stood for the entire time. That wasn't much fun considering that I am not so tall of a person. Overall I was very impressed with the show. If this tour is coming to your town, make sure you get tickets right away!

apoc Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 11:14 am

Before the show a bunch of us met at the Marina Grille in Ontario Place and had dinner. We talked Joe, talked tech, had a blast! That was great. All you Satch fans that didn't show missed out! Now onto the show itself.

I haven't heard King's X before and they were quite good. Their timing was amazing especially during the second or third last song. Wow. I was sitting on the side of the guitarist and I could hear him loud and clear. I couldn't, however hear the bass that well! HA! Anyhow Joe tore the roof off the place. Joe was absolutely ON last night! I've never seen or heard Joe play with such finesse and authority as last night. Joe, you were absolutely phenominal! Crushing Day live was UNREAL! And so was Midnight. I've now seen Joe perform every song I've ever wanted to hear/see live except for UP IN THE SKY. I hope to catch that one one of these days. Anyhow, Dream Theater was last and I had to leave half way through their 3rd song: I couldn't stand it. I appreciate them for their technical prowess, but their music is not for me. Anyhow, one last time: JOE SATCH ROCKED THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nostringguitar Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 10:22 am
Kings X at the beginning of the show was pretty bad. The bass was to high to hear the guitar, or maybe it was because i was sitting on the side of the bass speaker...but all in all, it was bad. Then Joe came on and stole the show. Amazing set. My first Satch concert and certanly not the last. I didn't get to hearsome of the songs i wanted too, but i really liked Friends at the end especially with the retro looking guitar. Dream Theater had their hands full to match up to your preformance, and they of course didn't, but they were still very good. Petrucci is really something different, but again, i was sitting on the bass side, so i didnt get to hear the guitar as much as i would have wanted, but John Myung was a treat, especially during the two hand tapping sequence...never thought that was possible on a bass. Al in all an amazing show especially for Joe

jsclone1 Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 8:21 am

Kings X, decent. Dream Theater, no. ... Joe Satriani, ruled the earth last night. Joe gets better and better every show. When Joe played Crushing Day, I lost it. The solo in that song drops my jaw everytime. Seeing and hearing it live completely destroyed me. I am at a loss for words to describe that show. It's only the morning after.

Talking with Joe aftershow for 30 minutes was the best experience i've ever had and will be for the rest of my life. What a night. I can't even get things through my head right now. I've been staring at this screen for 6 minutes trying to figure out how to describe what the show did to me.

THANK YOU JOE.

jsclone2 Sat Aug 31 '02
115
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 01, '02 7:36 am
Joe, I must say I have never heard you play that well before. It was flawless. The show was incredible. Crushing Day was the big treat to hear during your set. I've got a bug hat at home that you should've tried, it would've kept the bug out of your ears during Midnight, lol. Personally I'm not a Dream Theater fan at all, however I give them credit as musicians. They are all very talented, and I especially like Jordan Rudess on keyboards, he is incredible, but overall I did not like to hear Dream Theater. I didn't hear much from them though, since I was backstage with JS Clone 1 talking with Joe for 30 minutes! Sorry about taking up all your time there Joe, I felt kinda bad. Thanks very much for the pictures, and autograph. Hope you enjoyed that cd. Great show.