show review
??? Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Mon May 23, '05 10:39 am
I must admit that I have never drove 160 miles to see a concert before. I went mainly to see Joe and Billy, the rest was a bonus and I was not disappointed. John Petrucci put on a great show. He picked good folks to form his trio. The music was good for something that was written just for the show and only in a week. I really enjoyed watching him play. As everyone has been saying, Steve is the showman. The energy that he and Billy had was incredible. To me Billy is the best at what he does. I really enjoy watching Mike Keneally matching Steve lick for lick. Dave Weiner was off to the side and it looked like he could hold his own also. I will be watching for more from him. Joe put on a spectacular set. It was nice to see that the JS Y2K is not a museum piece. The axe sounded great and so did Joe. I really enjoyed the set and can't wait for the live DVD. The best was yet to come. I had seen Steve Lukather in the audience and wondered what he thought about the show, now I know. When he and Paul Gilbert came out for the finale. The house was rocking. I rated this show a 10 because they did not have the Spinal Tap 11 as an option. This is one of the most energetic shows I have ever seen. Rock on!

urbanguerilla13 Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Sep 09, '01 2:15 pm
I am still blown away by what i saw the night... first off John played an GREAT set, i loved the songs... the celtic song was the best! I talked with dave larue afterwards and he said that they just wrote the songs within three dyas and then rehearsed... isn't that crazy? He was really nice btw, and gave great advice on music. Then vai proceeded to kick my ass... the rendition of 'giant balls of gold' was great! and 'whispering a prayer' was beautifully done. Satch just kicked ass as usual.. this was the third time i have seen him, and he didn't dissapoint... when did he get that new guitar? Now the g3 jam... that was tooooooooooo much - my jaw was dropped the whole time it was so amazing... paul gilbert, lukather, vai, satch, petrucci, hamm, sheehan, jefff... so amazing. I heard frank gambale was in the crowd too, i would have LOVED to see him join the g7 up there too. But that is by far one of the greatest concerts i have ever witnessed in my life... my jaw was slacked the whole time.... and afterwards talking to stu hamm and dave larue was just amazing.

buddro Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 15, '01 8:03 pm
On June 29th, I had the privilege of attending the G3 concert, which was held at the Wiltern Theatre. The Wiltern Theatre is an enclosed auditorium that has music amplification and can seat approximately two thousand spectators. Full of ambitious and professional musicians, the audience was extremely enthusiastic during the entire performance. The G3 concert, (Guitar 3) included performers such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and John Petrucci. These guitar virtuosos were each accompanied by a drummer and a bassist. John Petrucci of Dream Theatre performed first with extreme technical ability. His use of melodic and harmonic scales were evident throughout his session. Each song sounded very similar to one another, since his melodies were hard to grasp. Petrucci did not play any of his original songs from his current and most popular band, Dream Theatre, but instead, he compiled and wrote songs just for this tour. I would have been interested to hear some of Petrucci’s more well known songs, but overall, Petrucci was not as great as I had expected him to be. The next performer was Steve Vai, former guitarist for David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, and Frank Zappa. Steve Vai had once been a student of Joe Satriani, but then soon left to tour with Frank Zappa. Vai is energetic and flamboyant in his use of stage presence. He is a great performer with amazing talent. Accompanying Vai on stage was long time bass legend, Billy Sheehan from David Lee Roth’s band. It was the first time since these two have toured together since 1986. Drummer Virgil Donati and rhythm guitarist Mike Keneally rounded out the band. Vai’s songs are enjoyable and fascinating. He has a much better sense of melody than Petrucci and obviously more experience. Vai’s use of two-hand tapping and showy strumming are among the many various techniques he uses in his songs. Steve Vai was great like usual, but still not the best. After Steve Vai came the god of the guitar. Personally, the only man who has dominated the six strings fluently, is Joe Satriani. Satriani is a genius at the guitar who incorporates memorable melodies that have an incredible sense of tonality. His songs are so harmonically perfect that no other note should be added or taken away. His chord progressions can be traced back to some jazz and blues styles, which makes him even more versatile. With Satriani, came Stuart Hamm on bass and Jeff Campitelli on drums. Satriani played many of his most popular songs from various albums. He played “Satch Boogie” from the album, “Time Machine”, “Cool #9” from his self titled “Joe Satriani” record, “Raspberry Jam”, “Crystal Planet”, “Flying in a Blue Dream” from the great album, “Crystal Planet”, and he also played the incredible “Summer Song” (full of harmonics) from his G3 Live album from 1997. Satriani gave an outstanding performance that illustrated how great a musician he really is. After Joe Satriani played, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Lukather joined together to create a massive “jam” session. Seeing those five great guitar players was absolutely awesome. They played three songs, which had the entire audience wanting more. At the end of the last song, the crowd roared for ten minutes and gave a standing ovation. The G3 concert was extraordinary and I would definitely see it again.

ronines Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Mon Jul 09, '01 8:41 am
Oh man, oh man ! What can I say about this show? hhhmmmm, Well so far it's the best concert I've seen and I'm proud to witness this event, you know why??? well I know you guys probably heard about it but I'll tell you later at the end of my review. Petrucci started the show and I think he did a pretty good job, but I think he needs to work on his showmanship, Well someone mentioned about his new hair, damn man, what do we care about his hair, this is a gig review not a freaking hair style review ! anyways, I think petrucci is a good guitar player and the songs that he just composed just for this tour are great.More power to this guy ! Then Vai came up next with Billy Sheehan and WOW, what a show ! I haven't seen Vai live that much, I only seen him once when he did a music store appearance and he did 3 songs that's about it, but man ! He did a great performance, full of energy and lots of flare, That's what Vai is all about, He just keeps better and better and I'll say he impressed the hell out of everybody, He seems like he really loves performing and always give his 100 % effort to please the audience. Way to go Steve ! Then Mr. Satriani came out next, He did use that "Clear" guitar on some of the songs and Wow, I think it sounded better than the chrome boy, it has this "meaner" tone to it, As always Satch kicked ass but he should come up with new songs, Joe if you're reading this don't get me wrong dude, for me you're still the best but dude, you need to come up with new songs, all your songs are great but I guess some people are getting tired of hearing you play the same songs on your concerts :). Stu Hamm didn't do a bass solo and that's a let down because I always enjoy his solos, Billy Sheehan is a fantastic bass player but Stu is still the king of Bass for me. And then came the final performance of the night where all of them would Jam and then it happened, the BIG surprise of the night ! First of, Joe introduced Petrucci then Vai then Sheehan and I thought that was it, but there's more ! Then he introduced Paul Gilbert !!! He came out with this very interesting look, He had this very festive green pants on , kinda like a disco ball with no shirt on and also, like petrucci, he chopped off his hair short too. He came out with this Neon Red/Pink Ibanez Destroyer (I think that's the model name???). Everybody was just going nuts ! and then Joe said " But wait....there's more ! " then he introduced Steve Lukather out and everybody (including me) just ran in front of the stage to witness closely this very rare and historical event !!! oh boy ! what a jam !!! I can't believe I'm seeing all of these awesome musician in one stage ! 1 drummer (Jeff), 2 Bass Players (Stu and Billy) plus these 5 Great guitar players !!! Man ! I felt so priviledge to witness this ! Everybody did an awesome job ! This is one concert that I would never forget. After the show, I decided to wait by the tour bus and after around an hour or so, Dave La Rue (Dixie Dreggs) who's petrucci's bass player that night came out and hang out with the fans that are waiting outside, We chatted a while, shook his hands and he gave me a bass guitar pick, What a guy ! then came out Stu, shook his hands and congratulate him for a great performance, Then Billy Sheehan came out and I told him that he did such an awesome job on the show, shook his hands and waved goodbye, Then VAi's drummer came out (I forgot his name), he did an excellent job on the show , his drum solo was great ! Then Paul Gilbert , he was carrying alot of stuff so he didn't bother to stop and hang out, Mike Keneally came out next and man ! what a nice talented this guys is, I shook his hands and chatted for a little bit, and then Mr. VAi came out ! I had him signed this picture of him and Joe and I had a picture taken with him, How cool is that?? I waited for Satch to come out but someone told me that he just left and he was in this maroon minivan, so I was like, fuck man! that sucks ! I pretty much met almost everybody but I didn't get to meet Joe, oh well, maybe next time, and then while I was walking back to my car guess who I bumped into? Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater ! I was like Whoa ! We chatted for a while and I told him that he should've played the Drums on the last part of the program because I think he's better than Jeff (No offense Jeff dude ! :)) I had him signed my Dream Theater DVD and I asked him if Petrucci is around, but I guess he's already in the tour bus and don't wanna be bothered to come out, oh well....Well, that ended that almost perfect night, too bad I didn't get to meet Joe but I'm sure next time I'll get to meet him. Man ! What a memorable night !

twig Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: Posted: Thu Jul 05, '01 9:08 pm
Happy birthday Andre...... and what a celebration it was! Only 21 spankins to go! Good to see you again Joe. Im glad we made it to LA in time for the show. We only had to do 180mph through NEW Mexico:) Jeff the pictures are so sweet. What a beautiful baby! Hey Stuuuu, like the long hair. Lookin pretty fly! See yall later gators. Twig

ylaenna Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Jul 04, '01 4:07 am
Let's just say that after practically each performance, I was so emotionally and physically spent that I felt like I should be having a cigarette. All of 'em, amazing. And the grand finale, what I call the bonus "G7" performance, all that talent paying tribute to a legend...the best eulogy I've ever heard. Been five days since the concert and I'm still reeling from it.

andie12 Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Jul 04, '01 1:40 am
Man I have experience one of the best concert ever in my life. Seeing Petrucci, Vai, and the MASTER Satriani sharing the same stage was unbelievable Petrucci was better than I expected, he is a great guitar player, and the drummer from DREAM THEATER...wow the guy is awesome. Then came Doctor Vai, man I got the chills when he played For the love of God, this individual knows the instrument very well.I remember seeing his fingers running up and down the frets. HA! Sir Satriani was incredible, like always.When he played Flying in a Blue Dream he touched my soul.The guy makes me happy when he plays the guitar. Thanks Joe. STUUEEE! an influence to me in playing the bass. Great bass player. I cant wait to see Joe again.

mbon Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 9 Posted: Tue Jul 03, '01 4:20 pm
Great show. Having never seen nor heard of Petrucci, I was skeptical. His performance was good. I've seen Vai in the past and he was as amazing as ever. Joe's set was good, but not the best I've seen. That was last years E.O.C. show in Toronto. As it turned out, Eric didn't clear Customs upon trying to enter Canada, so Joe had to improvise. They did a greatest hits set and it was simply amazing. I will be seeing them again in 2 weeks in Toronto.

frozenpop Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 7:17 pm
Turis gave me the other backstage pass he won. Ok, so, I don't know how I can put the show into words. I can't. It was simply amazing. I can't believe I got to meet all of them. It was such and inspiring experience. All three of them were amazing and the show totally blew me away. It was by far the best concert that I have ever been too. Then when I met them and got them to sign my guitar, well, whoa. I even got a picture with Steve Vai that a nice girl named Kim was nice enough to take more me. OH, Kim, if you read this, e-mail me. I have something to give you frozenpop@jps.net . So I would have payed much more just for the concert. It was amazing. And, hmmm, well go see them if you had a chance.

flyingblue Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Mon Jul 02, '01 2:34 pm

I was lucky to meet joe once last december at the HOB, Sunset Blvd as an aftershow winner. He was great as usual at G3. But the star of the show was Steve Vai, I was dying to see him play, never seen him play. AND WHAT A PERFORMANCE, he played Whispering a Prayer from his new Album "Alive in an Ultra world", ONE OF THE best nos I heard from his magical fingers. Seems like one of the best tunes coming out of Vai even as good as For the love of God. He played Giant Balls of Gold, which was great too. The Guy is really one hell of a showman. The best part is he improvises and extends the original solo so beautifully during his live concerts. He extended Love of God with his tongue in the end..oooooooohhhh ! How the hell did he get those natural harmonics...Must hurt him I guess. JOE its time for you to come with a new album. Its not about who is a better guitarist, cos ITS Blashpemy to even compare the both of you. BUT WE NEED A better album and a Different one. John Petrucci was amazing. I mean really good, especially the new composition, what was it "Lost without you", i guess. But then needs more feel. The last part of the song, which ended a bit with Erotomania was beautiful and Mike portnoy was great at it, maybe should have done a solo on six o clock. "Whispering a prayer" was ooooozing with feel. WHERE DOEs vai get so much energy ? Billy sheehan was fantastic, reminded me of the time he was with DLR, and Collarado Bulldog with Mr.Big. :) And another great thing was watching Paul Gilbert play with his explorer, maybe he should have tried one with a floyd rose. He was good. And Joe As humble as talented as he is, made sure to give all the guitarists on stage equal coverage when he introduced paul and steve lukather during final jaming ...In fact vai looked bored slightly ! Always with me always with.. was like out of the cd. In fact most of the nos were.

But then As far as my review goes.... ITS JUST ALL STEVE VAI......!

jimbo94 Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 6:31 pm
THE G3 SHOW LAST NIGHT WAS INCREDIBLE AS EXPECTED. I THOUGHT JOHN PETRUCCI'S BAND WAS TIGHT.IT'S THE 1ST TIME I'VE SEEN THEM.HIS DRUMMER WAS GREAT!.STEVE VAI IS TRULY A GOOD GUITAR PLAYER AND A BETTER SHOWMAN,BUT REMEMBER WHO HIS MENTOR AND TEACHER WAS,THAT'S RIGHT,THE SATCH MAN!SATRIANI ALWAYS PLAYS CLEANER AND TIGHTER THAN MOST.G3 WAS A SPECIAL TREAT THAT ANYONE WHO WAS THERE WOULD ATTEST TO. THE SONG SELECTONS WERE GOOD AND THEY ALL ROCKED HARD!ALL THREE DRUMMERS WERE AWSOME! I'VE SEEN JOE EVERY TIME HE'S PLAYED LA SINCE 95'AND HE ALWAYS CAPTIVATES HIS AUDIENCE. HE IS STILL "THE MAN" OF GUITAR AXEMEN.

mastic Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 12:36 pm
the best performance ever!!!!!!!! and the special appearance by paul and steve really blow the roof off wiltern. i suggest you released a dvd on this one, its bound to be one of the best selling album ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rdubiel Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 01, '01 12:10 pm
This was a GREAT G3 show!! Everybody did great sets and the jam at the end was amazing!

shredfinger Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sat Jun 30, '01 1:20 pm
My God! this aint g3..... it's G7!!!!!!!!!!! Forget who was on stage... who was not on stage!!!!!! we saw the worlds greatest guitarists and bassists together on stage. Ok... first of all, i am amazed at Petrucci's compositional prowess. The guy wrote like five tight-as-hell songs just for this tour in like 1 week. His songs rocked! I have seen him before 3 times w/ DT and Liquid Tension and he always amazes me. There are four things about Petrucci that were drawbacks for me though: the hair (noooo! what did you do!), his new guitar (He's much more of an Ibanez-kinda guy), his sound (it was kinda muffled during his solos), and his lack of showmanship (he was kinda dull to watch especially with the new hair style). That aside, he is one talented motha! Next came Dr. Vai. Together with Mr. Sheehan and a very improoved Virgil Donati (Ive seen him w/ planet x like five times and he was much better this time). All I can say is these guys are MONSTERS!!! Rock Stars! What a show. Vai is the absolute GOD of guitar. the way he just dances around and runs about while playing the most mind boggling shred blows my mind! His giant hands are like liquid. (PS> When i got home, i tried the tungue thing on my guitar. it didnt work. how did he do it?!!!) Satch played at his best. he really rocked. Satch Boogie was the best song! I love that one. All his songs rocked. And the grand finale... all in all too much guitar. an they should have played "Boom Boom Boom" last. I'm really tired of "I'm goin down". By the way... what the hell was Paul Gilbert wearing?! My friends, we have witnessed a historical event.

turis Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sat Jun 30, '01 11:38 am
This show was absolutely amazing. I would have payed 2x the amound no problem to see this. I was one of the aftershow winners, and i got to meet everyone, which was awesome. In terms of the actual performances, Petrucci was awesome, he totally blew me away. Vai had the most amazing performance that ive ever seen from any performer, thats what hes great at after all. Satch of course gave his amazing show, playing some awesome songs, every single one that i wanted to hear too! Anyway, they have guaranteed a return customer here.

rscotty Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 8 Posted: Sat Jun 30, '01 10:50 am
I have seen Joe for the last 3 times he has come to LA, and I am amazed with the dedication he brings to the show, and the music. Steve did steal the show when it comes to flash, but that is what makes Steve such a joy to watch. I had not ever heard John or Dream Theatre, and I really liked his style and composition. I will explore his music more as a result. And the final Jam was a treat for all of my senses. So, for me, the show was rich with passion, skill, and fun. I am more of a fan than ever. Joe you are the man. ~RScotty

dsh Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sat Jun 30, '01 8:46 am

Petrucci was awesome, Joe was inspiring, Steve was, well..., Steve.

One nice touch about this G3: John and Steve have "mini" rigs that they use for the jam at the end, which can be setup when Joe sets up. This means they can come on an immediately start playing, instead of waiting for 15 minutes like previous years.

A little bit of Steve Vai goes a long way for me. If you've seen him before on G3, he does the same flash, with the result that it's a bit tedious. You can't deny the wonderful command he has over his instrument, though. I'm not very familiar with Dream Theater, but John Petrucci's playing sounded great. Satch sprinkled in songs from his various albums. The songs are so strong that his show comes off great time after time.

dtfan777 Fri Jun 29 '01
5
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sat Jun 30, '01 8:08 am

After growing up with all of these guys, I have to say that it was absolutely amazing to see all three of them in one show. I totally disagree with salmon's review (below). John Petrucci is an absolutely amazing guitar player. John's set was incredible. I just can not believe how he can write such incredible music in such a short amount of time. Those of you who know the Liquid Tension Experiment will agree. Thank you John for an amazing show and also for your incredible talent. It is very inspiring, and I am looking forward to the new Dream Theater album.

Steve Vai is on another planet. This guy has an understanding and control of the guitar that is unmatched. He was definitely the best showman. Opening with 'Shyboy' just sent electricity through the theater. Billy and Steve are a perfect match for each other.

Joe was great. I liked Raspberry Jam and 'Satch Boogie' rocked.

The jam was incredible. Of course there was Joe, Steve and John. They also brought out Paul Gilbert and Steve Lukater.

Overall an amazing show. Look forward to a DVD.