show review
diguitar Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Mar 01, '16 7:25 am
I believe this was with Dream Theater if I remember correctly..awesome.

petergil Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Oct 04, '02 8:46 am
I am from Peru and this was my first attendance to one of Satch show. For me, it was a terrific experience to watch Joe performing live. This experience is always going to be in a special place in my heart.

thepipes Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jan 11, '02 12:50 pm
I can't believe the show was almost 6 months ago! I had to add my comments after reading all the reviews - freedom of speech is what can make America great - everyone is entitled to their opinion. I saw Satch at the Avalon which is very hard to top... that is THE place to see any band. The Pavilion is cool, the night was awesome (full moon too?). I'd agree that it wasn't Vai's best night early on - I love the guy and have all the CDs but he can be 'up and down'. Shy Boy with Sheehan was absolutely incredible though, and as his 'solo' went on, Vai got better and more mystical leaving me in a stupor with goosebumps all over my body. I love Dream Theatre and it was totally great to see Petrucci up there - he was immense. Satch was Satch - always great. BTW, the bit with Vai complaining about his guitar was a hoot! He's always unpredictable. Now, about those $6 beers...

naso Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jan 08, '02 10:43 am
The show rocked....I thought it was very well put together. For those of you with negative comments....Shut up. You get up on stage and play. Joe was the nicest guy. I met him after the show and he was the best.....I have nothing else to say. Just to see and meet joe is enough for me.....Joe, me meeting you, is like you meeting Jimmy Hendrix. Later....Craig......I would also like to say that the guy below me is a pu$$y and he has no idea what he is talking about. Sorry Joe for the negative words but fans like that should get a horse head in the bed if you know what I mean.

maldi Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 7 Posted: Sat Dec 08, '01 10:32 pm
Hey sorry if I'm not giving you what you guy's deserve, but the show was not as great as I thought it would be. It was an unforgetable experience for me to be so close to you guys, because I come from a small country in Europe that never gets any good concerts, and I had been dreaming about seeing you live for a very long time. In general the show was good, but what kept irritating me was the sound quality, especialy John Petrucci's, who is actually my favorite guitarist (no offense to you Joe or Steve). To a certain degree it was just like the shows I've seen back home, loud but not clean. Steve Vai is one of the greatest live performes I have ever seen (no offense to John and Joe). In the G3 video, Steve gives life to the concert with his presence, and I think he did the same thing at this G3 along with Billy Sheehan. He truly is a stage giant. No need to talk about Joe,he should go down in history as Joe Satriani The Great. Well I think I've said enough. I can't wait to see the next G3 or any of you guys. Until then, the vidoe of the 2001 tour will keep me company, so please move your asses a little bit faster and put the damn thing on sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S (John, your solo CDs are a pain in the ass to find, just wanted to let you konw.)

leatherface Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Oct 14, '01 1:51 pm
I've seen some pretty killer shows, dylan, les claypool and the fearless flying frog birgade and even P.D.Q Bach, but this G3 show topped the cake. This was my wet dream that dried in amazement. I was thoroughly impressed by the speed and stage presence of petrucci who I thought should have done more songs from Liquid Tension, but nevertheless his display case was great. Vai getting pissed was a downer, but he came back out to kick immense ass. But of course Joe completely floored me, usually i sit at a concert, i stood the whole way through and sat during intermissions. Opening with my fave Cool #9 was awesome, and just going the next ten songs of just pure essential satch, i just don't know what to type im in awe. The jam was alot better than the Johnson Vai satriani video, I loved Voodoo Chile, mucho excellant. Play in Maine darnit!

toolwilson Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sat Sep 01, '01 4:37 pm
For all of you out there who rag on Vai, I've got news for you. There's this little word called stagecraft. When Hendrix burned his guitar, that was stagecraft. When Jim Morrison whipped out his little jimmy and went to jail, that was stagecraft. These are more extreme examples, but a man I saw in Boston named Steve Vai also has stagecraft. He dances, he makes faces, he COMMUNICATES with the rest of his band. There wasn't one instance during his show when every member of his band didn't know exactly what was going on and what needed to happen, including the man himself. Maybe if you Vai haters stopped wasting all of your time worrying about technical proficiency and soloing and took a look at the big picture, you'd know this. It's about entertainment, and I was entertained by all three G's. Thanks for a great show guys.

drnadeau Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Aug 19, '01 7:50 pm
the best show i have ever seen.the lineup was perfect.i cant wait till next one.joe is truly a guitar wizard.

gourrey Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Aug 10, '01 5:12 pm
I DONT KNOW WHY EVERYONE IS PUTTING DOWN VAI AND BY THE WAY HE HAD AN ENTIRE RACK OF GUITARS. OH AND YOU KEEP SAYING THAT HE SUCKS WELL I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ANY OF YOU CREAT AN INSTRAMENTAL SONG AS GOOD AS HIS OR EVEN TRY AND PLAY THEM. SERIOUSLY NOW VAI IS AN AMAZING GUITARIST. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT VAI PUTS MORE EMOTION INTO HIS MUSIC THAN SATCH DOES. I THOUGHT THAT EVERYONE ON STAGE THAT NIGHT PLAYED GREAT AND HAD GOOD SETS. JOE ROCK ON MAN YOUR STILL MY FAVORITE AND HOW ABOUT THOSE LESSONS?

baddass Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 6 Posted: Thu Aug 02, '01 2:38 pm
I'll start first by saying I think Vai and Satch are Gods. That out of the way, here's my review: I've seen Vai and Satch 5 times each and this was probably their worst show of them. Joe's set could've been filled with the incredible songs he has in his aresenal, but instead, we were treated to commercial medeocrety. I like them, but c'mon. Vai was also a letdown. He just wasn't "on" that night. It's obvious when he puts his all into his music, its also obvious when he fakes it. But, I'll still take either of these guys on their off night over 99.9% of the guitarists in the world. John Patrucci was technically brilliant, yet lacks any real sort of feeling. I think he has alot of promise as long as he stays on the right path. Overall: A great show if you've never seen them before. But to veterans like my friends and myself. I have to say we were disapointed. Go see them on thier individual tours. THATS where they shine. Peace

rushmaniac Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 8 Posted: Wed Aug 01, '01 1:27 pm
JOHN PETRUCCI, AND SATCH KICKED MY ASS! However, I could not say the same about Vai. To all the die-hard Vai fans, I'm sorry. But he totally sucked that night. YHe is a good guitarist, but he gets old quickly. Even on his albums, you listen to totally amazing songs and then BOOM: into crappy, showy section. It just sounds BAD! But, Petrucci and Satch made up for him. Satch and Petrucci can show off, yes. BUT, they at least make what they do sound good! Vai had the worst sound of the night. Joe and John saved this show, but Vai pushed it down to an 8. The best part was Doneti's drum solo that KICKED ASS! Doneti is an amazing drummer, as are Portnoy, and Campatelli (as a matter of fact, the last time I saw Satch, Jeff pulled up right in front of the Orpheum Theater, got out of his car, and had a conversation with the group I went with. He definatly ROCKS!). Over all, it wasn't a bad show. The sound wasn't the greatest because of the design of the area, but it was still good.

wms Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Mon Jul 30, '01 9:46 pm
boston show,,,john was great,,, steve outstanding,,, and joe as always,,made the show,,a night to remember.....WMS

gerich Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sun Jul 29, '01 4:33 pm
This was the best concert that I've ever been too. I came home that night and was totally amazed. Joe is one of the best guitar players I've ever seen. Steve Vai was awesome as well. John Petrucci was amazing. I can't say anything bad about the show, it was perfect.

littlewingblue Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sat Jul 28, '01 9:19 pm
oh man, i only bought tickets to the show because i wanted to go with a boy i liked, but i ended up having a great time, loving the music and now i am a huge satch fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shmoza Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu Jul 26, '01 11:11 am
Hello, On the 16th of July I had seen the show off my life as Joe, Steve, & Jhon gave me A Fathers Day gift that I will never forget. I had waited minute for minute for the 16th,from Fathers, for thats when my present of G3 tickets was given to me, from Hunter -- My son ! Thanks to all of you, Joe J.

newcastle Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 8 Posted: Mon Jul 23, '01 12:47 pm
I needed a few days to reflect on the show and I am glad that I did becuase the reviews would have been worse. This was my third G3 show and by far the worst. I will not go to another G3 because its a let down. The 6 to 8 songs doesn't come close to capturing the indivdual artists vibe. Basically Vai gets a 7 due to his song selection, which was sub-par, it would have been worse but Billy Sheehan's vocals on Shy Boy and his Bass playing which is tremendous brought it to a 7. I don't know what FRETZ21 is thinking, Vai is an unbelievable guitarist with a lot of style and emotion. Everyone has different opions but believe me go see him on his own tour and you'll be blown away. His show is like night and day when its his own gig. I saw him last year at Lupo's and I didn't hear one mistake the whole night. Next, Satch 7, I don't know what it is but the same thing goes with him. Very, Very boring, and if you've seen his solo tour you would have to agree. He puts on a great Headline show but old stuff is getting old. Now the best of the night, Petrucci gets a solid 10. Not only can he do all the technical shit, he is heavy and has some great changes just like in Dream Theatre. I don't know if I enjoyed him the most because it was something new or if he just cooked. Overall it was a good night but I think the G3 tour doesn't have the flair that it origially had 5 years ago.

fretz21 Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jul 20, '01 7:50 pm
Wow is all I can say...The show would have been a perfect 10, had someone kept Steve vai from playing. As a guitarist, he is completely overrated...he may have some really fast fingers, but I was nowhere near impressed with his sound or his technique...he also lacks rhythm in the worst way. He's an arrogant prick, and from my point of view, he just likes to make noise, and look pretty. The 80s are over Steve, so you might as well lose the cheesy fan. Not to mention, I was not very impressed with his little tantrum about his guitar. I can understand being upset about having problems with a guitar, but any real musician will bring more than one guitar on tour with them in case of little problems like these. On the other hand, John petrucci, and Satch were absolute gods. I have never seen anyone tear it up like they did. Incredible sets, and I loved the jam at the end (again, would have been better without Vai). Great show, and I hope to see it again, and maybe next time Vai will not be there to ruin anything.

hazelcat Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Jul 20, '01 7:09 pm
Although I can understand that thing may go wrong, I was a little disappointed when Steve's guitar crapped out on him. I think that he should have at least had a backup ready to go. Also I was hoping to hear Joe sing some of his own stuff, in particular "I believe" would have been nice. Other than the previosly mentioned the show was pretty good and I definitely look forward to the next time Joe makes it into Mass. Again. I would also like to add that John Petrucci has a new fan here as well.

turtlehead3 Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Jul 20, '01 6:12 pm
You guys just flat out kicked ass! Thanks for the great time.

antepatic Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Thu Jul 19, '01 6:43 pm

Well... I'm an italian Satriani's fan and I'm occasionally in Boston, because of my job. On July 15th I was walking through the street when I saw a commercial about the G3 concert in Boston to be given the next day... Never happened to me a coincidence like this! I listened to the concert... one of the best I ever seen! Thank you all, Joe (the joy), Steve (the pure sex), John (the human).

Thanks

nightcap2001 Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Thu Jul 19, '01 12:18 pm

Satch, Vai, & JP rock Boston Harbor! My father (61), friends and I had a blast. Being a loyal Dream Theater fan I expected to walk away with thoughts of JP's fast and furious tremolos, sweeps, and exotic modes. Satch never gets old... It was like a reunion with an old friend (seen him 7 times). Satch being my first instrumental guitar hero, I see him as the master who makes it look so easy. Great job Joe!

James Christopher Eddy

Burlington, MA

dasspook Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 8 Posted: Thu Jul 19, '01 5:55 am
Great show, well worth the two-hour drive to Boston. Here's my review: http://www.metal-is.com/cms/crp/crpArticle.asp?cid=1867

bubs Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu Jul 19, '01 2:37 am
Ok...I don't know why some people are saying that Petrucci just didn't pull through for them...I mean, c'mon! Just listen to the man! He is definitly up with the best of them...In fact, he was the highlight of my night...The new songs were incredible, then the Paradigm Shift into Erotamania back into Shift was superb. I thought Vai and Satch were all great as well...Being that this was my first time seeing Vai live, jeez he makes some weird faces while playing. But this show totally rocked!

haws Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Jul 18, '01 7:47 pm
This was the best concert that I have ever seen. I am serious. I have never seen the like before. It ROCKED HARD CORE. I can't believe that I actually went to see the thing. What else can one say? The only bad part of this show is that now all the albums I have don't compare to the goodness of the live show. Oh well. Maybe they'll make a CD of the tour (hint hint).

gtrbellz Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Jul 18, '01 3:40 pm
Tears came to my eyes when i saw my two guitar idols up on stage tearin it up. I have listened to satch for nearly 4 years now, and he is the reason why i love the guitar and play it today. When he came on stage it was unbelievable that i was seeing him, i had always dreamt of it, it was weird being in the same biulding as him!! The beauty of his playing is so great, it completely overwhelmed me in a sense i cant explain... Satch and vai completely blew my mind. Petrucci also was nasty, he is a great guitarist. When vai threw the guitar it hurt!! And the guy that left the review disrespecting vai... what the hell is wrong with you?? Vai is incredible, and if you were on stage u would be pretty pissed too if your guitar wasnt working that great, and vai doesnt ruin the show are u crazy! He was incredible, actually the entire show was incredible! I hope to be on satch's level someday, but this concert was so awesome for me, i recommend that everyone goes to see them play. Satch and vai together in one venue is amazing...

speedoflight Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Jul 18, '01 12:17 pm
What a tremendous performance! It started out great with J.P. and S.V. took it a couple notches higher and Satch took it over the top. What a treat to see Billy Sheehan with S.V. those two are truly meant to jam together. This was the second time I’ve seen Satch. I saw him last year at the Avalon and it was the most incredible thing that I was ever privileged to witness and I thought nothing could possibly top it. Well, guess what, that prophecy was blown away last night in Boston. The final jam was just amazing! What a great selection of tunes (Hendrix was smiling in Heaven). I felt bad for Jeff Campitelli, three guitarists and two bass players at the end had him out gunned. He did an awesome job though keeping everything together. It would have been cool to see Mike and Virgil play along with Jeff. That would be the ULTIMATE jam session!! No gripes here though, I’m a drummer and I’m just venting a little. Great show!! I hope a CD will come out with this line up! Thanks G3 for sharing your talent.

berkleegrrl Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 6:16 pm
Well, This concert was a dream of mine... to have Satch, Vai and Petrucci on one stage was amazing.. although i must say the acoustics at the Fleet Boston Pavilion weren't the best. When Petrucci came out and did his set of new material, I was impressed.. I've loved everything he's done with Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment... Then after the short break when Vai came out the place erupted! Practically noone sat down for the rest of the show.. His set list was good and the short intermission when his guitar was being a bitch was entertaining.. and then Joe came out I was so starstruck :) I have seen Steve and John before and this was the first time I had gotten to see Joe. I had brought flowers for Steve, Joe ,and John with intentions of giving them to them when they were all out on stage, but something came over me and I had to go down front to get a better look.. so the annoying pavilion security had to escort me down and wouldnt let me stay till the end of the song so I could hand the flower to him... i was at the foot of the stage, not even two feet away from him while he was playing "Flying.." I couldnt believe how close I was to him!!!!!.. Well, as soon as I stopped to watch him play another security guard took all three flowers and stuck them on his amp... and told me to go back to my seat.. Well at the end of the jam when all three of them left each one took a flower I had brought for them and waved it as they walked off!!! :) I was sooo happy... That great show ended on a great note for me... It was even more amazing than I had expected .. I can't wait to see each of them again... It was the best combination possible.

bigpaul Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 4:28 pm
Yeah...I know who's web site this is! But I have to give John Petrucci credit for taking on the G3 project. He is one of the finest players in the progressive rock world, not a lot of people know that. Dream Theater is the biggest name in prog. rock today. I think more people should look into them before seeing G3. Liquid Tension Experiment is one of JP's side projects, give that a listen to also then talk to me about song writing! Mike Portnoy is a master, awesome talent... drummer,song writer,teacher,director. Dave LaRue and the Dreggs is another band people should get familiar with...those guy's kick ass! Steve Via came out and beat the crap out of his guitar so bad... It was beautiful! What a show he put on, not a bad tune in the set. Virgil did a drum solo that was amazing, spinning his sticks between crashes and just flat out whaling on the drums. Billy Sheehan is one of my top three bassists today,I can't discribe how great he was last night, just pure energy and talent. Joe comes on next with just this amazing sound, nobody else sounds like that. Simply the best at what he does. His band was the best last night. Joe, Stu and Mike are so tight. We were outdoors so there was no problem with sound where I was. I rank the gig a 10 just because of the talent factor. If this tour is scheduled to come within three hundred miles of were you live... GO!!!

junkmonkey Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 3:37 pm
When John Petrucci's set had finished I thought to myself, that had not it been for the previous time I saw Steve Vai, NOBODY would be able to top him. He was, to keep it simple, unbelievable. His speed, ferocity, and ultimate badass-ness ROCKED! All eyes on Vai though! When he came on the stage, well, let's just say I was in AWE! Him and Sheehan are Gods! Their stage presence, Sheehan's illuminating guitar, Steve Vai's wicked sexy shirts, and, of course, Vai's titillating dance moves... well, THEY FUCKING ROCKED! As for Satriani, let's just say that the two lesbians in front of me were about as entertaining as his shiny piece of silver. Truthfully, his set was much better than expected. I'm not a big fan of his newer material but he more than redeemed himself with Surfin' and Always. One more tiny note to add: During Vai's set, my friend threw our straw hat onto the stage and Vai wore it! Sadly, it was never returned. But MAN! VAI WORE MY FUCKING HAT!!!!

chad Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 12:36 pm
Wow! Just petrucci alone at the beginning gave me my $47 worth. It is just amazing how he pulled those songs off with such ease - his writing ability and technical ability is just unbelievably great. Just the fact that he wrote those songs up in the "attic" of Bear Tracks while DT was recording the new album specifically for G3 shows his dedication and is one the reasons he is one of my favorite guitarists. The only thing that sucked about Petrucci's set was Portnoy wearing a Yankees shirt (I think). When he broke into paradigm shift and erotomania at the end i almost shit my pants with excitement! Vai's guitar mishap provided a little comic relief to the concert, and when he came back out, i believe that his set was the climax of the evening. His sweeps were unbelievably clean and fast, and Billy Sheehan's bass was so powerful. Virgil Donati's drums were the craziest I have ever seen - he's a madman. His solo was insane! Mike Keneally was awesome, too. And Vai is just so creative and original- I've never seen anyone play harmonics with their tongue (oh, by the way, I tried that... it works!). Satriani, I must say, did not disappoint. However, I was more enthralled by Petrucci and Vai because I prefer their styles of music (more technical and progressive-influenced) and also because I was familiar with Satch's set already and the other two kind of took me by surprise. I do not doubt any of their ability on their instruments, though. All I know is that they all totally smoke my ass and if you want to see three of the greatest guitarists in the world you will not miss this concert (If you haven't seen it already).

nothingsimpleg1 Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 11:29 am
Incredible!!!!! Definitely the best G3 lineup, by far. All those guys fit perfectly together. John Petrucci was the missing link. His band was good. Dream Theater is my favorite band, so I was pysched to see Mike Portnoy again. Dave Larue was really good too. I'm really impressed with all the new tunes he wrote in a week for this tour. John has so many impressive qualities, and he's definitely the fastest of the G3 crew. All I have to say is, Steve Vai is an alien, and he is by far the best guitarist on this planet. I find myself asking "what can't he do?" and then he does something that I couldn't even imagine. He and Billy Sheehan were made to play together, they were so good!!! Mike Keneally was amazing as always. Virgil was good, I liked his drum solo. I wish Steve would have thrown his guitar to me instead of throwing it at the stage when it didn't work during Whispering a Prayer. He recovered well though. The best playing and entertainment of the evening. Joe was alright, this was my third time seeing him, and I must say, I was really into it, but I have seen him play better. After seeing Steve, there was no way he could come close topping him. Stu and Jeff were tight of course. I liked the tunes, but with the exception of Devil's SLide, I've seen the same songs twice already. Joe is amazing and he has so many good tunes besides what he played last night, my suggestion is that he change his set a bit. The Jam was awesome, my friends and I snuck up as close to the front as we could to see that. BIlly SHeehan sang "La Grange" by ZZ TOp and "Voodoo CHile slight return" by Jimmy. He has a really good voice. All the solos and messed around were fantastic. Steve sang "Little WIng", it was beautiful. The end of the solo section, when all 3 of them played Jimmy's oroiganl solo together was awesome, I had a feeling they would do that. "GOing Down" was cool too. I just wish they would have jammed longer. Props to everyone who worked on this tour. THey have done a fabulous job. THey better do a DVD, and have more than 3 songs from each member on it! I'll make everyone I know watch it, if they do put one out.

??? Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 11:26 am
Wow. I mean, wow. First time I've seen any of you live, and I was amazed. I've known about Petrucci for a while, and I was impressed a lot with the new stuff. Vai was even more awesome, even though his guitar broke. Then, my god goes on stage, and I stopped moving and followed every note he played. Joe Satriani was the best part of the show. The only problem with the show was the people smoking pot near me, but that didn't bother me enough to hurt the performance. Every song Satriani played was awesome. Even my two friends who didn't really listen to any of the performers loved it. Wow.

jcmghjr Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 10:33 am
Best Concert I have ever been to. A dazzling display of guitar skills. John Petrucci impressed me. I don't know much about him but he is obviously a very good guitar player. Steve Vai was Steve Vai, putting on his usual show and even guitar problems could not cut into his act. And with Billy Sheenan there with him, the Van Halen of the bass guitar, Steve Vai's set couldn't have been any better with those to going at it. Joe Satriani continues to be the most listenable guitar player of the three. He adds effects with blinding speed and the ability to improvise with the best. The final set with all three guitarists was extra special. With those three up there together, the guitar sounds could not have been any better, especially adding Stu Hamm and Billy Sheenan on bass.

vpoko Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 7 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 10:23 am
Awsome show... at least the later half of it. Petrucci and Vai didn't really do it for me. I've never been a HUGE fan of either (and would have much rather seen Eric Johnson on this tour) but it was a cool opportunity to check them out. They're both very talented on their guitars, and their backing musicians were both awsome (especially Billy backing Steve on the bass and Portnoy backing Petrucci on the drums), but neither of them got me really excited. Vai, especially, though, seemed like he was using the show as an excuse to show off. A little stagemanship (I think I made that word up... dunno) is good (in contrast to how Eric Johnson, for example, plays... with no emotion), but Vai was all about how fast one can play and how much can you swing your guitar around. I actually thought Petrucci even had more of a melody than Vai. For the Love Of God, which is one of my favorite pieces in instrumental music even dissapointed me. Now Satraini was another story. His set was flawless (and I'm very happy he chose to play Devil's Slide at this show over Borg Sex) and the energy was phenomenal. He played perfect songs perfectly, an absolute 11 out of 10 for his set. The jams were cool, but it is somewhat hard to hear the instruments when there are so many of them. All in all, if I tell myself this was a Satriani show with Petrucci and Vai opening, I was very pleased, as far as "three great (and somewhat equal) guitarists", forget about it. Can't wait to see Joe next time he comes around (alone preferably, but I'd see Joe in any format)

milhousebk Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 9:59 am
wow. what else can you say that hasn't been said? petrucci, portnoy and larue were amazing. so tight, so *heavy*. definitely looking forward to john's solo album. vai was a little bit of a letdown for me. i had never seen him live before, and wished he had focused on his more melodic work, as opposed to the showy, tongue-involved set he played. don't get me wrong though, he is an absolute monster on the guitar, and the interaction between him and sheehan was great. i would have liked to have seen mike kenneally involved a little more too, i unfortunately missed his boston show this spring. but... for the love of god was worth the price of admission. wow. he kept teasing with those first few notes in that song he played immediately before, and when he finally launched into it... wow. and then there was mr satriani. joe was incredilbe (but is he ever not?). his set was great (would have liked to have heard crystal planet though). no matter how many times you hear them, his songs never get tired. and is there any cooler-looking musician out there? one of the few guys who look good with a shaved head. then there was the jam. i think my whole life had been leading up to that moment. :) voodoo chile and little wing? i am not worthy. my throat is still sore.

ibanez35 Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 8:49 am
Words, can't do justice to how amazing this show was. It was a wonderful homecoming for us boston fans to see some great 'ole Berklee Boys and Satch. What an amazing lineup. The trio jams were completely on another level. I really like the set that Joe did, covering the classics and some newer ones, surfing~, always, summer, cool #9, flying, were the big classics, and raspberry jam, devils slide, another EOC tune, and one of the g3 96 songs rounded out the set. An added bonus was a song i didnt quite recognize that featured joe wailing on his harmonica while he was busy shredding. Just hope our vocals werent too scratchy on that last one, which was like the live in san fran cd where he duels with the audience. The only thing that could have made this thing better would be if they gave everybody more time so each could play another song or two, another jam tune also. And i agree with the others reviews that it woulda been nice if people sat, despite being up front in section 3 row R i was forced to stand the entire time.

threshar Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 9 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 8:20 am
G3. Wow. This was one amazing concert. I agree with the others who say that John Petrucci should be allowed to jam with Joe & Steve. He was just amazing at shredding that guitar. Then came on two balls of energy named Steve Vai & Billy Sheehan. They definatly put on the best show and they definatly work well together. Unfortunatly for Steve he had some rather bad guitar troubles in the beginning, but once they were solved things went well. After that our good friend Joe came out and jammed out some songs. After seeing him on EoC and listening to Live in SF you realize just how important Eric was in the band. When you listen to them (with Eric) youare like "Hmm.. doesn't seem like he does much" but when you hear the trio you can definatly pick it out. Perhaps Joe will hire a keys/rhythm guy for his next tour. It does make a difference. All in all it is hard to decide who put on the best show. I feel that Vai was the most fun but Joe's band was definatly the most disiplined and tightest. I blame this on the fact Joe, Stu & Jeff have been playing together for years. The final jams were just. Well how do I put this. Wow. Amazing to see all these great musicians (On each fo their respective instruments). Towards the end I suddenly had the fear that if something blew up (say a building next door, the venue, etc) that the world would lose an amazing pool of talent. My two gripes are that hte acoustics weren't too too great and that people in the rows ahead of me strategically stood so I couldn't sit down during Vai or Satch.

headlesshorseman Mon Jul 16 '01
80
Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston,
Rank: 10 Posted: Tue Jul 17, '01 6:34 am
the show as awesome!,rating everyone 1 to 5 i thoought pettrucci was a 3 he is an amazing guitar player no doubt, but his songs are just way to loose for me no parameters or borders they just lack total melody but he is a shred machine!,steve vai he was a 4 the guy is simpley a true master outside of some technical difficulties on his 3rd song which made him pissed of enoough to throw the jem off his shoulder and crash on the ground,then a 5 minute brake for the guitar tech to tweak it lol,vai played some new material i had not hear i liked it alot!,now for the man of the hour SATCH! WAS A DEFINATE 5!,this guy never seems to amaze me now i have seen him 12 times and he never played unspirited or with a lack of total fire!,he was flawless and in my opinion he is the show i mean lets face it you can tell vai is a student of joe,he just has a gift for wrighting songs every sone he plays you can bop your head too alot of players lack that all it is is shred like petrruci,as for all of them on stage at the end. wow!. that was unreal played zz top,voodoo child,and little wing ,then down,down,down it was a killer jam and the sound was awesome! anyone going to the later show dates if your sitting to the right of joe your allset he plays the right of the stage 80% of the time :)