show review
j63 Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Feb 23, '05 3:57 pm
It was my first time seeing G3 , I was stupified, it was great

axe2max Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Thu Jan 29, '04 9:27 pm
Everyone's a freakin' critic! This was one of the most enjoyable shows that I have ever been to. The stage was packed with some of the most accomplished and respected musicians of our time. An absolute treat. Can't wait for the DVD.

tasha Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Sat Jan 17, '04 3:24 pm
hey man,what do you expect,the gods tour,with that much talent upthere,I would be shy about some critics I read.some guys like the loosers who said he was laughing during yngwie set,how in the world can you laugh,you might not like ok,but shit don,t say that ,you said your girlfriend was laughing too,you know what I bet your girlfriend was wet like hell during the set,she was laughing to make you proud you little fuck bald head ass.joe that was awesome,steve too by the way thanks for taking to come down to earth from jupiter,yngwie,you're just great,nobody's is the best of the world,but you're my hero,yn know everything we got to know about guitar playing,do not worry about bad comments they are jealous fucks,vancouver organisation is the worst shit in this coutry,I'm from montreal ,but live in van now,because of that they let people get in the show late.anyway thanks guitar maestro to have change your minds for that night in vancouver where It's rainy 8 months a year and cloudy 4 months.god bless fromDARKESTFINGERS@yahoo.com

egghead Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Mon Nov 17, '03 8:01 am
What the hell happened to Yngwie??!!? I used to think that he was a god, but after his lackluster performance this night, I'm starting to think that he's losing it. He didnt have his shit together at all...... he just basically fucked aroung and made a lot of noise trying to outdo Hendrix.... you know, throwing his guitar around way too much, ripping the strings off.... anyone can do that... I don't need to spend 60 bucks to see that shit. Plus his sound sucked beyond belief. The only cool part of his set was the acoustic thing... dope. Now Vai on the other hand, never ceases to blow my mind. His sheer mastery of the instrument is mind boggling enough... throw in unbelievable songs and great showmanship......fantastic. His band is the tightest on the planet. The trade-offs he did with MacAlpine and Weiner were nothing short of sick! Playing on each other's necks!! I have never left a Vai show disappointed..... on the contrary, it usually takes me a couple of days to even touch my guitar after. Satch's set was flawless, I just wish that he would play some of his more obscure songs as opposed to the usual hits. I realize that fans has some say in the setlist by voting online, but i think that a couple of curve-balls would not be a-miss. I love to watch Joe play no matter what, though, and he is still the god of taste.

dave2003 Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 2 Posted: Sun Nov 16, '03 7:53 pm
This was the concert I'd been anxiously awaiting a long time. Unfortunatly, as soon as Yngwie hit the stage, all my hopes for a great show quickly faded. I was in row 7 and must confess that his set was the loudest worst, mixed set I have ever heard. All the instrumemts seem to blend into one high pitched wail. Several times I had to cover my ears due to the painfull extremes. The absolute low point was when he was screwing around with the feedback and finished off with the most painful sound that I have ever paid money to hear. Vai's set was very entertaining. I was very impressed at how he utilized all the talent in his band. The whammy bar stuff on "Whispering a Prayer" showed just how innovative and musical his style can be. Satch's show was good but had all the same songs as he's played here before. Overall this was one show I wish I could have missed. I have been diagnosed with permanent high frequency hearing loss and tinnitus as a result. I now have a permanent reminder of this concert. Thanks guys.

shane Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 4 Posted: Sun Nov 09, '03 1:32 pm
I have to say that I was disappointed. I hate being a negative ninny but I have to be honest here. Malmsteen's showmanship was quite cheesy although some seem to dig it. Vai's set was very fresh and entertaining with the 3 neck guitar, the two extra guitar players, and playing songs that I've never heard him play live (I thought the reaper rap was a pleasant surprise!). Now to the crux, I pretty much went to see the show mostly because of Joe and I was quite disappointed. He played the same ol' tunes I've heard him play live hundreds of times. He played NOTHING from the last two albums. It's the same old stuff although it looked like they tried to up the light show. The sound of course was too loud, and grainy. As a result a few people actually left early. Sorry Joe, Iove ya man but overall it was the worst G3/Satch concert I've been to. I would feel totally ripped off if it wasn't for Vai's set .

shoreboy Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Mon Nov 03, '03 12:28 pm
that was a wicked show........... flying.... for love o god .....sweetness!!! definately picking up the dvd thanks joe

jawbones Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Wed Oct 29, '03 11:15 pm
wwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooowwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......joe still rocks!!!.......i was in the 7th row at the orpheum theatre in vancouver....sound was fantastic........played most of the classics plus some newer tunes that made ya sit back and shake youre head in aweeee. joe stole the show!!!!!!!.....steve vai was awesome as well!!!!!!!........if youre close to the front watch out for malmsteens picks...........he throws 40 or so into the crowd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....all in all.............well worth seeing the show!!!!!!!!.........jp..........vancouver bc

chronichillbilly Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Sun Oct 26, '03 1:47 pm
I have to say the show kicked ass, I know it was loud but didn't those guitar tones feel great going through your body, I totaly loved the part when Yngwie turned on the delay to emphesize his feed back, as painfull as it was it still blew my mind! It was was unfortunate that most of the bass playing was mud in the mix you could feel it through your body but the ears were pickin much up, I think that was dew to the keyboards in the mix more than the loud guitars and that is why Joes mix was the best, But to look past the sound problems ever ones perfomance Kicked ASS!! Yngwie and his moves were great as 80ish as they were he definatly inspired me, Vai was totaly slick, I love the way he kept his band so involved, they definatly played as a unit! as for Joe well he is the man, Sounded like the CD. flawless playing with moderate improvising so as to keep his tunes in line I guess over all the show was a great pleasure and I will travel the 10 hours again any time too make it to the next G3 tour!

morpheus Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 7 Posted: Sat Oct 25, '03 7:58 pm

While it is always a thrill to have a show like this come to lil' ol' Vancouver - and to see Joe especially, I have to say that the sound was some of the worst I've ever heard at a concert.

Individual and combined playing was great, but it was ruined by the sound problems. Ynqwie was too loud and over-driven (chemically as well as acoustically)

kinyas_balta Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Fri Oct 24, '03 2:25 pm
AWSOME!!!

lethereberock Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Oct 22, '03 9:51 pm
it was so amazing it was like ,DAM , yngwie, steve and joe are insaine good, and they played hendrix covers to finsish off the show! it was grand, fab, spectacular,ZZANG, they are my favoirte guitar players now

slowfinger Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Sun Oct 19, '03 4:27 pm
I am giving 2.5 points out for each set. 3 individual artist sets plus 1 combined. I am still trying to let it settle inside me. How would you compare the best Football player against the best Basketball player and the best Hockey player, you couldn't. The concert show itself was overwhelming but the sound was not clean and a touch too loud, I used my ear plugs.. Yngie gets 2.5 points - he was having a great time and we knew it. Steve gets 2.0 points - we really didn't need the guitar tongue work. Joe gets 1 point - lightman had burned our eyes out with low stage lights flashing straight into our eyes. We couldn't watch the stage. and the finale 2 points, Yngie carried the boys with his antics as he looked like he was having a great time, Although Steve and Joe did not get as much solo time.

taterhed Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Fri Oct 17, '03 10:45 pm
I rated this concert 9/10 simply because of the aforementioned sound problems. Vai's guitar seemed to get lost in the mix. I thought Joe's sound was adequate though. I'm not the biggest Yngwie fan, but he can sure shred. Looked a little lost in some of the 3-way jam though. Vai was great. I actually think "For the Love of God" is a masterpiece so no complaints here. Wouldn't have minded "The Attitude Song", but you can't have it all, especially with the short sets. If Vai gets an "A", and Yngwie gets a "B+" (great albeit cheesy showmanship), then Joe gets his usual A+. Again, the time constraints only allowed for pretty much predictable set list, but that's understandable. He could have thrown at least one rarity in there though. Of course, the highlight of any G3 is the jam at the end. I wasn't really into the ZZ Top thing, but the rest was great, especially the Hendrix stuff. On the musical side, it wasn't too surprising, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Of course, I'd still like to see full set from Vai and see Satch again on his own, but this should tide me over until then. Overall, it was a very memorable experience and well worth the money.

jaguar1 Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Fri Oct 17, '03 4:24 pm
Let's see...$67 for a ticket, $125 flight from Calgary, $115 hotel, $85 car rental plus about $70 for food, gas and misc items= $462, but, was it worth it..oh yeah! Malmsteen was my least favorite. His tone was horrible, guitar too loud and antics kinda geeky. I did like his acoustic number, his blues cover and his vocals though. His style overall does little for me. I find many of his solos seem to have no musical context, now - Joe's arpeggiated run in M.P.H.G.T. and Vai's "Crossroads Movie" arpeggio tune....THERE'S context! Vai was up next and he was mesmerizing! Malmsteen left me feeling 6 out of 10, Vai pushed me over the top. I could feel myself grinning the whole time he played plus my eyeballs nearly dried out as I couldn't take my eyes off him. I've wanted to see Vai for 17 years or so and thought he was amazing. It seemed like Steve, Tony, Billy and "insert name here" rhythm guiarist were having a blast. Joe was last and the crowd seemed a bit sedate for his show, but I don't think it was Joe's fault. Joe is incredible! An analogy to me would be having the sexiest woman ever make love to you until the point of exhaustion. Then she leaves and another woman just as amazing enters the room. What happens? You're so worn out, you just want to sleep or "cuddle" or something. THAT was Joe following Vai. We'd been taken to musical orgasm so many times with Steve that when Joe hit the stage everyone was beat. For me, this concert was really about Vai. I flew out 3 years ago to see Joe...this time I just had to see Steve. Steve and Joe were great. I enjoyed seeing Yngwie as well but where I'd pay to see Joe or Steve by themselves I wouldn't pay to see Yngwie solo. Overall, very solid performances by all. By the way, I actually DID use earplugs (took them out for a bit) and the show sounded MUCH better wearing the plugs. One thing that bugs me about a lot of reviews is people commenting on Yngwie's weight. I find it unfair and immature to make such comments.

ednova Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Thu Oct 16, '03 8:49 pm
Totally awesome show put on by Joe, Steve and Yngwie. But sound was terrible in spots during the night. Too much feedback on bass especailly during encore performance.

sir_smash Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 9:43 pm
I thought the show was great. I had never seen Yngwie live and had always wanted to. the sound was rather loud (my ears are still ringing 24 hours later) but his playing was everything you'd expect from Malmsteen, amazing. I was happy to hear Black Star, which he played perfectly. Vai was also impressive. I thought it was cool when they were each playing someone elses guitar while still picking their own. The sound for Vai was still pretty loud and tough to take at some points, but he truly is a great player. By the time satch came out they seemed to have tinkered with the sound enough to make it listenable. He played the usual tracks, I was hoping for some of the more obscure songs that you wouldn't normally get. But you'll never hear me complain about a joe set, he delivered as you'd expect and i'll be first in line for his next show. The icing on the cake was when all 3 of them were out together. Little Wing by far stole the show and is one i know i won't soon forget, they looked like they were having a blast together and that made the song that much more powerful to me. my only real beef was with the sound levels being so high. At several points of vai and malmsteen i found i had to cover my ears to avoid sheer pain. but in the end the pain was worth it as the pleasure of seeing 3 guitar GODs perform at once is one i wouldn't trade in for anything.

pubs Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 4 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 6:49 pm
Title: G3 OWE’s Vancouver ANOTHER Show! Hi folks this here is Professor Trujillo! And I wish to share with you the G3 in Vancouver Report card: Visually an (A-) ! Yes Great showmanship by all three! Even though their bands weren’t really standing out (except for drummers Campitelli and co… Ingwie’s drummer sucked big time!!! And what about Tony MacAlpine Sweet Surprise! Who the hell was that third guitarist with Steve? Was it the fellow Canuck who used to sing with him? …Well he was lost in acoustic space!!! As for Billy Sheehan!! Didn’t even Notice you pal!! Matt Bissonette? Duh !!! Lets just say you can’t handle filling in for Stu!!! In Conclusion…Those guys could have very well vanished during the show and we wouldn’t have noticed WHY??? YOU ALL KNOW WHY? ITS been going on since Day one!! YES THE SOUND!! A (D-) To Sound!! DARN RIGHT PAINFULL! Ultra High Resonance! Erratic volumes!!; Too LOW or TOO High! Too much feedback!….Noises coming out of everywhere and at anytime!!! Can we blame the Orpheum? Hmmm perhaps.. but I doubt it!!! In any case the soundman should have tested the sound quality prior to the show!!! Satch, Vai and Malmsteen I’m sorry but You guys fail here!!! Fellas, you can add Vancouver to the List of “CITIES WHERE G3 OWE A FREE SHOW” I’ve seen both Satch and Vai give their respective shows... So we know you guys can do better. So food for Thought! Being musicians means delivering music! And in a manner that YOUR AUDIENCE & FANS can appreciate your sound not just your looks! So if anybody of Satch’s team reads this… I hope you tell him to hire a Soundman who ain’t deaf !!! COME ON its been going on for four straight shows!!! So in solidarity to all you out there reading this and if you’re going to see G3… Come prepared! BRING EAR PLUGS!!!

thegooddoctor Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 6:35 pm
Yngwie took no prisoners, as usual, and Joe and Steve were excellent!! The jams should feature more technical stuff especially with Yngwie aboard. Great stuff!!

racing Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 3:48 pm
to the guy who left the review below me: how can you have G3 without vai. It makes no sense. Vai and satriani are the ones who put the tour together. Its like saying you want apple pie without the apples. Anyways hats off to all the performers especially vai who had the guts to add pieces from the ilusive light and sound cd to the setlist. Some people may have rather heard other pieces by vai but what I like about vai is that he is unpredictable in is playing, so what makes us think we can predict his setlist. I feel bad for the sound crew for taking so much heat from the audience, but at the same time I want his ass fired cause he sucks!

22frets Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 9 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 1:08 pm
The show was very good! yes the sound was so loud you were deaf in one minute so bring your earplugs. Joe seemed to try to improvise too much on one song and seemed like he kept forgetting what he was doing and screwing it up. but the others were amazing! mystical ..groove thing was the best.by satch. and for vai, i just dont like him, his for the love of god is like metallicas enter sandman its overplayed. he should have played windows to the soul or something. Yngwie was wicked. hes quite the shredder. he swings his guitar alot and throws a million picks towards the crowd but most of them landed on the stage. he likes to throw his guitar. he played incredible and solos were great. next G3 should not have vai. get guitarists like Marty Friedman, Rusty Cooley, Francesco Fareri, Chris Impellitteri, Vinnie Moore................ and many many more. also shirts and posters are 40 dollars which is insane! RIP OFF. Malmsteen is quite a showman with lots of energy.It was a good concert overall.

brendanbannon Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 3 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 8:54 am
No trolling here, just the truth from a big fan of all three. Last night's show was one of the worst I've seen. Some uninspired playing by Vai and Satch and horrible sound quality throughout , all at ear splitting volumes. Yngwie was first up, with the worst guitar tone ever. The high notes were obliterated in squealing feedback and the low notes were a sea of mud. You couldn't hear any individual notes whenever he stepped on the gas. His bass player sounded like he was playing through a Big Muff ! They played Far Beyond the Sun, Black Star, a new one from Attack, the instrumental from Trilogy, a blues number plus some solo stuff. I'll give Yngwie credit for bringing lots of enthusiasm to the stage. What a showman !! Black leather lace up pants and satin "tunic" ....one of these guys doesn't look like the others ! It was awesome, too bad the unless you knew the songs you wouldn't have recognized any of them. The sound was that bad. The sound was just as shitty when Vai came out with his triple neck. Tony Macalpine and Shehan were introduced but not really featured - too bad. There was also another rhythm guitarist. Three guitarists at once - more mud. Joe came out and played 5-6 tunes that we've all heard before. Nothing new or obscure. He really looked like he was just going through the motions. First time I'd seen him with a rhythym guitarist in his band too. The jam had them playing Rockin in the Freeworld, Little Wing, Voodoo Child and the ZZ Top song the grange ?? Little Wing was the highlight with all 3 playing in harmony. This show was not worth the money and I left disappointed. Flame on - but it's true

sikotyk Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 7 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 2:45 am
1. with all due respect for talent. its still hard to get past the posing and attitude. .bad sound. 2. steve was great ,solid band. 3. joe was great . 4. the end jam was awesome , although yngwie had his share of beer up to then . he held on . throwing picks and twirling his guitar until the bitter end.

kreygholio Tue Oct 14 '03
171
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver,
Rank: 8 Posted: Wed Oct 15, '03 2:26 am

The Good: Yngwie - Have never been a big fan, but he put on a solid show. Obviously very skilled in his style - the acoustic section was beautifully done. The bit with the orchestra was good, but not mixed well enough to hear the orchestra. Steve - Awesome! Very solid playing. Have never seen anyone play with their tongue before... Tony MacAlpine on keyboards and guitar!! That was a pleasant surprise. Joe - All Things Joe were simply amazing - Flying in a Blue Dream was particularly beautifully done. Playing rhythm while Steve and Yngwie jammed - very classy.

The Bad: -All vocals were mixed too quietly - couldn't hear a word -In Joe's set, a tech was fiddling with one of Jeff's drum mics, but didn't turn it off first... -Also, there was some sort of loud, low hum that came up at the end of most of Joe's songs, and during one song at the end (seemed to come and go as Steve was playing). -Yngwie was a bit loud - am I the only one who, beyond a certain volume level, can't hear anything but harsh noise? Maybe he's making up for previous shows deemed too quiet.

The Ugly: Yngwie in leather.

Overall: Loved it! A couple kinks, but watching Joe play can make up for anything!