Guitar gods pay visit to D.C.
Grant Fanning
Issue date: 4/16/07
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In its 11th year, the G3 tour is Joe Satriani's annual live music show where "Satch" is joined by two guitar monsters to perform around North America, Europe, South America and Australia, blowing the minds of fans and aspiring guitarists everywhere.
The show truly was a guitar player's dream come true.
This year is Mr. Big and Racer X alum Paul Gilbert's first full G3 tour and as a newcomer, he truly blew the roof off the place with his high-energy show.
Gilbert is accompanied by his former Racer X partner in crime, guitarist Bruce Bouillet. Joining Gilbert, Petrucci and Satriani on stage for a final jam session, Bouillet proved that he hasn't slowed down at all and definitely doesn't have a problem hanging with the big boys.
Gilbert's towering presence and insane command of the guitar definitely netted the most surprising crowd reaction of the three separate sets.
John Petrucci is every progressive metal head's favorite guitar player. A founding member of Dream Theater, Petrucci is commonly known for his lightning fast licks and intimidating picking hand.
Petrucci's set consisted of a number of tracks from his only solo release, "Suspended Animation," which ranged from the super chunky "Jaws of Life" to the melodic guitar ballad that he wrote with Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, titled "Lost Without You."
At age 50, Joe Satriani has absolutely nothing to prove. Since picking up the guitar at the age of 14, he has taught many guitarists the art of music through the six-stringed instrument, most notably Metallica's Kirk Hammett and guitar god Steve Vai.
His set exploded with tracks from throughout his 20-year solo career, including songs from "Surfing With The Alien," "Flying In a Blue Dream" and "Crystal Planet."
Though all three of these sets were great, the true glory of these G3 shows comes at the end. All three guitarists come together during the end of Satriani's set to give what we all want to see; a mighty jam-session.
Petrucci and Gilbert join Satch's band on stage to perform a set of classic Hendrix tunes, Satch's "Goin' Down" and "Jumping Jack Flash" from the Rolling Stones, each with super-extended solo sections split up between the three guitar heroes.
Getting to witness these three guitarists mix and meld with their distinct styles is the most exciting aspect of these shows. Petrucci's intimidating speed is matched only by Gilbert's percussive, super-tight picking style, followed by Satriani's unmistakable style and grace.
The interaction between the three is the reason why the entire crowd is on its feet the entire time, as they get to witness the tail end of an amazing tour.
One of the hilarious moments of the show was during the "Purple Haze" jam. Paul Gilbert jokingly acted intimidated by Petrucci's over-the-top speed. Gilbert then threw his guitar picks away and picked up his famous hand drill power tool with a guitar pick attached to the drill bit and shreds away his strings.
The G3 2007 show was nothing short of amazing. Getting to see my favorite guitarist, Paul Gilbert, appear in his first full G3 tour along with John Petrucci and Joe Satriani was a dream come true for me, not to mention catching the tour on one of its last dates.
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