G3 - Concord Pavilion

Concord, Ca. - October 11, 1996 - Geetarz 290/291 - DVD-R2

Geetarz Comments:

This was the first stop on 1996's "G3" tour which combined the talents of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. Commbining the talents of these three virtuosos on stage is enough to make the brain of any average guitar geek explode, and if watching this set does not leave one humbled, there's something wrong! For this date, For this first show, there were a few technical glitches, notably the fact that the PA system cut out during Eric Johnson's set for a few minutes. Satriani's set is a real surprise here, as he really concentrates on the grooves and not the riffs. Joined on the encore by Kenny Wayne Shepherd (who opened for the tour), Johnson was still plagued early on by a few PA troubles, but then things got even better as Neal Schon joined everyone on stage, making this at least G5 ½, with bassist Stu Hamm involved. Handheld video is filmed largely from the screens, and is wobbly at times but still watchable, with good, listenable audio. DVD authored from c. 3rd generation VHS source. A personal favorite, with enough guitar wanking to keep one feeling inferior for days after a single viewing. Recommended.