Review: Joe Satriani, 16th October 2010, Vicar Street, Dublin.
It had not been long since the last time I wandered the streets on the way to the lovely surroundings of Vicar Street. I had never had a problem getting there 5 years ago on my first outing, nor the second, nor the third etc etc. However, for reasons only known by the gods, or to whom it may concern up there in heaven land, I managed to bizarrely get lost on my journey. A few scratches of the head later, a conversation with two equally bemused Gardai and a reassessing of my coordinates I soon came to my senses and found myself at Vicar street.
One Joe Satriani was penciled in for a night of guitar worship in order to promote his new album, ‘Black Swan and Wormhole Wizards’. My first experiences with Joe Satriani were a long long time ago. I could not have been more than 11 years of age when my father came home from work one day and gave me Joe Satriani’s 1993 album ‘Time Machine’. A work colleague of my fathers had heard my father talking of guitar geniuses of his generation, so he issued him with that CD which then got passed to me. Not really being able to appreciate it at the time in all its glory still didn’t stop me from playing it on repeat even if my musical knowledge was extremely narrow. As time went by I knew that Joe Satriani was something special, not least knowing from his 15 Grammy nominations.
Joe begins with ‘Ice 9’ as he takes to the stage all kitted out with a perfect bright red guitar and striking yellow tinted glasses. This song immediately shows off what is to come in what was sure to be a total master class of guitar playing. What struck me immediately also was how tight his band was as Satriani delves into his guitar showcase. ‘Hordes of Locusts’ starts slow and builds into a faster tempo as Satriani’ bass player, Stu Hamm, kicks into action. Stu Hamm has the look of every disgruntled teen bassist at every BOTB there has ever been with his long flowing locks thrashing up and down, left to right throughout. ‘’Flying In A Blue Dream’ gets a massive cheer as it builds and builds. This also allows for the new phenomenon of phone recording. Its almost as if someone had shouted, “Crowd! iPhone’s set to stun/record.” The crowd’s faith in this song is justified as the beautiful melodies and tones sound around the venue. Just before ‘Light Years Away’, he speaks his first words of the night. “Good evening everyone. How we doing tonight? Thank you for brining us back here. Been enjoying the Guiness”. At a stage during this song he plucks away with his teeth, ala Hendrix, to great aplomb. At the end he simplifies things for the first time, this was an eye opener considering everything else had been so intrinsically technical. ‘Memories’ and ‘War’ both strike me as such heavy songs, but both are so very easy to listen to.
‘Premonition’ is a glimpse into his newer material, which does not disappoint. During parts of ‘Satch Boogie’ he laughs and smiles during the most technical parts as if its child’s play, the scarier thing is, to him, it is. Never has a chant of ‘EASY EASY EASY’ been so appropriate. ‘Revelation’, Joe effectively becomes the lead singer as he makes his guitar sing and roar through this song. ‘Pyrrhic Victoria’, then ‘Crystal Planet’ follows with a piano solo that once again musically boggles the mind. The brilliantly named, ‘The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing’ treated us the crowd to rare security guard involvement as a nearby security guard made his way into the crowd to boogie and sway in full uniform. Myself and my guest on the night moved closer for ‘Dream Song’, adding another layer of complexity to the guitar playing every single step you get closer. What was lost in sight from far away is made up as you edge closer and see those fingers in action. ‘Why’ came and went and then the drummer, Jeff Campitelli, came out the star on ‘Crush of Love’.
A rare glimpse of acoustic guitar is during ‘Andalusia’, but not for long as electric soon prevails with yet another flawless solo that shakes your bones. ‘Littleworth Lane’ slows down proceedings before the mass clapathon’ for ‘God Is Crying’. Satriani at points somehow made his guitar shriek and shout at the audience. The solo then goes on for what seemed like an eternity, no complaints from me anyway. ‘Wormhole Wizards’ from the new album get everyone involved and how they responded was tremendous. They ate up his finger taping exquisite solo. ‘Always With Me Always With You’/’Bad Moon’ then shows Satriani’s voice for the first time of the night. It was nice to hear him sing for a change of style that was welcomed by everyone. He then shows of his wicked harmonica skills. The very same harmonica is then used as a guitar slider to great success. This song was easily one of the highlights and by the reaction, one the crowd’s favorites too. He leaves the stage only to be forced willingly by the crowd, who want and crave more, back on stage. ‘Summer Song’ is a great last song for a truly mesmerizing night.
On the way home all the talk was of, ‘How did he do that?’, ‘Did you see that bit?’, ‘How do you learn that?’. All talk of the master that is Satriani. The old stuff has stood the test of time and the new stuff is as fresh as anything available out there. Having seen many great guitarists in my time, Satriani has fast moved to the top of that list with this showing. Truly remarkable.
Set List:
Ice 9
Hordes Of Locusts
Flying In A Blue Dream
Light Years Away
Memories
War
Premonition
Satch Boogie
Revelation
Pyrrhic Victoria
Crystal Planet
The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing
Dream Song
Why
Crush Of Love
Andalusia
Littleworth Lane
Wind In The Trees
God Is Crying
Wormhole Wizards
Always With Me Always With You
Big Bad Moon
—
Summer Song
