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Rating: The G3 again. Back in Milan, although this time the concert was held at the Mazdapalace and not at the Forum like during the first Italian tour of the guitar caravan created by Joe Satriani, but it is known that guitar heroes don't draw crowds like in the '90s anymore... Once again, Vai and Satriani together. In brief, one word could describe the concert: fantastic.
Vai and Satriani played truly great in every single aspect. During Vai's set, people were incredulous, astonished by what they were hearing and seeing. Stevie proved once again to be an exceptional showman, in addition to being the guitarist who probably has explored the boundaries of guitar knowledge the most. However, I was much more moved by the good old Satriani: from his hands came a blend of energy, musicality, emotion, pathos, melancholy, fun, color... One could say that if Vai put on a circus performance (using the term in its positive sense), Satriani merely "limited" himself to playing. It's a pity about Fripp, who, although a great guitarist, was not in the right context (in my opinion), and was not understood by most of the audience.
But let's talk about the concert. Despite the horrific transport strike, I managed to arrive at the Mazdapalace an hour early: I collected my accreditation and immediately took a position to the right of the stage, on the steps. I was pleased to notice that the audience was really diverse: kids, grandparents, dads, young people, adults, people in Iron Maiden t-shirts, people in suits and ties? The mysteries of the six strings.
At 9:10 p.m., Mr. Fripp takes the stage, and after the customary greeting to the audience, he sits at the back of the stage and starts with his Soundscapes. From where I was, Fripp was absolutely invisible, so much so that many thought he was playing keyboards. Unfortunately, not everyone understood what was happening and there were a few whistles, but probably many expected a guitarist shredding and were disappointed. Midway through Fripp's set, Billy Sheehan joined the stage: a beautiful bass/soundscapes duet. After 20 minutes, Fripp greeted everyone and went back behind the stage, waiting for the encores.
At this point, the excitement was palpable, as everyone was awaiting "the little Italian virtuoso": Vai did not keep us waiting and appeared with a stunning triple-neck guitar, a model different from the legendary heart-shaped guitar (let's say this one is a bit more "sober"). Compared to other Vai concerts I've attended, the start was definitely less impactful, but the musical quality of Satriani's former student is so high that all is almost forgiven, including the tousled hair. The band that "supported" him was as good as one could imagine: Tony McAlpine (guitars and keyboards), Dave Weiner (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Virgil Donati. Billy Sheehan was a bit in the shadows, perhaps because he wasn't heard much. Here's the setlist:
01. I Know You're Here
02. Giant Balls Of Gold
03. Answers
04. The Reaper
05. Juice
06. Whispering A Prayer
07. Bangkok/Bullwhip
08. Get The Hell Out Of Here
09. For The Love Of God
The setlist for me was "not very musical," but Steve can afford this and more; the solos, of course, were long and sustained, and there were many pure show moments together with the other guitarists (McAlpine plays with embarrassing ease!). The best moments? "Answers" (extraordinary, a frenzied rhythm with a truly perfect sound) and "For The Love Of God", which reached truly dramatic moments of intensity. At the end of it all, after the usual greetings and applause, Steve asked, "are you all ready for Joe?", and the roar that followed made me realize I wasn't the only one who adored good old Satch!
A short break to set up the stage, and it was Satriani's turn. What to say... a pagan deity of the 6 strings. The start was indeed a bomb of pure Rock & Roll with Satch as the absolute protagonist, thanks to a dirtier sound than usual and a more essential band (I was speechless in front of the wall of sound raised by Bissonette). Apart from the fact that seeing him there on stage playing was the picture of happiness (I read around some criticisms of his horrific horizontally striped t-shirt? I even liked that one!), I must say that of all the times I've seen him live, this was undoubtedly the most intense. I've never seen him in such good shape (he jumped back and forth throughout the concert), it's just a pity about the (unjustifiable) absence of "Surfing With The Alien" and "Summer Song". His set was nonetheless fantastic (War was a pleasant surprise), here's the setlist:
01. Hands In The Air
02. Satch Boogie
03. Cool #9
04. Gnaahh
05. I Like The Rain
06. Up In Flames
07. Always With Me Always With You
08. Searching
09. Is There Love In Space
10. War
11. Flying In A Blue Dream
Since Joe started strumming with "Hands In The Air" (on the CD it hadn't thrilled me, but live it was an excellent choice), I didn't stop tapping my feet for a second until the end of the concert. The peak was undoubtedly reached with "Flying In A Blue Dream": I had never heard anyone play like that: an intense emotion that I absolutely cannot put into words. "Satch Boogie" was devastating as usual; dark and fascinating "Cool #9"; very engaging "Up In Flames"; perfect "Always With Me Always With You".
I absolutely loved Joe's slightly dirty sound (criticized by many with excessive arrogance), which always pulled a warm and well-modulated voice from all his Ibanez JS, sometimes very heavy, with very pronounced mids and very liquid sounds. In my opinion, the perfect live sound: dirty enough, dark and heavy when needed, bright and sharp when wanting to surprise.
Then the frenzy exploded when Satriani introduced Vai and Fripp and kicked off the "G3 Experience": I was expecting the usual three traditional covers and instead they immediately launched into a furious version of "Ice 9", with Vai and Fripp on rhythm. A truly wonderful execution, with Vai interpreting the first solo and Satriani ruling the rest. Needless to say, the result was truly outstanding. Then it was "Red" by King Crimson, which was played fantastically (Fripp was definitely too low, though, but just listening to him play for a second, you can understand you're in the presence of an absolute genius of the guitar). It was Steve Vai's turn, who pulled out an anonymous "The Murder", a piece that didn't convince me at all (but why not play "Erotic Nightmares"? It would have been simply perfect). They concluded majestically with "Rock In The Free World", a historic piece by Neil Young that was also a symbol of the G3 American tour in 2004.
In conclusion, an exceptional evening, an amazing concert. What more to say? In the end, I even got a ride home from a guy from Chioggia who has been living in Milan for years, a great opportunity to "do ciacioe".
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