Joe Satriani
Two Sides Of...

Here is a bootleg I've listened to a million times: the first CD and the first song of the second capture a memorable concert held by Satriani's band in 1988, while the second CD contains the recording of the beautiful concert held by the Mick Jagger Band (with Satriani on guitar) in Tokyo shortly before.
Both concerts are fantastic, each for different reasons.

Without a doubt, the San José concert is more thrilling: Satriani was experiencing a magical moment, having a blast playing the music he always loved with his friends, and his album (rather than an album, it should be called a masterpiece), "Surfing With The Alien", was about to become a real sensation, turning into one of the most important instrumental albums of all time. It seems impossible, but this CD manages to fully convey the festive atmosphere that permeated Satriani’s concerts of that time (an atmosphere that has always remained), with people having a great time listening to great music.  

All the tracks are performed with incredible feeling: Joe doesn't worry about executing every passage with precision, but lets himself be carried away by energy and emotion, and the end result is overwhelming. The sound of his guitar is warm, raw, full-bodied, rough, with an impressive intensity and joy. "Ice 9" is devastating, with that distorted riff halfway between rock and jazz; "Midnight" is sublime, with Satch taking a flight of fancy that eventually brings him back to the ground; "Hordes Of Locust" is powerful and massive; "Echoes" hypnotic; "Crush Of Love" fresh, joyous. Then comes the moment for "Always With Me, Always With You": no need to waste words on this piece, a little masterpiece, essential, smooth, discreet, perfect. Satriani dives deep into his heart to find the notes, touching everyone, those who had the luck to attend that concert, and us who can relive those emotions.

Then comes the time for the final rides, with a frenzied "Satch Boogie" and "Surfing With The Alien" (within which Satch finds time to insert a fragment of "Birdland" by Weather Report), a crazy burst of energy and joy that blend together to become music.
The CD is finished, but the concert is not: there’s still time to listen to a beautiful bass solo by Stu Hamm and the mystical "Lord Of Karma." At this point, the concert is truly finished, but there’s no time to catch a breath because another concert starts right away. Here comes what we might call the greatest riff in rock history: to the notes of "Honky Tonk Woman," a speaker announces the entrance of Mick Jagger, and the Tokyo audience explodes. After all, that was Mick Jagger's first performance in Japan, as the Rolling Stones played for the first time in the Land of the Rising Sun only on February 14, 1990, at the Tokyo Dome.
Mick Jagger, as we were saying: the Rolling Stones' singer was touring his second solo album and had put together a fabulous band for the occasion. Joe Satriani on lead guitar (a very bold choice, as Satriani was then not yet a household name) replaced Jeff Beck, who, after playing on Primitive Cool, thought it wise to leave Mr. Jagger for the tour (apparently, the two couldn’t stand each other); Jimmy Rip on rhythm guitar; the talent of Simon Phillips on drums, and the genius bassist known as Doug Wimbish (bassist of Living Colour). The result is stunning, a real treat.
And when Tina Turner joins in for "Brown Sugar" and "It's Only Rock & Roll," it's madness! All the musicians on stage play divinely, never overdoing it and always supporting Mick Jagger, who towers over everything and everyone with his unmistakable voice (one of the few male voices that can convey such incredible sensuality to other men as well).

A word about Satriani must be said: the tour with Mick Jagger was the opportunity of a lifetime for him, as he had the chance to get noticed by the whole world, not just guitar specialists (who kept considering him too complicated, too "guitaristic") and Satch passed the test with flying colors, proving himself as a full-fledged musician and not just a mere guitarist. As a huge fan of the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards, he always tries to play the Stones' historic pieces with sobriety, never overdoing it but rather letting his taste and sensitivity emerge in every little detail. It's no wonder Mick Jagger was very favorably impressed by Satriani, so much so that the two have remained great friends, and in fact, Jagger even offered to play harmonica on "Joe Satriani," which didn’t happen due to a thousand "technical-geographical" problems. But that's another story...