Review: G3 ‘25th Anniversary Reunion Live’
By Hal Horowitz
It’s a shred-fest!
It was Joe Satriani’s idea to corral three hard rock/jazz/blues fusion guitarists onto one stage in 1995. He invited fellow string-benders Steve Vai and Eric Johnson to join on a brief but consequential month-long 1996 US tour that featured openers Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Adrian Legg along with different, similarly talented guests in each city.
This all-guitars/all-the-time mostly instrumental concept became so popular it was expanded to Europe and has continued with Satriani and Vai, adding a revolving door third member, through another dozen or so jaunts every few years. The pandemic halted these guitar excursions, creating the longest break between them beginning in 2019.
The trio was revived in 2024, once again featuring Johnson, returning from the original grouping. Hence the ‘Reunion’ part of the title from the lineup’s LA gig, all of whose dates sold out. It’s the fifth recorded release for the G3 assemblage.
The two CD/four vinyl package follows the standard blueprint with solo stints from each member (and their respective bands), along with a closing jam featuring all three, which usually includes a Hendrix cover. A film of the show and various tours by Satriani’s son ZZ is mentioned during between song comments and should be available soon.
Vai is first up, slashing and burning through an agitated performance highlighted by “Avalancha” with whammy bar shaking and fingers aflame. He brings a slower prog/metal attack to “Zeus in Chains” with enough pyrotechnics and frantic fretwork to satisfy most guitar lovers for the foreseeable future. A haunting “Teeth of the Hydra,” from 2022s ‘Inviolate,’ displays Vai’s subtle, ominous, yet just as intense side. Loud, proud and showy; in other words, typical Vai.
Johnson opens with a workout on the soul classic “Land of 1,000 Dances,” rocking it up and repeating wordless vocals of “na, na, na, nah” before launching into melodic soloing that remains impressively acrobatic yet, unlike Vai, never goes overboard. He digs out “Trail of Tears” from 1986s debut, singing in a rather frail but authentic voice. That creates a more traditional song structure before flowing into one of his soaring solos. A throbbing “Freeway Jam” pays respect to the late Jeff Beck and reprising “Desert Rose” from 1990 brings more vocals and classy soloing to his section.
Satriani kicks off with a roaring “Raspberry Jam Delta-V” displaying his dexterity, moving from funk to rock to prog with spontaneous intensity. Like Johnson, he reaches back nearly forty years to revive fan favorite “Surfing With the Alien,” now more supercharged and flashy than the original. That would be the closer to anyone else’s set. But he’s just getting warmed up, blasting into an explosive “Satch Boogie” then turning down the temperature (slightly), for a world vibe on “Sahara,” a newer track from 2022s ‘The Elephants of Mars.’ He ends by introducing his son and reprising “Summer Song” from 1992s appropriately titled ‘The Extremist.’
The closing jam where all three share the stage includes typically expansive, flamboyant, some may say excessive, covers of Jimi Hendrix (the seldom performed “Spanish Castle Magic” balloons from its initial three minutes to nearly 12), Cream’s propulsive version of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and a surprise encore of “Born to Be Wild,” all with revved-up, dueling guitars and riffs a-blazing.
These sometimes dilute the appeal of their more concise originals by going off the rails with showboating shenanigans. But that’s what the shows promise, fans clamor for and these guys deliver with crowd pleasing, technically outstanding, even jaw-dropping expertise developed through years of pushing those electric guitars and pedals towards places few others can imagine, let alone go.
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