Joe Satriani The Forum Melbourne

The big screen errupts into a fast paced road race visual as guitar legend Joe Satriani casually walks onto the stage his signature Chrome Boy Ibanez JS1CR30  in hand from the moment the first note plays, it is an eruption of sound.

The Forum this evening is packed with guitar players, a veritable sea of Steve Vai and Satriani t-shirts all here to witness the master in action and every single body in the room is in awe of the legendary guitarist. On tour to support his latest  musical offering ‘ What Happens Next’ he wastes little time talking and gets down to business.

As he moves through his music like a man possessed he plays a variety of old and new including ‘ Cherry Blossom’, ‘ Satch Boogie’ and ‘ Flying in a Blue Dream’, each song played with with perfection and precision. With  Bryan Beller on Bass, Joe Travers on Drums
and Mike Keneally on the  Guitar/Keyboards  the band do a sensational job of supporting Satriani and allowing him to shine.

When you step into to the world of Joe Satriani be prepared to stand at the alter of a guitar genius and be awed.  From his signature performance techniques, the two handed tapping as he effortlessly places his pick in his mouth to the legato that beautifully ties each note together the performance is flawless, not a single note is dropped.  Impressively he also manages to engage the crowd and stir them into a frenzy.

Whether audience members were here to see the virtuoso play or if they were new fans of the award winning- guitarist, one thing is for certain, those that witnessed the show walked away inspired and in awe of the legendary Joe Satriani.

Words and images by Amanda Lee Starkey

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