Customer Reviews

G3 - Live In Concert: (Satriani, Johnson & Vai) (1996)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first time I saw this DVD was at a friend's house and after the first song I know I had to getg it and loved it ever since! I purchased it twice in the last year since everytime I let someone use it I never get it back, so I'm going for three. Of all the perfomances to watch, my favorite was Joe Satriani. I am a mediocre guitar player so I'm allways up to seeing a good solid live performance and that is exactly what Joe's set was from beginning to end(Cool #9 and Summer Song are awesome!). Eric Johnson takes a clean cut style and performs three songs that all have a very distinct yet similar style that only a master like himself can pull off(Manhattan and SRV blew me away). I have been familiar with Vai longer than any of the other two and in my opinon if you want to see him at his best you might want to consider the G3 live in Denver DVD to really absorb the kind of level he can play at(For The Love of God was pretty intense). The G3 jam at the end is pretty solid especially the nine minute work out of Jimmi's Red House is something to witness. I have to say, overall, that this is the best guitar playing trifecta I've ever seen. My only regret is that I wasn't there for the live show. So if you like music at any level this is definately the DVD to watch.

Pretty good. Bad sound and filming. I wish they had done it better. Red House sounds pretty bad as compared to the CD.

I love to listen to any album with good guitar playing,except for classical.It's not that it isn't good,I just don't like it.I checked out the CD and decided that it would be more fun to watch on DVD.Here is my review of each guitarist on here:
Joe Satriani starts off the show.He is the guitarist I was most familiar with before buying the CD and DVD.He plays the songs "Cool No.9","Flying in a Blue Dream,"and "Summer Song".The third one is my favorite.He is my all time favorite guitarist(Vai is second).
Eric Johnson is next.He is the guitarist I was least familiar with.He is the most melodic guitarist here.On here,he plays the songs "Intro Song,Manhattan,and "SRV".On the CD,he plays "Zap","Manhattan",and "Camel's Night Out".Manhattan is my favorite on both.I like it because it sounds jazzy.
Steve Vai closes this show.He is probably my second favorite guitarist on here.He is definitely the most of a showman.Plus he has "The Incredible" Mike Keneally on guitar and keyboards.He plays the songs "Answers","For The Love of God",and "Attitude Song".In "Attitude Song",him and Mike Keneally duel with each other,and Keneally is just as fast.
Last becomes the best moment of all.All 3 "G's" jam together!They play the Freddie King/Jeff Beck classic "Going Down",the Frank Zappa classic "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama",and a nine minute blues workout on the Jimi Hendrix classic "Red House".The second is my favorite.Joe sings the first song,Steve and Keneally sing the second,and Eric sings the last.None of them can really sing.I can't wait to go to G3 '03 with Yngwie Malmsteen instead of Eric Johnson.
P.S.I went there.It was awesome,but this concert was better.I missed Eric Johnson.Yngwie's licks sounded mostly the same,and the three man jams were EXTREMELY loud.

I'll mention this straightaway: if you're a Satriani fan, you might be disappointed. I am, and I was. Still, this disc should provide enough minutes of cool licks and good rock effects to satisfy most fans of rock/blues guitar virtuosity.

Satriani. My favorite of the three in real life, but not in this show. Don't get me wrong: his stage presence and artistry were still awesome, and the songs did showcase Joe's adeptness in creating some great sound layering effects. But, I saw two big problems. First, there were only three songs (alas, everyone's allotment) that seemed to be spliced together out of a longer set (again, same with the others) that I would have enjoyed listening to. Second, I don't think a "power trio" set-up (no rhythm guitar) does justice to the band's repertoire of songs. As a glaring example, "Summer Song" sounds terribly thin with the guitar "way up here" and the bass "way down there." No middle. Thus, one of the best rock 'n' roll cruising songs is rendered nearly powerless in going from CD to G3. Oh well. Get Joe's "Live in San Francisco" two-disc DVD; it's awesome.

Johnson. The guitarist I was the least familiar with, but most impressed by. Although his fingering appears to be the more labored of the three, I thought the music was the most interesting, with a diverse fusion of rock/jazz/blues. Nothing much in terms of stage presence, yet all three songs were performed well and had me leaning toward the TV to watch the playing. Eric had four members in his band, adding a keyboardist to provide some rhythm and melodic complements. Unfortunately, this three-song clip didn't last much longer than fifteen minutes.

Vai. By far the biggest showman of the three, Steve performed the heaviest rock tunes. "The Attutute Song" especially jammed, but this and the two others had an overabundance of squealing guitar effects and feedback. His bandmate, Mike Keneally, added some much welcomed rhythm guitar, keyboards, and matched Steve lick for lick in some dual lead guitar work (impressive!). This set was the most musically well rounded of the three. Steve shows that he loves the rock 'n' roll stage, and his involved and animated persona is fun to watch.

G3. Three great tunes, although I agree with previous reviewers that there was something lacking in the sound. I listened to this on 3.1 (no speakers in the back) and found that Satriani and Johnson could be heard well enough, center and left, respectively, although the extreme separation was a little weird. Vai's guitar was relegated to the right channel, and seemed distant; you had to strain to hear his licks. Bit of a disappointment.

Overall this is a good, not great, rock guitar DVD which fell short in terms of length and sound quality.

For those of you guitar music lovers, (mostly men, I guess), this is a great intro to three of the biggest names in guitar-centric music. More importantly, this is a great opportunity to get a load of Steve Vai's performance antics. He's a hoot! I still can't get over Satriani trading in his hair for a pair of sunglasses. He looks like Billy Corgan. The biggest treasure of this performance is Eric Johnson. I never heard him play before. He writes the most accessible music of the three and I am a new fan. All in all, a great success. Just, please wear a closed shirt next time, Steve. You should be heard more, and seen less.

I think if you're a fan of any of these guys or you're an aspiring performer this will be a worthwhile purchase. I was vaguely familiar with Johnson but the other guys were new to me. Personally I didn't care for Vai, I got what I wanted to see of Eric, but the standout performer was Joe. He seemed the most original of the three and really looked like he was enjoying himself. Great stuff for anyone who wants to play on stage.

I got the G3 DVD and was amazed. So much so that I didn't believe it possible. So I decieded to check it out for myself. I went to the G3 Tour date on November 27th 2003 at Ryman Auditorim in Nashville Tennessee and sat 8th row center. I did pay 60 bucks for each of the two tickets that I bought. Worth every single penny. Granted the show included the monsters Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai (with Billy Sheehan). Satriani headlined and stole the show. I have been playing guitar for well over 10 years and can keep up with the best of them. I left the bottom of my jaw in Nashville. If you can't see the show, this is the closest to the real thing you will ever see. I guarantee that every note played is real and sounds just like that if you are there. He is not overpowering or loud and provides that good mix, even live. The true Master. Others may be as fast or faster, but nobody can mix or hit the right note at the right time the way he does. It is true guitar magic.

good stuff, but the songs aren't their best and the camera work is average.

This had so much potential. Arrghhh!! My favorite 3 guitarist, yet the sound is muddied. It should have been recorded in 5.1 (like Satriani - Live in SF). The video is good.

THE SOUND IS HORRIBLE THOUGH and THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS A TRAVESTY.

I am so disappointed, as for Concert DVDs, audio is the most important factor. Not even anamorphic.

So lets start of by saying I could only see Satch live in Buenos Aires Argentina, and I was like there is such a difference between live and studio that its just amazing. My favorite artist here is Steve, so what can I say bout this guys that hasn't been said. Firstly, the song selection from these artists isn't all that great, think Steve could have chosen some better songs from the Passion and Warfare album. Two of these songs come from that album, although I would have loved to listen ANIMAL and EROTIC NIGHTMARES which are two of Vai's greatest songs for my taste. This DVD is kind of short, they could have included one more song for each artist. It's about 75 minutes long. Though regarding quality its very good, I definately was left wanting more. Anyway the price is excellent so I suggest you buy it anyway, a must own DVD for any fan. Worth it for the price!!! is my final comment.