LIVE: G3 featuring Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Phil Collen – February 12, 2018

Venue: The Fillmore

City: Detroit, MI

Date: February 12, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Todd ‘Toddstar’ Jolicoeur (http://www.toddstarphotography.com)

While I am not a guitar player by ANY stretch of the imagination, I am a rocker and that was the only qualification needed to check out the 2018 incarnation of the G3 tour featuring Joe Satriani with guests John Petrucci (Dream Theatre) and Phil Collen (Def Leppard).  According to a recent press release: Since its debut in 1996, SATRIANI’s G3 tour has featured the world’s greatest guitarists (everyone from Steve Vai and Eric Johnson to Steve Lukather and Robert Fripp) and has become a consistent concert hall sell-out attraction in the U.S., South America, Europe, Australia and Japan. “I could say that I’m surprised at the durability of G3 and how much it’s grown, but in a way I’m not,” SATRIANI says with a laugh, “I think part of its charm and its mojo is in the chemistry of having three top guitarists share what they do on stage. It’s fun, it’s unpredictable, it’s wild – it’s everything you could want in a show.”

The show kicked off with Phil Collen’s new project Delta Deep rocking the crowd to some amazing blues-inspired rock from their self-titled debut and their recently released East Coast Live.  The band joining Collen on this venture – Debbi Blackwell-Cook (vocalist/songwriter), Forrest Robinson (drummer), and Craig Martini (bassist) – held their own and more during their short set.  The rousing set whipped the crowd into a rootsy guitar-driven frenzy and warmed them up for the next guy on the bill.  John Petrucci came out and did what he does best – played heavier guitar-oriented prog rock full of soaring solos, melodic riffs, and overall fret board prowess.  The guitarist moved around, locking in with the other two players on stage and ripped through song after song pleasing most guitar freaks in the audience.

With a short set change, the hour was upon us for the tours mainstay Joe Satriani to hit the stage and wow the crowd with tracks from his catalog, including his recent 16th release What Happens Next.  Having seen him in a band setting with Chickenfoot previously, it was cool to see him do his thing as only he can do.  Hearing his bigger hits played live brought a new appreciation for his skills and the songs themselves.  As he moved through his set, you could feel the anticipation building in the audience, but you could feel the wave of excitement crash when Joe brought Phil and John onstage for a killer jam that kicked off with an amazing cover of Deep Purple’s Highway Star, complete with vocals from Delta Deep’s Debbi Blackwell-Cook as well as an extended three-man guitar solo.  Trust me, even if you aren’t a guitar player… well other than the occasional air riff… this is a great show to check out when it swings through your area.

G3 JAM SET PHOTOS

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JOHN PETRUCCI LINKS:

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PHIL COLLEN / DELTA DEEP LINKS:

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries