Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Junkman
It’s not without calculated risk that Joe Satriani endeavors to take the guitar to places no guitar has gone before. That’s what makes his music and his shows so unique and extraordinary. After two years off the road, and two albums (2020’s Shapeshifting and 2022’s The Elephants Of Mars) in the can, Satriani knew it was time to get back on stage. For this tour, he’s put one of his best bands together, featuring drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Bryan Beller, and keyboardist and guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte.
Nearly half the songs played tonight were from Shapeshifting and The Elephants Of Mars. Most any other artist in Satriani’s league would stick to a proven formula with mostly hits and very little newer material. That’s never been the case with the guitarist. His new music is every bit as innovative and made for live performance as his more well-known songs. Given the fact that he’s playing all instrumental music probably makes the blend a little more transparent.
Aronoff, Beller, and Thistlethwayte all played on The Elephants Of Mars, so it only made sense to dig deep on that one. They rolled through “Sahara” and “The Elephants Of Mars” with relative ease. Satriani came out swinging, scratching through the melodies while the foundation of Aronoff, Beller, and Thistlethwayte provided the balance needed to give these songs muscle and might. The videos overhead were fine, but all eyes were fixed on the players as they unraveled various textures and layers for Satriani’s fingers to dance across.
Visually, Satriani and Aronoff, both bald and brandishing wraparound sunglasses, marked an intriguing contrast to longhairs Beller and Thistlethwayte. Together, they mesh like a band should, with the spotlight mainly on Satriani, though both Aronoff and Thistlethwayte had their own featured solo segments. For his part, Beller consistently rattled the walls with his chunky bass lines. Classic workouts like “Ice 9” and “Flying In A Blue Dream” seemed to slot in seamlessly with the newer material. The first set ended with a stylistic trifecta as a jazzy “Faceless” sauntered into a funky “Pumpin’” before landing on the feel-good, straightforward 1992 rock hit, “Summer Song.”
The second set included the aforementioned Aronoff and Thistlethwayte solo spots. There was also an exotic stroll through the Eastern-seasoned “Ali Farka, Dick Dale, An Alien And Me” before “Shapeshifting” pushed the throttle to full-speed and “Teardrops” placed a cherry on top. The night wound down with the one-two punch of “Always With Me, Always With You” and “Satch Boogie,” both from 1987’s hit album, Surfing With The Alien. All in all, tonight’s performance offered a full overview of Joe Satriani of where he’s been, where he’s at now, and likely where’s he going next.
