On this night, Joe Satriani answered my "Secret Prayer" - it was so secret in fact, it was even a secret from ME until the moment it was being answered...
I told Joe in a post to his page, back when he took requests for this tour, if he would play "Circles" I think then I can (as I put it at the time) "finally die happy" - he did play it, and it was WONderful as expected - a real treat to see him perform that - but as for the moment having that dream- come- true really *Intense quality, it came too early in the show to have that kind of emotional impact - instead, the "dream" moment came later in the show...
even though I knew the Vegas set-list included "Secret Prayer" - even though I've stated this before so I already know and admit this song contains my favorite solo from CP - even so - when I saw and heard him deliver that solo, the realization washed over me - engulfing my open soul in a drowning wave of Totally SATCHurated bliss, ohhh - This Is It - this is a dream come true - *Now I can "finally die happy" [[...thank you Joe for fulfilling that deep and secret desire, to see and hear you play that song... and I didn't even know it was my heart's desire, until I experienced it...]]
that was a definite High! Point! of the show, for me
although it's hardly fair to try and pick the "high points" - how can any show with as continuous and sustained a high as Satriani Live In Concert have any high points at all, I mean the whole thing was "One Big (non-stop) Rush"
it was more than I would ever have wished-for to hear Joe play "Look My Way" in concert - I was tickled to see him give that one a go, and he did a righteous and fine job - one fan posted to his page it was hard to hear him sing on that number - well, the vocal is "squeezed" so it's gonna be harder to bring that across without bumping various knobs on the soundboard - in spite of LOVE LOVE LOVING that song, it was one I would never have requested - the studio version has that extremely complete and "perfect" quality - even so, I was pleased and thrilled at the "cocktail set" incarnation - man, he is so solid...
miscellaneous subtly amusing memories pop up - at one point after Joe threw several picks to the audience, he went to get a pick to play - oops, all gone - no more picks - he smiled/laughed at Jeff and Stu, shook his head, spread out his fingers - got one from what must be his backup supply stashed near the drum kit
Lindsay was decidedly put-out by the fan waving a two-foot clear tinted plastic blow-up alien doll in the air all during the first half of the show - he immediately dubbed this an unwelcome dIsTrAcTiOn from Joe's music and playing - the fan threw the two-foot doll up on stage as the 2nd set ended, and Joe picked it up - Lindsay told me after the show he was glad to see joe have some fun with it, moving it's skinny little arms gesturing towards Stu and Jeff, and pretending to be it's little alien voice, giving credit to his band, "that's Stu Hamm on bass! Jeff Campitelli on drums!" (audience cheers and hoots enthusiastically) etc - that was a fun moment, and it almost made up for the distraction...
toward the end of the show a fan jumped up on stage - man, he was *quick, up there in a lightening flash, grabbing something off the floor in front of Jeff's drums (one assumes it was a pick) - quickly pocketed and then he jumped feet-first back into the crowd about 3 rows out - D%$#@! those crazy fans! - the Hot Pink Shirt was on him as quickly as the crowd could let him through - he was "escorted" outside in a body-lock hold) none too gently...
good riddance - there was that portion of the crowd well- BEER'd- up - rowdy - those people (along with the "super-excited" hyper-fans) made it harder for Joe to have the sort of intimate rapport with the crowd hinted-at by the first concert reports from Vegas - when he introduced "Time" I got the feeling from the reaction of the crowd up there his words fell on deaf ears - no use throwing his words away on an audience too drunk or otherwise hyped-up to appreciate that little slice...
hearing Joe sing "I Believe" was a touching and beautiful moment - he mixed-in some *extra musical interest (which I've felt all along the song needs) by adding some intense and compact musical phrases between the repeated lyrics at the end of the verses, just before the chorus - I was very happy to see him choose to perform that song for his "acoustic" set, mostly for the reason that it's obviously his personal philosophy on display, and he gets the true privilege of singing from his heart about something he cares deeply
In fact, I was pleased to see him do as much singing as he did, closing the show with Big Bad Moon no less - using this way cool combination harmonica with built~in slide
all of this adds up to the first wave of my reactions to the Roseland show - anything more, or more cohesive may already have gone tra-la-la off to muffin-land...
the thing that impressed me very strongly during the show at several moments (the one's I remember: Summer Song, Love Thing, Always..., Secret Prayer... I'm convinced there were other moments - lost in the muffin clouds) - Joe is so fully-invested in the music - he's *There inside the song, pulling it out, SELLING every phrase, and delivering it to his audience - he doesn't just go through the motions - "the solo is the song" (M.Resnicoff)
this point cannot be stressed too often or too much - it's the key to everything...
=Joe is One with his guitar=
=Joe is One with the song=
[[..like N.Tufnal, I give a shrug to my shoulders: "and that's all I can say"..]]
.....peace.....
~fmc
[[..original webDate:: Wed 02 Jun 1999..]]