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51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More G3 Insanity!, November 21, 2005
G3 returns in fine form with "G3 Live in Tokyo". The same formula as the last two g3 DVDs is repeated. Joe Satriani teams up with Steve Vai and find a third guitarist worthy of sharing the stage with them. Each member performs his own set and then all 3 jam on stage together. It worked on the previous 2 DVDs and it works again. This time, with the addition of John Petrucci of Dream Theater/LTE, is the best time. Yes, there is only 90 minutes worth of music, but if you want the full G3 experience go see them. The 90 minutes is a great deal for under $15. Now to the show:
John Petrucci plays a couple of songs from his "Suspended Animation" disc. I saw G3 with Petrucci back in 2001 and thought that he should release the music he was playing. Now he has. Both songs showcase Petrucci's ability to combine speed, tone and phrasing in an instrumental form. Both songs have a couple of tone and time changes, and Petrucci shows why he is considered one of the best guitarists in the rock genre. (Or any genre for that matter) Fans of Dream Theater or any of John's other projects won't be dissapointed. John is joined by, DT drummer, Mike Portnoy and Dave Larue of Steve Morse and Dreg's fame. The rhythm section is solid and all over John's music. A very good set.
Steve Vai is next and continues to be the most energetic of the G3 members. Vai opens with "The Audience is Listening" from Passion & Warfare and it is a blistering version. Steve and bassist Billy Sheehan go wild during this song. They trade fours, exchange picking hands, and play some high speed unison lines. These two have been mesmerizing together since the David Lee Roth Band, and have taken their showmanship to new levels. "Building the Church" and "K'm-Pee-Du-Wee" are the other Vai tunes and Steve is his amazing self. Vai has been guilty of composing tunes that I can't identify with, but these are both great compositions and Steve's playing is true virtuosity at its best. Great set from a great showman.
Joe Satriani's set is also very good. He plays great versions of "Up In Flames" and 'Searching' but is guilty of not stretching out as far as he can. Still, both of these songs are excellent and show Satch's unparalled ability to combine catchy melodies with guitar virtuosity. 'War' is a song that Satch stretches out on and improvises a unique ending. Excellent version.
As always, the DVD ends with all 3 guitarists on stage. "Foxey Lady" is the first tune. Mike Portnoy plays drums on this tune. How can you go wrong with these 3 guys jamming to Jimi? The last two songs have Jeff Campitelli on Drums and Billy Sheehan joins Matt Bisonette on bass. The two bassists alternate taking the vocal duties and do a decent job. Both songs feature each guitarist taking a solo spot and then all 3 trading 4s at the end. More G3 madness done right. As always, if you aren't a fan of guitar, you won't be a fan of this. If you are a fan of any of these three, then you should get this. I am a fan of all 3, and find it to be the best of the 3.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
G3 Best of the 3!, November 1, 2005
I don't know guys. I just read the reviews posted and I'd have to say that I seriously disagree! This DVD is excellent! John Petrucci I do agree is probably the best of the 3 performances and it doesn't hurt having his DT buddy Mike Portnoy playing drums either! Dave LaRue plays some excellent driving bass! I saw G3 do this show a few years ago and I thought it was the best one so far! I saw G3 in it's previous incarnations as well as the last one with Y. Malmasteen. Enjoyed each one. I didn't get bored. I got energized! Lots and lots of raw energy in these shows. I also found the tour with Robert Fripp quite amazing. As far as the DVDs go I think the first release was not quite as strong as the Denver show and the Tokyo show. The Denver show really rocks too! But I think Steve Vai's performance on the Tokyo show was a bit more driving and strong than on the Denver DVD (and even alot of his stuff on the Live at the Astoria DVD). They come on strong on this one. Billy Sheehan is playing his butt off as well as Dave Weiner and Tony MacAlpine! And that drummer is simply amazing and playing so damned hard! To me it is simply amazing to watch. Satch's performance is top notch as well on his set. I also loved the first song he did on the Live at Denver DVD. Just amazing! I don't think any of this is stale (as a previous reviewer said). Far from it! I think it is a rare treat to have shows like this that bring all these artists together and I am thankful that Joe continues on with the G3 tradition.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great music, ridiculously low price., May 27, 2006
I'm just going to add to what others have already said.
First, some people are complaining that Petrucci only played two songs in his solo set, whereas the others played three. Well maybe if these guys could count past three, they'd realize that Petrucci's set was around 18 minutes long, Vai's was around 20, and Satch's was around 21. Besides, if you want to see more of John, you could always buy a Dream Theater DVD.
As far as Joe's choice of songs on the disc, it should be obvious... he included "Up in Flames" and "Searching" because they were two of the best songs on the album, "Is There Love in Space" (which was his most recent album at the time). He also included "War", an older song that was not as big of a hit as some others. I'm sure he played quite a few other songs, as there's no way he'd travel all the way to Japan to play for 20 minutes. My guess is that those songs had to be cut out of the DVD in order to stuff the whole concert onto a single DVD. Besides, they were probably already featured on the "Live in SF" DVD or the other two G3 DVDs.
Conclusion: if you appreciate the electric guitar, buy this DVD. Don't tell me you can't afford it. It costs less than a single movie ticket.
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