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Rock Around the World

The Hollywood Bowl has a reputation as one of AmericaÕs Premier entertainment venues. So it was with a sense of excitement, I boarded the bus down by Dreamworks and rode the ancient transit bus up to this sonic deluxe, expecting an extraordinary sonic experience from three, really four excellent guitarists: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Joe Satriani. Hence, The G3 Tour with KWS as special guest.

That did not quite happen. It turned out to be the 1 out of 3 Tour at The Hollywood Bowl, because the sound flat out sucked until Satriani came on.

I got to Will Call in time to hear Kenny Wayne ShepherdÕs rendition of "Voodoo Child", which was kind of kool, IÕm sorry I couldnÕt make it in time to hear his set...

Steve Vai came on next and I was immediately disappointed by the quality of the sound pressure levels reaching the audience in my sector, J2-10-37, to be exact...These were NOT cheap seats and IÕd like to give two record companies a comprehensive review...put it this way: Epic and Capitol could split the cost of that ticket and send me and a date out to another venue with change left over for cafe latte. The sound was such a downer, it killed my writerÕs muse.

Brief economics: about 2,000 people were up in this area...at my ticket rate thatÕs roughly more than the average person makes in a year. Do you make $65,000/year? Really?, Then your ignorant ass must have been down in the box seats listening to the stage monitor mix, since thatÕs all that was reaching the crowd up by me. A concerted effort rose from my crowd, chanting Louder, Louder, Louder! But the soundmen in their concrete bunker never heard the paying publicÕs plea and continued with the aborted sound.

For me, it was a shame to hear Steve Vai like this, because I heard him blow the crowd at Universal City WalkÕs Hard Rock Cafe away for his recent record release party on 17 September. So I had to do some sonic translation in my head to transport myself & recall the Hard Rock CafeÕs sonics, since the sonics evicting the bandshell at the Hollywood Bowl left me no choice. Fucking mediocre sound.

Hope was held out that Eric JohnsonÕs loud rig would bypass the amateurs at the soundbooth, but there was little difference afforded the crowd for EricÕs startling music. Once again, Fucking mediocre sound.

DIG: The job of a sound man is to make sure the sound pressure levels are right for the performers on stage and for the people in the crowd paying the fee. The sound man is to ensure that the Air MOVES and hits bodies with a vibration that transports them...This was not happening during VaiÕs or JohnsonÕs sets. I was so upset by the shitty sound, that several times I was tempted to go see what the name of the firm handling the sound was so that I could thoroughly lambast them in this article, because they are Responsible for ripping off people that night. But I relented... when Joe Satriani came on, a PRO sat at the boards and everything was Right. So I knew that IÕd get to hear KWS, Vai, Johnson and Satriani together during the encore jam with decent sonics.

So Satriani comes on and the sound is miraculously cured of itÕs amatuer ailment...SatrianiÕs personal sound man must have known how to tweak the knobs properly. It could not have been the same person at the boards for Satriani as was for Vai or Johnson.

Satriani, is one of the less heralded cats of monster guitar that doesnÕt always immediately come to mind when youÕre talking guitar with people. Hopefully, this G3 Tour will turn on a wider audience to Satriani, who is truly a master guitarist of extra-ordinary talent. Satch came on with an initial number that made me think of Miles Davis....Very few guitarists can blow on their guitar like the hepcats, but Satriani is one of them.

Yeah, the sound finally pillowcased my ears like it should have from the start. It was very enjoyable...highlighting how great the sonics are at The Hollywood Bowl when the levels are up.

For the first encore, Satch brought out Steve Vai and Kenny Wayne Shepherd and they dipped into Freddie KingÕs classic, "Going Down" like heavy metal meets Texas, by way of Schreveport, dig? Stu Hamm, SatrianiÕs super talented Bassist fell over at the end of that tune, without missing a note and to help cover his embarassment, Vai hit the deck along with Hamm and kept playing to songÕs end. That was cool.

The Second encore involved a Frank Zappa Tune which had the benefit of two Zappa alumni in Mike Keneally and Steve Vai on the reprise of it this particular night. That was an example of impossible guitar parts and paying tribute to a Master, gone but unforgotten.

The Third encore brought Eric Johnson out to close out the night with "Red House" that finally helped me get a dose of Eric Johnson tone. Kenny Wayne Shepherd got to take a turn at lead, as did Vai, and Satch.

One out of [three] aint so bad...bullshit, I expected more and did not get it. This night was Not the best representation of these 4 outstanding artists and I feel itÕs incumbent upon the sound wranglers to get the shit together on sound for the rest of the G3 Tour.

Emery Columna
La Crescenta, CA

 

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