I first learned of Joe Satriani in the 1980s when a friend gave me a copy of his album, "Surfing with the Alien." Although I loved Satriani's blazing guitar work, it took almost four decades for me to see him in concert.
Saturday night at the Chicago Theatre, Satriani joined forces with his friend and former student, fellow guitar legend Steve Vai. Together, they form the band "SATCHVAI," a name derived from the co-leaders' last names.
A SATCHVAI concert is like three concerts in one. On some songs, Vai stepped offstage, allowing Satriani to show off his skills; Satriani spent other songs in the wings while Vai took control. But for most of the evening, the two shared the stage and the spotlight, impressing the crowd with their lead guitar skills. At times, one of the pair would step to the fore for a burning solo; other times, they played almost the same notes simultaneously. But they were at their best when their guitars called and responded to one another.
The pair was joined by three top-flight musicians - Kenny Aronoff (drums), Marco Mendoza (bass), and Pete Thorn (rhythm guitar). Mendoza sang lead on one song, but his voice was unnecessary, as the group's instrumental numbers were far more impressive than the bassist's vocals. Halfway through the show, the band broke into an instrumental version of "Happy Birthday" to celebrate Mendoza's birth anniversary.
The concert opened with a humorous video of a producer auditioning dancers to accompany the duet's music.
They also drew on the substantial song catalogs of both musicians, including at least five songs from the aforementioned "Surfing with the Alien" album. During the title track performance, the giant video screen behind the stage displayed a blurred version of the comic-book anti-hero, Silver Surfer, which had graced the album cover until the copyright expired.
This tour is nicknamed "Surfing with the Hydra," a nod to Vai's 3-neck "hydra" guitar. Vai dramatically unveiled the monstrosity before playing his hypnotic composition, "Teeth of the Hydra." Often, the echoes of one neck continued as he played the other two.
Satriani followed with his "If I Could Fly," an excellent song made famous when Coldplay "borrowed" significant parts of it for their hit, "Viva la Vida."
The concert concluded with a rousing version of Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild," which brought the audience to its feet for a singalong.
From the first note to the last, the outstanding technical skill of these two artists made this a concert to remember.