Search - Joe Satriani - Live in San Francisco on DVD

A+ performance; excellent sound; good camera work & features

J. Lizzi | Costa Mesa, CA | 01/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll take this DVD over "G3" every time. "Joe Satriani - Live in San Francisco" is a superb combination of great playing, great sound, and good camera work and editing.This concert, recorded at the Fillmore in December of 2000, showcases 24 songs plus a short blues introduction (not listed) and a bass solo. Eight studio albums are represented, from "Not of This Earth" (1986) through "Engines of Creation" (2001; not yet released at the time). "Crystal Planet" (1998), "Surfing With the Alien" (1987), and "Flying in a Blue Dream" (1989) were the most represented, with six, five, and four songs, respectively. Overall, the performance has all the ingredients that make for a superlative rock 'n' roll concert: well over two hours of music, tight playing (one of the band's "on" nights), enough variation on the songs to make them "live" without losing the essence of the music, varied camera views (without going overboard on the tilted angles, thank you), and expert sound mixing. Disc 1 features thirteen songs, with very little down time between numbers; no need to go into detail about every song; they're all great. Disc 2 adds eleven more, plus a little more flavor with the opening blues intro and a bass solo by Stu Hamm that incorporates classically themed arpeggios, popping/hammering techniques and even a rendition of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Also, "Big Bad Moon" features Joe singing and playing a harmonica that doubles as a slide (clever). As opposed to his G3 "power trio," Joe enlisted the services of Eric Caudieux, who added rhythm guitar and keyboards, which is a smart move since as the "middle" was severely lacking from the G3 show. Still, I would have preferred that Eric made it out front even more often, similar to what guitarist Mike Keneally does in Steve Vai's band. Jeff Campitelli keeps his driving drum beats going throughout. Even with my audio system set to "DVD Stereo" the tunes still rocked. Users of 5.1 will be really pleased.For the most part, the camera work is very good. Lots of angles are available both from the boom-mounted unit over the audience, and a few hand-held "roamers." The vast majority of the time, what's on the screen is exactly what I want to see: Joe's playing posture and fingering are highlighted 80% of the time, as it should be. Seeing the cameramen moving around all over the place was a little distracting at times, but not enough to damage the video presentation. Check out the feature that allows for four different camera angles on three of the songs: the hand-helds provide a more intimate dynamic perspective, mostly from on stage. Also worth watching is the nine-minute backstage commentary where Joe explains his influences, describes his pedal effects, etc.Satriani fans MUST get this DVD. It's great for other guitar/rock fans as well."

Slammin, Jammin, but, unfortunately, some Hammin

Philip George | League City, Texas United States | 02/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been impressed with Joe's style of guitar playing for quite some time now. I have a few of his CD's (Flying in a Blue Dream, Extremist, and Joe Satriani (the mellow one)) and it was a real treat to actually see him perform some of the complex sequences with the greatest of ease.POSITIVES to the DVD: Video quality is fantastic. Colors come out extremely well and the picture is crisp and very well detailed. Sound quality is also superb. 5.1 mix is fantastic. You really do feel like your in the crowd wanting to catch one of those picks he's throwin. Song selections were right on. I found myself wanting to get some of the other CD's now that I've heard it in concert. The price was excellent. 22 bones to get 2.5 hours of music. Cool!!!!NEGATIVE to the DVD: The only reason I gave this DVD 4 stars as opposed to 5 is simply for the subjective view that I'm not a fan of Satriani's singing style. He sings on one of the songs and that knocked one of the stars off for me. It's the same kind of feeling you get when you watch Michael Jordan playing Baseball.But aside from the singing, I whole heartedly recommend this DVD to anyone who loves guitar solos!!!!"

This DVD sets the standard

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 04/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD sets the standard in my opinion for concert on dvd format. This one has a lot of pluses. First of all it is a full lenght concert, two discs full of great, great music. The track list is right, it covers the long career Joe has behind him. Every album is represented here. The specials are short and interesting as they should be. Not boring at all, or stupid as they are in many cases. The production work is simply phenomenal. There's nothing wrong. Lights works are perfect, the stage is simple in its design but truly clear in its concept and really effective. Camera works are just right, just perfect. A lot of motion but a lot of nice focuses on Joe's hands... perfect balance. The audio is nothing less that 5.1. The band played a great night. Everything went out really good. This dvd sets the standard in terms of music contents, production level, specials contents, and overall balance in my opinion. Few dvds come near this one in every aspect. Just to make a clear comparison, this San Francisco concert dvd is HEAVEN where Steve Vai's dvd Live at the Astoria is HELL. It does not even come close. Abysses separate these two dvds. Sorry Steve, you have still a lot to learn from your old master Joe."

Joe Satriani is God

Vinit Carpenter | Brookfield, WI USA | 08/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was so excited when I first found out about this upcoming DVD. I remember running to pre-order my copy. The DVD finally arrived and it was worth the wait. Joe Satriani is one of the best guitarists (if not THE BEST) out there and this DVD proves it. Being a long time Satch fan, I was so happy to see this DVD. The video quality, which was filmed and recorded live at the Fillmore in San Francisco is just incredible. The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound makes this a beautiful 2 hr feast for your eyes and ears. I specially love the behind the scene part of the DVD where you get to spend time with Joe. He talks about how Jimi Hendrix inspires him, his guitars, his setup, the pedals he uses, etc ? That alone was worth the price of the DVD.
Bottom line -- If you are a Satriani fan or if just love the guitar, buy this DVD."