Guitar greats G3 wow fans in Toronto at Massey Hall

G3 is the brain child of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani. Since its inception in 1996, Joe along with 2 other special guests have toured representing G3. This years line up is comprised of Phil Collen (Def Leppard) and John Petrucci (Dream Theater).

This super group recently performed to a packed house at The Massey Hall venue in Toronto. Hoards of guitar enthusiasts and fans lined the seats of the old theater, watching intently as the action unfolded on stage.

Phil Collen opened the show with a 6 song set, comprised of all blues songs. On the backdrop behind the band dawned the name Delta Deep. The name wasn’t something that I was familiar with, but after further investigation, realized it was a side project that Phil had created. I didn’t know what to expect going into this show, but I admittedly wasn’t expecting this. I guess I had assumed he would have played a contemporary rock sort of set. Maybe even toss in a rendition of a Def Leppard song too, but I was wrong. Although the crowd did enjoy his set, they were not standing on their feet during this portion of the show. Drummer Forrest Robinson and bassist Paul Martini along with singer Debbi Blackwell-Cook made up the line up for Delta Deep.

Being a metal gal, I thoroughly enjoyed John Petrucci’s set. The “bringer of metal” as he so described himself played an awesome 6 song set and got the crowed geared up. He performed a song called Glass Eyed Zombies that was specifically written for the G3 tour. It contained daunting and ominous chords, perfectly fitting to the title. He spoke about loving Toronto and joked about eating 1 timbit. The last song John performed was a Scottish inspired melody called Glasgow Kiss. He paid homage to Canadian power trio Rush, featuring an outro of Rushes song Xanadu. He brought along Dream Theater’s drummer Mike Mangini and bassist Dave LaRue to accompany him during the show.

The founder of G3, Joe Satriani certainly didn’t disappoint with his incredible talent and ability to leave the crowd in complete awe. His set was a bit longer then the rest, playing 10 songs. Joe recently released an album in January of this year called What Happens Next. The bulk of his performance came from this latest recording. Songs such as Energy, Catbot, and Cherry Blossom, just to name a few. He pulled a couple of oldies (Circles and Satch Boogie) from the 1987 release Surfing with the Alien.

The encore had all the guys up on stage jamming Deep Purples Highway Star, Superstition by Stevie Wonder and lastly Going Down by The Alabama State Troopers. Hearing the combination of these superstars playing together was a real treat. Everyone was up on their feet, and really enjoying the moment. You could feel the appreciation each guitarist had of each other, hugging at times and smiling from ear to ear as they played in synchronicity.

If G3 is passing through your neck of the woods, I would highly recommend checking out their show. You will not be disappointed.

All images are © Sue Hebert Sadzak

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