Last night, I had the distinct pleasure to witness a guitar icon in person. Joe Satriani is touring with the legendary Mountain. They decided to stop in the village of Glenside at the Keswick Theatre, about a mile or so from the Philadelphia City limits. The old movie theater looks very similar to the one McQueen ran out of during the Blob.
 
The venue is a perfect setting for a rock concert. The acoustics are fabulous because the original intent of the facility was vaudeville back in 1928. It is a very intimate setting, seating about 1,500 people (That is my guess.) and is my new favorite venue to see a show in Philadelphia.
 
I arrived about two minutes before 7:00 pm and was able to make it to my seat (stage right) quickly. I sat down, took note of the time (7:00 pm on the dot), and the house lights dimmed. Corky Laing came out and sat behind his drum kit, Richie Scarlet with his long braided hair, and finally Leslie West (Mountain's main man) sauntered on stage. 
 
Leslie sounded great. Sometimes age takes away some of your vocal range, but not for Leslie. He really sang great and soulful. My knowledge of Mountain's back catalog is severely lacking, but each song received great reaction from the crowd. The largest ovation was Nantucket Sleighride, which featured some great solos by Leslie.
 
Corky was no slouch on the drums either. He kept the audience entertained by banking his sticks off his cymbals in various directions, most landing in the crowd, some hitting Leslie. I have never seen a man break so many sticks, but it was mostly due to his style of playing than poor sticks. Plus it added to the whole drum show.
 
After Mountain played Theme of An Imaginary Western, Leslie asked the audience for requests. The crowd yelled out various tunes, but only one tune got the best story, Long Red.
 
Long Red, Leslie explained, was a song he hated about a girl with red hair down to her ass who wanted nothing to do with him until he got his first gold record. He hated the song. Then Jay-Z used it for 99 Problems, Kayne West used it for Graduation, and the accolades from the song line his wall. Then he stand "But I still hate this fucking song." He only did a verse of it and then accepted other requests.

Last of the Sunshine Days was called out, which Leslie said "I don't hate that song." And played that one. He accepted one more request, which was Don't Look Around. After ripping through "Don't Look Around," Leslie said, "That is it for the requests because I have a request. I learned this song through Guitar Hero and Rock Band." Corky started banging on the cowbell as the crowd stood up to clap along with the opening of Mississippi Queen. Leslie and company changed this classic just a bit to keep it fresh and exciting. It was a bit faster than the album version and his solo was extended a bit.
 
Leslie and Corky seem happy to be together again and touring, playing songs they love. And I'll be damned if they don't sound as good as they did in the 70's.
 
After a 20 minute set change, Jeff Camptelli, with his black hat, ear phones and black glasses got behind the drum kit. He started playing the opening beat for I Just Wanna Rock, a new song from Joe Satriani's Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock. Stuart Hamm came out slapping and popping the bass to the song. The crowd loved Stu as they chanted "STUUUU! STUUUUU!" He smiled and acknowledged the crowd. Galen Henson, rhythm guitarist was the final backing band member to hit the stage. Joe comes out in a fez, black sunglasses, black shirt, and black jeans and lights his guitar up. He ripped up and down the scales and neck of the guitar as easily as a man sliding up his shaft as he nears climax.
 
I had to see Joe Satriani live because his album guitar work is extraordinary. I sat listening to these guitar instrumentals thinking, there is no way this guy can pull this off live. Well, not only can he, but he does it BETTER than the album.
 
There was a point where he played for about 2 minutes without strumming, a technique he is known for. He was just using hammer ons and pull offs at a ridiculous speed. The man is a truly a guitar virtuoso showcasing his ability to two hand finger tap, use the whammy bar, and pinch and pull the strings. The man has an uncanny ability to use every single one of his fingers as adroitly as his index finger. Some people can only pick their nose with their pinky finger, but Satriani can run up the scales using ONLY his pinky.
 
Communication with the crowd was kept to a minimum because Satriani let his fingers do the talking. He did tell some stories about the background of the song Ghosts, off the new album. He said he would have a show about finding guitar shredding ghosts. Not just dead guitar shredders, but alive guitar shredders like Steve Vai (a former student of Satriani's...along with Kirk Hammett. But Kirk wasn't mentioned as an alive guitar shredder.)
 
The backing band was amazing too. You had to really listen for Galen. It was almost as if he wasn't there. That is a testament to how good Galen is because he is just the background guitar player laying the rhythm so Joe can blister solos over top of it. The drummer Jeff and Galen provided the base for Stu and Joe to go crazy.
 
So much can be said about Stuart's bass playing. He is the Joe Satriani of the bass, slapping, popping, and pounding through bass lines and solos. He slapped the strings so much, I thought he was a pimp and the guitar owed him money. He did get a moment in the spotlight as he put on a bass clinic. He powered through a Led Zeppelin bass line and worked his way into a more original bass line as he shuffled across the stage.
 
Joe came back on and told a story about how he has a lot of blues roots and how he idolized John Lee Hooker. He proceeded to play a very basic blues riff and then soloed over top of it, but Joe's blues work isn't his best stuff. There is a famous blues saying "It isn't what you put into the song, it's what you leave out." Joe puts too much into the blues and sounds like a typical white guy doing it.
 
The evening concluded with Surfing with the Alien and was an excellent conclusion to a fine evening. But the house lights stayed low and Joe and company were not finished yet. He came on and said "We want to do one more for you, but I need some help. So Leslie West come on out and help me." The crowd roared as Leslie West came back on stage for the encore.
 
Joe then said "I am using a signature edition Leslie West guitar signed by Leslie." To which Leslie responded, "Well I am using a foot pedal that has Satriani on it." Leslie and Joe had a 10 minute blues jam to finally conclude the evening.
 
It was the finale/encore where you could see Joe a bit out of his element. He was more at home on his signature JS Ibanez rather than West's Gibson Les Paul. Also the blues he was again playing way to much, while Leslie West was more at home.
 
It didn't matter though, it was still an absolute schooling on how to play the guitar on either side. Whether you like Joe's music or not, you have to see him live just to witness his ability. He is truly a guitar virtuoso and someone not to be missed.

I had only one complaint about the show. So much of Joe's playing really needs to be seen to be appreciated. There needs to a be camera focused on his hands and fingers. I wasn't that far back and really couldn't see everything that was going on. A projector or tv would have helped.
 
Mountain Setlist
 
Nantucket Sleighride
Theme of An Imaginary Western
Long Red
Last of the Sunshine Days
Don't Look Around
Mississippi Queen
 
Joe Satriani Setlist
 
I Just Wanna Rock
Satch Boogie
Flying in a Blue Dream
Ice Nine
Ghosts
One Big Rush
Stuart Solo
Andalucia
Super Colossal
Surfing with the Alien
 
Encore:
Jam with Leslie West
 
Joe's set list might be lacking because I am not the most renowned source on Joe's music. So if you have a more accurate setlist, let us know.