A lot of people dispose with Orianthi because she is considered pop. Hating something just because it has a label is close minded. It is like hating all black people because the few steal.

Carlos Santana has been talking about how great Orianthi's guitar playing is for a while now. At 15, she opened up for the legendary Steve Vai, who also touts her as the new up and coming guitarist. She was chosen personally by Michael Jackson to be his guitarist on his comeback tour before it was derailed by death (his). With a pedigree and superlatives tossed around like that, she has to be good right? Well I swam through the rivers of AXE body spray, Jersey shore guidos, New York assholes, and fake poker players to tell you.

The Borgata is an odd venue because it is in a casino. There are people with complimentary tickets because they spent X amount in the casino. There are die hard fans and then there are people who couldn't care less just want to drink the free booze offered by gambling. This generally leads to a disinterested crowd, but Orianthi had the crowd into it from note one. The crowd knew her songs, every single one as they sang along with her first single According to You and her current single Shut Up and Kiss Me.

If you listen to her records the guitar playing is only peppered throughout. It is tough to get a true handle on how she can handle her Paul Reed Smith ax. However, in the live setting, you can quickly see she is no joke. She has studied her guitar playing heroes well. Dripping with blues licks as her fingers work up and down the fret board, dancing like lighting across a dark sky. She has the finger tapping down too, like a young female version of Eddie Van Halen, tapping up and down the neck.

Seeing her in person reinforces the fact that her albums are tongue and cheek. She is well aware the stigma pop brings with it and is content on using it to further her ambition of making money as a guitarist and satisfying all her goals using pop as a medium. She's good and could easily play with David Lee Roth, hell she nailed the Beat It solo in front of Michael Jackson the first time she met him.

For an opening band, crowd participation is a difficult task, most won't even touch the boob of the person next to them unless the headliner says so. But Orianthi is charismatic and had the left side of the Event center screaming "Shut Up," words from Shut Up and Kiss Me. Then she ran across the stage in her Hulk Hoganesque (yellow and red Elvis shirt) and purple leggins to the right side and the crowd there screamed "Shut Up."

My only complaint is her guitar was sometimes drowned out by the INSANE bass level. I have never heard a bass forced through the speakers at that volume. Usually the drums and bass are used only to provide a blanket for which the guitar and singer lay on top of, but this was something else. Also the treble on the voice was ear piercing.

She is going to get her own headlining tour and you should go and check her out. Oh did I mention, she's insanely hot and has an Australian accent? I was paying more attention to her blistering licks than her looks, but she is the total package.

I would have pictures, but the Borgata thinks an acceptable photo booth is back at the mixing table and not right up by the stage. That is the complete antithesis of other venues in the area. I didn't have my long range lens, so you have to settle for this live shot from the This Is It documentary. Check out her main site for information regarding her tour dates.