Joe Satriani
Dunaj (Wien) / Wiener Stadthalle – Halle F / Avstrija
sobota, 8. 4. 2023, ob 20.00 uri
(please scroll down the bar for an English version)
Joe Satriani je končno uspel priti v Evropo. V tretjem poizkusu. Ni treba več ugibati zakaj. Zadnjič je v Evropi pred tem zaigral konec julija 2018. Bilo je v Grčiji. Takrat je izdal album “What Happens Next”. Premik za pet let naprej. V sedanjost. V tem razmiku je kitarski bog posnel in izdal dva nova albuma. Prvi, sicer v vsem čudoviti “Shapeshifting” (2020, RockLine recenzija), je bil na trenutke tudi zelo nostalgičen,. Na njem je Joe uporabil mdr. tudi nekatere stare arhivske ideje, ki jih je tam hranil še vse iz osemdesetih let. V lanskem letu mu je sledil še “The Elephants Of Mars” – kitaristov 18. studijski album (RockLine recenzija), kjer je odlično izpeljal sozvočja davnih dni na katerih temelji njegov prepoznavni artizem z nekaterimi triki in potegavščinami, ki jih v karieri še ni preizkusil, kar je zgolj potrditev da se legendarni kitarski veleum in glasbeni velemojster v navdihu in kreativni ambicioznosti nikakor ne ustavlja.
Joe Satriani! Končno smo ga torej ponovno dočakali v živo. Ura je osem zvečer. V dunajski Wiener Stadthalle – Halle F, kamor se zbaše 2.000 ljudi, se je zvonec še drugič oglasil in ljudje so hitro posmukali vsak na svoje sedišče. Zgledno zapolnjeno prizorišče. Pravzaprav še dobro, da koncert ni bil popolnoma razprodan. Satrianijev nastop v Pragi en dan prej je namreč odpadel. Zato je tega večera Dunaj doživel pravi udar s Češke Republike. Naval Satrianijevih čeških privržencev. Oder se zatemni in formacija kvarteta s kitarskim poveljnikom, ki so mu delali družbo še dolgoletni, sicer genialni basist in glasbeni umetnik Bryan Beller, nič manj vsestransko izpopolnjeni čudežni bobnar Kenny Aronoff ter klaviaturist (in pomožni kitarist) Rai Thistlethwayte – ekipa torej, ki je posnela s Satrianijem tudi zadnji studijski album “The Elephants Of Mars”, zavihti svoje rokave in udari v Shapeshifting točko imenovano Nineteen Eighty. Osemdeseta so postavila kariero Satrianija na noge! Tja pa nas je Joe že kar uvodoma tudi ‘odstrelil’.
Težko je opisovati Satrianijev koncert tako da ga seciraš komad za komadom. Enostavno vzpostavi ta možakar takoj s prvo sekundo koncerta, prvim udarjenim tonom, briljantno platformo nepozabnega šova, zabave, koncertne senzacije, ki je zlepa ne pozabiš. Šegav, veder, odlično razpoložen. Tak kot vedno. Leta se ga zlepa ne oprimejo. Pri svojih 66. letih in pol deluje v slehernem trenutku, kot ’20. letni mulc’, ki te kupi z iskrenostjo vseh dejanj svojih dvournih koncertnih eskapad. Po pričakovanju je udaril z materialom zadnjih dveh albumov. Pošteno. Ni ju še imel možnost predstaviti. V Evropi definitivno še ne. Nov Ibanez. Trup porisan z motivom naslovnice zadnjega albuma. Oranžno-vijoličen. Lepota brez primere. Zvok izjemno navit. Satriani se prelevi v pravega nametaliziranega peklenščka, ko prispe na oder. Z decibeli nikakor ne skopari. Zvok odličen. Sedeli smo natanko na sredini dvorane. Na ‘sladkem mestu’ kar se zvoka tiče. Kompanija odlično razpoložena. Kot njen šef. Neverjetno kilometrino imajo v prstih in neverjetno univerzalnost. Vredno je preveriti glasbene poti posameznih članov Satrianijeve tokratne spremljevalne ekipe. Reč, ki osupne.
Pred Ice 9 se je Joe ustavil in čustveno (prvič na koncertu) ogovoril občinstvo, da je presrečen, ko lahko po treh letih vendarle znova zaigra v Evropi: “Za vas!” Dvorano je s tem stavkom dokončno kupil. Briljantna energija. Briljantna set lista. Kvartet je užival, Satriani ni skrival odličnega razpoloženja. Večkrat je s publiko delil nasmeške, večkrat ga je v smeh spravljal sam razplet dogodkov, sploh v trenutkih, kjer je bend zaplaval v eksperimentalne dele in dele, ki narekujejo rituale jazz rockovske fuzije. Odlično je bilo opazovati komunikacijo kvarteta. Geste, tike sporazumevanja. Ko je pristopi z desne proti levi in Aronoffu na sredini Satriani in nakaže le z obrazno mimiko to kar bi sicer pomenil sledeče: “Podaljšal bom izhod iz komada še z eno solažo.”, in to v hipu razumejo vsi. To je za te glasbenike rutina, za nas laike pa deluje na moč fascinantno. Ker roko na srce. Satriani je vrsta kitarskega božanstva. Kar stori na odru je v očeh in ušesih njegove publike pravzaprav pozlačeno. Tako močno ga ceni in spoštuje.
Satch je nastop razdelil dva dela. Oba dela dolga po dobro uro, je uravnovesil z materialom zadnjih dveh albumov in klasikami železnega repertoarja. Zadnja dva albuma sta sestavljala skoraj polovico repertoarja. Uganite kateri album je po zastopanosti zavzel tretje mesto? Tisti, ki je Satrianija v osemdesetih postavil na svetovni zemljevid. “Surfing With An Alien” seveda. Drugi del je bil seveda bolj zanimiv kar je logično. Koncertni nastop je treba stopnjevati. Seveda je svoja štorija vedno briljantni Flying In A Blue Dream, ki sta mu v prvem delu poleg pravzaprav obvezne Ice 9 izmed starejših točk, delali družbo še Crystal Planet in sklepna “Extremist” poslastica Summer Song. A je bilo jasno, da hrani Joe najslajše reči za drugi del.
Ta se je presenetljivo začel z bobnarsko solažo Kennyja Aronoffa, ki sta ju ‘prestregli’ “What Happens Next” točka Energy ter najnovejša E 104th St NYC 1973, temu pa je sledila še druga solo točka, ki je pripadla klaviaturistu Raiu Thistlethwayteu. Satriani prebudi publiko z Cool #9! Za njo sledijo ‘sladke’ minute, ki so pripadle vražam jazz rockovske fuzije in pobegov v prostranstva naproti eksperimentiranju (Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me). Po rahločutni Teardrops, sledi presenečenje z albuma “Joe Satriani” (1995)! Luminous Flesh Giants. Za njo vzdržuje atmosfero na izjemnem nivoju nadvse prijetna integracija prelepe “Is There Love in Space?” točke If I Could Fly. Železni hit Always With Me, Always With You je napovedal veliki finale. Publika je v vseh strasteh dokončno oživela, Satch pa je s kompanijo prilil olja na ogenj s tiho pričakovano Satch Boogie in popeljal regularni del koncertnega druženja h koncu.
Kdor ni bil še nikdar v Halle F, ne ve da je ta (v rahlem naklonu) skorajda popolnoma posejana s stoli. Najbolj razgreti so takoj po koncu regularnega dela koncerta stekli v dno dvorane. Pred oder. Tam je nekaj metrov prostora do prve linije stolov. Najbolj zabaven med vsemi je bil gotovo dvometrski možak, ki je prispel iz Češke Republike, z originalnim kitarskim pasom Joea, ki si ga je poveznil okrog vratu ter najnovejšo koncertno majico. Postavil se je tik pred njegovo stojalo za mikrofon in kipel od transa v katerega so ga seveda popeljala vsa čustva in strasti. V tem ni bi edini. Je pa nekaj. Leta minevajo in tudi publika se je postarala. A je ne glede na to, ostala v sebi vsaj tako nora kot pred 35. leti (in več), ko so vsi ti zvesti podporniki in kreatorji odlične energije v Halle F, vzeli Satrianija za svojega še v svoji najstniški eri.
Satriani se je z ekipo vrnil in podžgal prevrele glave z na moč priročno “Super Colossal” (2006) skladbo Crowd Chant, ki je prisilila prisotne k družni telovadbi. Brez konkretnega sklepnega dejanja ne gre in Satriani je za to priložnost postavil v središče pozornosti znova svoj najpomembnejši album kariere, to je “Surfing With An Alien” in se lotil z ekipo naslovne skladbe albuma. Vstopili smo torej v veliki finale. In ob še eni nepozabni manifestaciji Satrianijeve solerske ‘pošastnosti’, se ekipa kar ni in in mogla posloviti. Komad bi lahko namreč že končali, ko so ga podaljšali za bluesovski zaključni del, s katerim so pripeljali dve uri in dvajset minut dolgo druženje h kolosalnemu zaključku.
Nemogoče! Konec je. In dejansko. Satriani z ekipo kar nekako ni mogel z odra. Fantje so se še kar poslavljali in poslavljali. Satriani je deloval ob koncu na nek način ganjeno. Očitno je možakarju resnično ogromno pomenilo, da je znova lahko prispel v Evropo na koncertno turnejo. In natanko to je izkazoval tudi njegov nastop. V sleherni sekundi. Satriani uživa. Preprosto uživa. Nobene druge filozofije tu ni zraven. To uživanje. To prepuščanje. Pa nenazadnje, tudi vsa ta radost. Vse to se prenaša na publiko. V preko dve uri dolgo senzacijo, ki te prevzame, odpelje, zapelje, očara in ti pričara svojevrsten svet. Glasbeni svet po recepturi enega in edinega kitarskega mitraljezca. Njegove glasbene ekselence Joea Satrianija. Kot povedano. Mož še vedno deluje, ne le mladostno, pač pa se na odru visoko kadi za njim, ko kot prekaljeni ‘šovmen’, ki mu rutine in kilometrine ne manjka, po vseh letih še vedno očara z noto iskrenosti (da o pregovorni izvedbeni perfekciji niti ne izgubljamo besed), kar je seveda vse in tisto največ, kar lahko ponudi svoji publiki.
Avtor: Aleš Podbrežnik & Edita Klemen
Fotografije: Aleš Podbrežnik
English:
Joe Satriani has finally made it to Europe. On his third attempt. No more guessing why. The last time he played in Europe before this was at the end of July 2018. It was in Greece. That’s when he released the album “What Happens Next”. Fast forward five years. To the present. In that interval, the guitar god has recorded and released two new albums. The first one, the all-round wonderful “Shapeshifting”, was also very nostalgic at times. On it, Joe used, among other things, some old archive ideas that he had kept there all the way back to the 1980s. Last year he followed it up with “The Elephants Of Mars” – the guitarist’s 18th studio album, where he perfectly harmonised the old days on which his distinctive artistry is based with some tricks and pranks he hasn’t tried yet in his career, which is just a confirmation that the legendary guitar great and musical grandmaster is never stopping in his inspiration and creative ambition.
It’s 8pm. The bell rings for a second time and people quickly scurry to their seats. An exemplary packed venue. In fact, it’s a good thing the concert wasn’t a complete sell-out. Satriani’s Prague show the day before had been cancelled. So that evening, Vienna got a lot of visitors from Czech Republic. A flood of Satriani’s Czech followers. The stage darkens and the quartet formation with the guitar master, accompanied by the long-time, otherwise brilliant bassist and musical artist Bryan Beller, the no less versatile drumming prodigy Kenny Aronoff and the keyboardist (and auxiliary guitarist) Rai Thistlethwayte, roll up their sleeves and hit the “Shapeshifting” gem called Nineteen Eighty. Beller, Aronoff and Thistlethwayte, creates a team who recorded the last studio album “The Elephants Of Mars” with Satriani.
It’s hard to describe a Satriani concert by dissecting it song by song. Simply, right from the first second of the concert, the first note struck, this man establishes a brilliant platform for an unforgettable show, a party, a concert sensation that you will never forget. Quirky, cheerful, in a great mood. The same as always. The years don’t cling to him. At 66 and a half, he acts at every moment like a ’20-year-old stallion’, buying you in with the sincerity of all the acts of his two-hour concert escapades. As expected, he has hit the ground running with the material of his last two albums. Fair enough. He hasn’t had a chance to present them yet. Definitely not in Europe yet. The sound is extremely winding. Satriani does not skimp on the decibels. The sound is excellent. We were sitting right in the middle of the hall. The sweet spot as far as sound is concerned.
Brilliant energy. A brilliant set list. Satriani was in great shape and mood. He shared smiles with the audience several times. It was great to observe the quartet’s communication. The gestures, the tics of communication. When Satriani came up from right to left and Aronoff in the middle and indicated with a facial expression what he would otherwise have meant: “I’m going to extend the exit of the song with one more solos”, and everyone understood it in an instant. This is routine for these musicians, but for us laymen it is fascinating. Because, hand on heart. Satriani is a kind of guitar deity. What he does on stage is actually gilded in the eyes and ears of his audience. He is so highly valued and respected by his audience.
Satch divided his performance into two parts. He balanced them with material from the last two albums and adding some classic gems. The last two albums made up almost half of the repertoire. The second part was of course more interesting, which makes sense. The concert performance has to be stepped up. In first part of the concert brilliant Flying In A Blue Dream made its stump. From the older gems there was already mentioned and somehow obligatory Ice 9. Here’s Crystal Planet and the closing “Extremist” treat Summer Song. But one thing remained clear. Joe was saving the sweetest things for the second part.
This surprisingly started with a drum solo by Kenny Aronoff, intercepted by “What Happens Next” track Energy and “The Elephants Of Mars” E 104th St NYC 1973. Another solo followed. This time by keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte. Cool #9 wakes the audience! After that, the ‘sweet’ minutes belong to the throes of jazz rock fusion and escapes into the vastness towards experimentation (Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me). After the light-hearted Teardrops, the surprise of the album “Joe Satriani” (1995) follows! Luminous Flesh Giants. After it, the atmosphere is kept at an exceptional level by the very pleasant integration of the beautiful “Is There Love in Space?” item If I Could Fly. The iron hit Always With Me, Always With You heralded the grand finale. The crowd finally came alive with all their passions and Satch and his company added fuel to the fire with the quietly awaited Satch Boogie, bringing the regular part of the concert to a close.
Many fans left their seats and ran to the front of the stage as soon as the regular part of the concert was over. Satriani and his crew returned and fired up the overheated heads with the powerfully convenient “Super Colossal” (2006) track Crowd Chant, which got the attendees doing the family gymnastics. There is no concrete final act and Satriani used the occasion to put the spotlight back on the most important album of his career, “Surfing With An Alien”, and to tackle the album’s title track with the team. So we have entered the grand finale. And with another unforgettable manifestation of Satriani’s solo ‘monstrosity’, the team couldn’t and didn’t say goodbye. Indeed, they could have finished the song when they extended it for a bluesy closer, bringing the two-hour-and-twenty-minute-long gathering to a colossal conclusion.
Is it over? Unfortunately. Guys somehow just couldn’t get off the stage. Satriani was moved in a way at the end. It obviously meant a lot to the man to be able to come to Europe again for a concert tour. And that is exactly what his performance showed. Every second of it. There is no other philosophy here. This enjoyment. This letting go. All this is transmitted to the audience. Into a sensation that lasts over two hours, that takes you over, carries you away. Seduce and enchant and brings you into a world of its own. A musical world according to the recipe of the one and only guitar machine-gunner. His musical excellence Joe Satriani. After all these years, he still charms with a note of sincerity (not to waste words on perfection of performance), which is, of course, everything and the best he can offer to his audience. Thank you Joe! Till the next time!
Authors: Aleš Podbrežnik & Edita Klemen
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist:
1. Nineteen Eighty
2. Sahara
3. The Elephants of Mars
4. Ice 9
5. Thunder High on the Mountain
6. One Big Rush
7. Blue Foot Groovy
8. Flying in a Blue Dream
9. Spirits, Ghosts and Outlaws
10. Faceless
11. Crystal Planet
12. Summer Song
—15. minutni premor—
13. Drum Solo
14. Energy
15. E 104th St NYC 1973
16. Keyboard Solo
17. Cool #9
18. Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me
19. Shapeshifting
20. Teardrops
21. Luminous Flesh Giants
22. If I Could Fly
23. Always With Me, Always With You
24. Satch Boogie
—dodatek—
25. Crowd Chant
26. Surfing With the Alien
