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The G-3š03 Tour audience entered the Paramount Theater on a brisk, Fall evening, soon after the rain stopped falling. Outstanding in the role of a dowager with a superb face lift, the Paramount was one of the dazzling actors on the nightšs set. The casual Seattle-style audience was mostly in its twenties and thirties, but there were enough folks in their forties, fifties and beyond to reveal that the performers touched a broad demographic. If the audience showed up to experience some of the finest practitioners of electric guitar, then they were well served by what they heard on this night. The G-3 Tour š03 features bands led by electric guitar masters Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. The tour format includes sets by Malmsteenšs band, Vaišs band and Satrianišs band, followed by a jam session with Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai joining the Satriani aggregation. Yngwie Malmsteenšs set opened to a nearly full-house. The band jumped in with some of the inspired classically-influence tunes that Yngwie is known for, followed by a torrid Yngwie solo. Then, they slid into a blues tune that got heads bobbing and bodies swaying. Reveling in his impressive range, Yngwie continued his seamless integration of musical forms, including rock, classical and blues, all the while prancing, whirling his guitar, flipping picks to supporters and generally fitting his audience like a glove. Big applause came at the end of his set. Steve Vai opened his set solo with a three-neck guitar, as the tune progressed, he was joined by his band for an opening number that promised a set of potent intensity. Next came a hard rockinš number, followed by an intense duo with his bassist. Vai gave us a little time to catch our breath with a near ballad, then racketed up the intensity again with a tough number featuring four guitars interacting one after another after another. This closing number got everyone on their feet again for a standing ovation as the set closed. Compared to the Malmsteen and Vai performances, Joe Satrianišs band looked damn near blue collar. Not a pair of leather pants in sight. Like their look, the music Satrianišs band produced was pared down, hard-driving and straight-ahead. On the other hand, the stage design for Satriani was a knockout, with a shimmering metallic-appearing curtain backing the band and picking up the stage lights and some slick strobe effects. Satrianišs solos ranged from fiery to sweet and he and his band clearly enjoyed themselves throughout the set, as did the audience, which put its hands together in loud applause once again to show its approval. With Malmsteen and Vai joining Satrianišs band, the jam session featured three electric guitar stars masterfully playing off one another and alternately soloing, prancing, strutting, bouncing, and shimmying. Playing with compelling intensity and grace, the jam closed with a musical tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The crowd hit the street looking happy and satisfied. Catch these guys the next time the tour comes through your city. They are the real deal.
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