Best guitar performances you've seen live

[schenkadere]

Mine would be Yngwie back in the day with Alcatrazz in '83 or '84

Steve Morse at the World Stage sometime in the mid 90's.

Michael Romeo at The Chance early this year.

Vinnie Moore with UFO this year at The Chance.

 

[Kenneth R.]

best as in technical, overall, or favorite?

 

[schenkadere]

Best as in it was just super enjoyable on any level.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Absolute #1: Steve Vai with DLR on the Skyscraper tour. I missed Eat 'em & Smile with Billy Sheehan though.

Other notables:

Howe II back in '89 in Lubbock, TX.

John Petrucci in '92 (?) on the Images & Words tour.

The Hippie Dogs whenever they came through Lubbock. Brett Reid was an absolute monster.

I missed Yngwie on his Marching Out tour - he was opening for AC/DC, and I really hate them. I still should have gone though... I don't think I got to finally see him until maybe Facing the Animal. Still, very noteworthy, till the wine started impacting, anyway.

Vinnie Moore at a guitar clinic in Albuquerque, back in '88-ish.

SRV at the NM State Fair in '88. Bloody hell!

 

[J-Dubya 777]

SO many!

In no order:

1)Vai with DLR for East Em & Smile
2) SRV at the Aragon for Couldn't Stand The Weather
3a) Schenker w/UFO (short lived reunion tour for Walk on Water)
3b) Schenker with MSG for the second album tour (they opened for Molly hatchet!)
4) Paul Gilbert & Mr Big at the Park West Bumb Ahead tour, IIRC
5) Rory Gallagher at the Park West (last tour in Chicago afaik before he passed away)
6) Gary More Victims of the Futire tour - Metro in Chicago
7) Akira Takasaki & Loudness first time in Chicago for Thunder in The East Tour
8) Wolf Hoffman & Jorge Fischer w/Accept - Balls To The Wall tour
9) Van Halen - Women & Children First tour Intl' Amphitheater
10) Randy Rhoads w/ Ozzy for the Diary tour
11) Joe Satriani - Surfing W/the Alien Tour
12) Dave Murray/Adrian Smith - Chicagofest 1982
13) Frank Zappa - 1988 tour
14) Mattias IA Eklundh - The last 2 Prog Powers
15) Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins - Club Tavern Madison, WI

I'll probably think of more later

 

[razoredge]

SRV at RPI in 87 or 88 Bloody Hell I guess!
JP at RPI on the Outrider tour
sitting in a dorm room at Berkelee in 75 watching a dude named Dave Rogers work on his music

outside of that just my first reckoning of recorded electric guitar performances are still what stands out, things like
Pages solo in Heartbreaker, but the entire album was like being run over by a 10 ton heavy thing
Stairway to Heaven
Hendrix on All Along the Watchtower, Wind Crys Mary, Castles Made of Sand, Little Wing, Bold As Love, oh yeah, must not forget the impact of first hearing The Star Spangled Banner from the Woodstock LP
Blackmore on Lazy
Carlton on Kid Charlemane
Beck Blow by Blow
DiMeola Casino
and Im not sure when I picked my jaw back up after hearing the Dregs - Freefall lp for the first time

the rest has been incidental evolution of my musical awareness

 

[ToastedOveries]

When Yngwie was in Alcatrazz he was indeed jawdroppingly amazing.

 

[schenkadere]

When Yngwie was in Alcatrazz he was indeed jawdroppingly amazing.

Seeing him live with them was like watching a fucking movie...it was so unreal especially for the time...there was no one playing like that in '83...not with that confidence and ease. It was mind boggling.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Indeed. I remember those days quite well...

 

[Meedleyx10]

-the Andy Timmons concert/clinic I went to last year
-the first time I saw Dream Theater (they've been great every time, but the first time had a certain magic to it as I'd never seen such great musicianship in person before)
-Enver Izmaylov at the Lionel Hampton Jazz fest 4 years ago.

 

[noble savage]

Roine Stolt from The Flower Kings on their Paradox Hotel tour. I told him that that was the best show I had ever been to, even though he was pretty sick that night. He disagreed and I said that they could have played ABBA covers and I still would have been enamored!

 

[Taliwakker]

Vai-Skyscraper tour

 

[noble savage]

Oh, Tali, by the way, the CD arrived a few days ago. I'm not home at the moment, but I'll try to finish up the review within a month. I'm at school now, so I'll have to get a little free time in somewhere soon.

 

[Taliwakker]

Thats cool mate... don't listen to anything good before or after you listen too it though

 

[progmetaldan]

Dream Theater- Live earlier this year
John Petrucci- G306

I really need some more awesome fusion artists to come so I can see them live...

 

[Yngvai X]

1. Every time I've had the pleasure of seeing Allan Holdsworth.
2. Bumblefoot at the Southpaw in Brooklyn, NY
3. Symphony X - the back of a motorcycle showroom in Plainfield, NJ in support of V, my first time seeing Romeo live

 

[Kenneth R.]

1. Jasun and Troy of Zero Hour in Brooklyn. Hands down the most amazing guitar work I've seen live.
2. Technically... Satch in Montreal.
3. Tony of 3eb in San Francisco.
4. Mike Å in Oxford & London.
5. Tower of Power in Boston.
6. insert a lot of metal bands here

 

[ABQShredHead]

I saw ToP a few years back. The horn section was bloody brilliant (as they're known for). Cool funk guitar stuff too.

 

[Meedleyx10]

ToP is one of my favorite bands. I'd love to see them live.

 

[1by4by9]

February 2003 Symphony X played in Helsinki. I knew the band was good playing live but it really blew my mind.