SATCHURATED: LIVE IN MONTREAL

Personnel: Joe Satriani (vocals, guitar); Mike Keneally (keyboards, percussion); Jeff Campitelli (drums). Audio Mixer: Mike Fraser. Recording information: Metropolils, Montreal, QC, Canada (12/12/2010). Photographer: Steve Jennings. Recorded live at the Metropolis in Montreal, Quebec on December 12, 2010 and released as a double CD and 3-D Blu-ray, Satchurated was filmed live on the Wormhole Tour in support of Joe Satriani's 2010 album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards. Ten of the 25 songs he plays are from that album; otherwise he samples from his greatest hits with crowd favorites like "The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing," "Always with Me, Always with You," and "Flying in a Blue Dream." Satriani is accompanied by a workhorse backing band: drummer Jeff Campitelli, bassist Allen Whitman, keyboardist Mike Keneally, and rhythm guitarist Galen Henson. Of course, Satch is the shining star here with his flawless guitar solos. Apart from a few extended parts -- like when "Memories" spreads out into a space jam with jazz inflections -- for the most part he stays true to the way the songs were written, which is a pretty amazing feat in itself. With every eight bars comes a new astounding trick on the fretboard. There is no mistaking his signature sound at this point in his career, and the audience is full of diehards, which makes the rowdy call and response of "Crowd Chant" a fun experience. Ideally, fans will want to watch the DVD filmed by veteran concert producers Pierre and Fran?ois Lamoureux as well, to see just how fast Joe's fingers move and hear the 7.1 Surround Sound mix, but the CD stereo mix is great, putting this release right up there with Satriani Live! and Live in San Francisco. ~ Jason Lymangrover