Joe Satriani sends shockwaves through Bangkok with mesmerising skill

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Centrepoint Studio, Bangkok, Thailand 19th February 2017

Guitar wizard Joe Satriani spent two years whizzing around the world promoting his fifteenth studio album ‘Shockwave Supernova.’

For his South East Asian jaunt, Satriani treated appreciative fans in Japan plus the rarely visited countries such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand, with a tour billed as ‘Surfing To Shockwave’ in honour of the thirtieth anniversary of his breakthrough album ‘Surfing With The Alien’ that catapulted the guitar supremo onto the world stage.

Minutes before the show, fans stood to attention as the Royal Anthem of His Majesty King Bhumibol of Thailand played, patriotically and beautifully observed for the revered King who sadly passed away the previous year.

Moments later, the back screen came alive with sci-fi action and an animated Satriani hero flying through the air, before the man himself appeared in the flesh with one of his many Ibanez JS signature guitars making out-worldly sounds that shoot straight out past the earth’s atmosphere, with a blast of the title track from ‘Shockwave Supernova’.

A nice human touch, too, with Satriani and his band all wearing black ribbons in remembrance of the King which made them most welcome in this nation in mourning.

Normally, instrumental artists are just enjoyed by aspiring musicians. To the casual listener, the shows can be a meandering affair, but Satriani is not your average Joe. There’s no match for Satch, as he held his audience totally transfixed as he made sonic sounds full of tasty whammy bar action backed by a powerful tight band who also made an impact by allowing Satriani to breathe when required.

This is not just a one man show. Drummer Marco Minnemann sent out his thunderbolts as soon as the band hit the stage. The versatile Mike Keneally added keyboards and proved the perfect partner for Satriani when he picked up the guitar and dueled like he did magnificently on ‘Flying In Blue Dream’ and ‘Cataclysmic.’ Bassist Bryan Beller added the beef with a solid display—he knows how to engage the crowd with his fusion of styles.

This musical tour de force hit the listener like a tsunami, sweeping us away into a Galaxia sea in a euphoric dream like state.

‘Summer Song’ saw a video backdrop of a younger Satriani with a complete set of hair, and while his hair has since vanished, his stunning abilities have not.

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The music is mainly hard, heavy and snazzy, with a few delicate moments like the jazzy shuffle of ‘Friends’ dedicated to friends and musicians no longer with us, and the dreamy ‘Always With Me, Always With You’ that elicited a resounding cheer.

Satriani proved how adept he could be at joining a major rock band with a brief medley of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC and Hendrix classics played with ease in his own imitable style.

While Satriani lets his Ibanez do all the singing, ‘Crowd Chant’ lives up to its name by making the crowd roar before riding out with ‘Satch Boogie.’

The guitar maestro did actually sing for the encore hard groove of ‘Big Bad Moon’ and even did a harmonica break, but it’s his guitar wizardry that captivated the audience for over two hours.

Bangkok went surfing with the alien. Totally out of this world.

9/10 all round