The hardest-working guitarist in show business, Joe Satriani recently wrapped up a successful Van Halen tour, a G3 Reunion tour, a live album, a residency in Las Vegas with Sammy Hagar, and is now supporting an album co-written with Steve Vai. Does Satch ever rest?
The G3 Reunion Tour sent everyone back to the guitar woodshed.
It was such an unbelievable turn of events that led us to be able to do that (laughs). Everyone changed everything they were doing at the last minute so this could come together. Everyone liked the idea of simply re-doing exactly what we did back in 1996. Steve opened the show, Eric would be second, and then we picked crazy cover songs to jam to. It was intense, but we pulled it off. It was a beautiful reunion.
“Big Bad Moon” is an excellent choice for the single.
We weren’t thinking of doing a live album. We were concentrating on the tour. Then, EarMusic said “We’d love to have a live album!” I thought it would be a fun opportunity to release “Big Bad Moon.” Something I don’t do very often is sing, if you can call it that (laughs). Bassist Bryan Beller said that particular performance of “Big Bad Moon” had swagger to it. It was something we did as a unit; very often, people overlook that and see only the technical or production elements. On that song, the band came together in a very rock-and-roll way. I was proud of the band and how they played with me. I don’t know how they follow me sometimes, but they did an amazing job (laughs).
What resonates for you after performing so many Van Halen songs?
What a joy it was to play nothing but hit songs for two and a half hours (laughs). It was mind-blowing! It was rhythm guitar with a couple of 16-bar solos – the polar opposite of my show, which is melodies and solos non-stop. Part of it was a relief, physically. I had a big stage and really enjoyed being a part of a band and not having to front.
And, it’s good-time music. I can only think of one song that was slightly moody – “The Seventh Seal.” The rest was upbeat. We played outside, and the audience loved hearing the music. The Van Halen OGs loved hearing Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar doing their stuff.
Was it challenging to find the right rig?
It was a crazy journey, figuring out what gear to play so I could properly represent the decades of Eddie and his development. The guitar sounds from “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love” to “Panama” to “Summer Nights” or “Judgement Day” are so completely different. You wouldn’t want to walk onstage and step on some modeling thing where you change your sound. It would drive you nuts.
What did you come up with?
I wound up focusing on Live Without a Net, from 1986. That was Eddie playing Marshalls with a bit of stereo chorus. They were still doing a lot of Roth-era material. I thought, “That’s the way to do it. Go onstage with one really big sound and have a party!” I worked with Dylana Scott at 3rd Power Amplification to cover that – chimey for the rhythms, enough gain but still with that slinky, sexy, exciting kind of single-note sound that Eddie was always getting.
It was particularly hard because I don’t play like Eddie. The more I got into it, the more I realized how much I don’t play like Eddie and how much I avoided learning his style because I didn’t want to copy him. If I learn the beginning of “Mean Street,” I’ll write songs that sound like that. So, I had better just be a fan and just listen to it. By the time we played, the audience was so appreciative. They saw Sammy and Mike giving their all every night. We did everything we could to represent this body of work as best we could.
Edward played in a very unique way. Sometimes, I would find myself standing still onstage, forgetting to run around, staring at my hand, and going, “This is really cool (laughs)!” Eddie had a way of always making it sound fun. I was always amazed at that.
What can fans expect from you and Steve Vai on the Surfing With The Hydra Tour?
We are writing and recording our album. It’s progressing, it’s crazy, and it’s all over the place with beautiful, crazy songs. We’ll start rehearsing with a new band and hit the road. We’ve never done anything like this before. – Oscar Jordan
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
