G3 Live in Denver

Even if you are an avid fan of Yngwie, you have to admit that his sound is rather noisy in perspective with the other acts presented in this concert. Actually I was more impressed with the sonic clarity of the original 1996 G3 concert compared to this one. Anyway, I scratched my head when I first saw that Yngwie was a member of G3. I wondered how he would fit in, and now I have witnessed that, in my opinion, he didn't fit in that well. I'm not criticizing him as a guitarist, but being a member of G3 is not his niche, because having a huge wall of Marshall amps and "chugging" a mid-70's style Stratocaster puts him in a different league than the two Italian virtuosos, Satch and Vai.

I liked the original G3 concert video better than this one. But regardless, Vai and Satriani are remarkable electric guitar players. Put Vai and McAlpine together on stage, and the guitar showmanship is beyond ridiculous. And as always, Vai's performance is as much a visual treat as a musical one. I look forward to the day when Vai matures to the level of classical guitar. He has fingers 6 inches long, and to someday watch him chew and shred his way through classical pieces with ease will be quite enjoyable.

If you're a G3 fan, it's worth the price of the ticket. And if you're an Yngwie fan, you have even more to enjoy.

Me, a HUGE fan of the 3 guitarists in this DVD, Yngwie, Satch and Vai playing together seemed like an unfathomable combo. The DVD starts with Satch, which was a good performance, but nothing to other Satch Performances (eg. Live in San Fran.) He seemed very tame, nothing super special or anything...and very high....more so at the jam...look at the guy's eyes. Vai's performance was the best of the night (Due to Tony MacAlpine, Billy Sheenan and Dave Weiner backing him up) "I Know Your Here" was absolutely AMAZING. The other two performances were good, especially the part where they played each other's guitars. Very Nice. Yngwie's Performance was also very good (Forget what the last guy said about Yngwie's "Limited Skill" Satch and Vai even say themselves very few can touch Yngwie. PERIOD.) His performance was really nice, more so at the Acoustic Guitar Solo and Far Beyond the Sun. Tho Yngwie's Flair has DRASTICALLY dropped due to his weight (seriously a Fat Guy who dresses like he is still thin is silly), the kicks and the attitude was kinda lame, and Yngwie's Drummer kinda sucked huge,Yngwie himself was still very good, but anyone who goes to see Yngwie Malmsteen in concert, only come for Yngwie. The Jam was nice, Vai, once again best of the latter with his rendition of "Little Wing", Satch's "Rockin in the Free World SUCKED". It was very corny and cheese ball and his singing was awful. Sorry, I expected more form the Silver Surfer. Yngwie's "Voodoo Chile" was good, tho Yngwie's Chain-Smoking-Blues-Bar Voice didn't do it for me, but still was all right. On the whole, Steve Vai takes the Show on this DVD with help of Sheenan and MacAlpine(who MURDERED Vai in their duel.) Yngwie is Runner up, even if he looks like a silly fat pirate, the guy can play his cholesterol-infested heart out. Yngwie lost A lot of weight so maybe he will return to that cocky, charismatic guy I LOVE. Satch, I love ya, but you were boring this night. Sorry. G3 2003 is still a great buy, so pick it up! 8 out of 10

I disagree with this rampant opinion that Yngwie is a product of the 80's. His look, style, guitar sound is anchored in 70's influences (Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix). As much as I feel he tends to overplay (he didn't always do this), I still find him to be the most impressive and passionate player.

Yngwie's set was pretty good. I liked how he played some of his older pieces from "Rising Force". I think he should be a bit more in tune w/ his band however. He solos just a bit too much. Although his sound was not very good on this DVD and is sometimes over-compressed, I generally like Yngwie's clean and delicate notes.

Vai had the most impressive band (trade off w/ Tony MacAlpine was cool) and was very entertaining w/ the crowd. He certainly did steal the show! I do find his music to be a little too quirky and un-melodic for my taste, but his guitar antics were very entertaining!

They did not pick the best songs for Satriani to put on this DVD, but when I saw them in concert I was quite impressed w/ Joe's compositions. I think Satriani has a nice sophisticated jazz feel to his music, not in all songs, but he played some very tasteful pieces. Creating real melody w/ jazz compositions is quite impressive in my opinion, as it seems difficult to do. Before I saw Joe I was convinced he was more of a standard (1,4,5) blues/rock player. Now I see many more dimensions in his music.

I don't understand however why someone would accuse Yngwie of being a "limited guitar player". He mastered Ritchie Blackmore's playing by the time he was ten years old! Steve and Joe are certainly awesome, but even they do not convey the effortlessness that Yngwie does. I am not saying he is THE greatest guitarist, but I believe he is the most gifted.

His arrogance and stage antics did turn me off a bit during the final segment. I thought he could have toned that down and been more of a team player when he shared the stage. He was a guest after all.

I suppose I tend to defend him when he is so often accused of being a "has-been" or "80's cliché". This is a trend-following attitude that bores me.

It was more entertaining to see them in concert than on DVD of course. Those three guys looked like they were having so much fun! Three guitar gods all together is a great experience! I give it an 8 out of 10.