Speaking of Mad Mikey.....

[eduardoritos]

Past year show was so boring that I've left before the two last songs, being one of them rock bottom (one of my all time favorites, of any artist). 

[Tatosh Guitar]

Here's the perfect compare and contrast. Rock Bottom a couple of weeks ago:



Solo starts at 3:38
He starts "ripping" -- as it were, at 6:14 with all this bullshit cascading harmonic stuff. You can say that's a choice after playing the song a million times, but it's like he's too lazy to pick. 

Rock Bottom from Rockpalast (arguably the best live version of the song -- certainly ON FILM). 



Solo starts at 3:46
He starts ripping at 6:16. He's taking your head off. He's picking like a demon.


Aside from the lack of fire when he's going for it in 2023, compare the sonic and picking dynamics. Even in the slow introductory licks when he's just getting warmed up, 81 seems dynamic and purposeful. The notes are picked differently. Some are delicate, some he digs in. Some sound fat. Some have more bite.

2023 is like he's sleepwalking through it. Every note seems like it's played exactly the same. (Very Satriani). And it's not just ONE (off) show. All of the clips I've seen from this tour are like this.

If this is the way he's playing now -- mailing it in -- I'm not gonna bother going to see him anymore. I've seen him play a dozen times since the 80s, and several when he was on fire. I'm good.
 

 

I thought I had replied to this. Branfart, I suppose.

The 81 one is like, godlike performance. Probably the best version I have ever seen, period. I am partial to the Strangers in the Night version, but we all know there is no video of that.

That man truly had it.



 

[TravisW]

Good grief, who's drumming with him these days? That tempo is insanely slow. 

This is a pretty similar solo from 2012 with a reasonable tempo and a bit more fire. 

[Bent out of shape]

I find the more recent versions ok, but for me the Strangers in the night version has never been matched. All the more strange,  no pun...lol...that MS apparently hates it!

Must revisit the rockpalast 81 version!