Joe Satriani, the virtuoso guitarist, has a confession. While sharing tales of his tour with Sammy Hagar on Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk show, the legendary musician admitted to a surprising challenge. A challenge that, interestingly enough, involves one of rock’s most iconic guitar tones.
Satriani’s setlist gem, “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”, has become a thorn in his side. The reason? Achieving the pristine clean guitar sound synonymous with the song’s spirit proves to be an elusive goal for his current setup.
As a guitarist renowned for his technical prowess and sonic exploration, Satriani’s predicament is as intriguing as it is unexpected. The question now is, can the guitar titan conquer this tonal hurdle and deliver a performance that truly honors the song’s legacy?
A Tonal Challenge From the Master
In the chat with Eddie Trunk, Satriani confessed that the song’s signature tone presents a technical challenge for his current setup. The guitarist explained, “When [Sammy] mentioned “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” I realized it was a technical issue for me because it’s got that super-clean guitar sound.”
Satriani’s admiration for Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work on the song is evident. “Eddie’s got one or two or three guitars playing super-clean on that song,” he said. The guitarist, known for his sonic experimentation, admitted needing ample time to tweak his equipment to achieve the desired clarity.
Satriani’s quest for the perfect tone is further complicated by the elusive nature of Eddie Van Halen’s live performances. “Once they took it out on the road, I couldn’t find one live clip of Eddie playing the same song that was remotely similar!” he discovered.
A Different Kind of Preparation
Satriani has been a consistent presence on the Best Of All Worlds tour since its kickoff on July 13. While many might assume intense practice routines, Satriani’s preparation is surprisingly unconventional.
The guitarist relies on YouTube cover videos to familiarize himself with the material. His approach is particularly interesting when it comes to Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts.
“Well, here’s the interesting point about some of the simplest pieces that Eddie would do,” Satriani explained, “is he’d do the album version, and from the stories that I’ve heard from the band members there was that Eddie and Alex [Van Halen] would work on these things, let’s say, one song for two or three weeks, and then the other guys would come in to add to the track.”
“I Should Just Embrace Every Different Version”
Satriani’s preference for YouTube guitarists stems from the unpredictable nature of Eddie Van Halen’s live performances. “[Eddie] was just so creative, every show he would just do it a little different,” Satriani shared.
This led the guitarist to adopt a versatile approach, studying multiple interpretations of the songs. “I thought, ‘Okay, I should just embrace every different version. And I really do wanna see how other guitar players work around the fact that their hands are not Eddie’s hands’,” he added.
Satriani’s musical prowess is showcased alongside a formidable lineup on the ‘Best Of All Worlds’ tour. Sammy Hagar is joined by the legendary Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, Satriani himself, and the multi-talented Rai Thistlethwayte.