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Unseen gods are better
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Is Joe Satriani a better teacher than a performer? Or are we less discerning as an audience, asks M.R. Jagdeesh after the much-hyped concert
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CRITICAL NOTE Jagadish: `Joe must know that mere effects or technique does not make good music'
May the gods remain distant and unseen. It was a summer song all right. Hot and humid, it took me a while to figure out the entrance to the concert. The peer (PR) grapevine was buzzing three months before Satriani's concert. His website must have been inundated with hits (mine included) to verify this rumour and trace the organisers of the concert.
I had judged quite a few college rock competitions and couldn't help noticing that almost all aspiring guitarists paid obeisance to Joe Sat in their offering on stage.
The tickets were absurdly high priced at Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 1,000, and the event looked like it had been put together in a hurry.
The opening act made a valiant effort in its mild metal offering and made its way out. A simple announcement and Joe Satriani came on stage. Over the next three hours, Joe Sat let loose his entire armoury of guitar pyrotechnics; chops, riffs, two-handed tapping, power chords and mindless effects.
Halfway into the concert and a general boredom seemed to set in. I mean, technically, this was a three-piece band, and most of the time while the titles sounded great ("Moroccan Sunset" and so on), the songs sounded like three-chord jams or stuck in a single groove. I'm willing to bet, with the amount of rock talent in the city, any musician could have got on to the stage, done his thing and got out and nobody would have complained. There simply wasn't any room for the bassist or the drummer to solo. This was clearly a one-man show. Joe must know that mere effects or technique does not make good music. The highlight of the concert was the lighting on the backdrop. At one point, Satriani's shadow loomed large on the backdrop, surrounded by globs of yellow light.
I left the concert thinking maybe he's a better teacher than performer. Maybe we're less discerning as an audience or we're starved for concerts, and so any international performer will do. Maybe Satriani is not aware of the Ekalavya tradition in which guitarists in the city revere and receive distant education, courtesy music videos and sheet music. Maybe the pupils are a lot better than the guru. Kirk, when are you playing?
Sound Off! is your space. Feel strongly about anything? Dash off a mail to bangaloremetro@thehindu.co.in. And who knows? You might be featured in this column.
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