For years, Satriani had longed to be in a band, but nothing panned out. So he came up with perhaps the next-best-thing: a traveling roadshow featuring three guitar greats. Over the years, the lineups would change. But this was the maiden voyage.

Joe Satriani says:

“I love having an idea for something new that everyone tells you can’t be done, and shouldn’t be attempted - it just gets me more excited about pursuing it.

“It took me a full year to convince Steve, Eric and their managers that G3 was a good idea and that its time was ‘now.’ After the first show you could see a glow in everyone’s faces; they loved the challenge of it, the fun of it, the good vibes on stage, and most importantly, the energy coming from the audience.

“It took the first gig to show everyone that G3 wasn’t a competitive event. It was real musical collaboration.”