Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Veteran guitar god Joe Satriani and his former student/fellow superpower Steve Vai have frequently crossed paths since the 1980s, but believe it or not, outside of the rotating supergroup G3, they’ve never properly co-headlined together as a duo.

Thankfully, that all changed when the fittingly titled “Satch/Vai” Tour filled up much of Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater, where fans didn’t only get an individual set by each instrumental virtuoso, but a collaborative firecracker of an encore.

Solo superstar, Chickenfoot member and Sammy Hagar sidekick Satriani took the closing slot, diving directly into the guitar pyrotechnics of “The Extremist,” despite a few technical difficulties, alongside bassist Bryan Beller, keyboardist/guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte, and of course, beat keeper extraordinaire Kenny Aronoff.

The otherwise issue-free hour was stuffed to the brim with samples of his early platinum project, “Surfing With The Alien,” through the latest long player, “The Elephants Of Mars.”

Choice cuts such as “Sahara,” “Flying In A Blue Dream,” “Always With Me, Always With You” and “Ice 9” found Satriani blazing furiously up and down the fretboard with every distinctive riff, wail and whammy, always entertaining behind his cool shades and flashy yet friendly stage presence.

Former Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake axeman Steve Vai continued building upon his own meteoric career throughout equally as long, supporting the wordless wizardry of “Inviolate” on back.

That meant the richly textured atmospheres of “Avalancha,” “Tender Surrender,” “Lights Are On” and others, accompanied by the killer combination of bassist Phillip Bynoe, keyboardist/guitarist Dante Frisielle and drummer Jeremy Colson, plus a triple necked beast on “Teeth Of The Hydra.”

The finale, “For The Love Of God,” found the muscle and innovation leaping up another level, plus served as a signature example of his progressively-inspired hard rock and heavy metal foundation.

Vai re-appeared at the very end of the evening to join Satriani on their new collaborative duel, “The Sea Of Emotion, Pt. 1,” followed by extended editions of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” when their competitive camaraderie seemed to bring out the absolute best in one another, perhaps more than ever before.

For additional information on Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, visit Satriani.com and Vai.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Riverside Theater include One World Music Festival (Apr. 26); Sierra Ferrell (Apr. 27); Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield (May 1); Portugal. The Man (May 14); The Decemberists (May 18); Chicago (Jun. 1); Donny Osmond (Jun. 7); Wilco (Jun. 12); Pete Davidson (Jun. 13); Dave Hollister (Jun. 15); Summer Jam (Jun. 22) and Ben Platt (Jun. 30). For additional details, visit PabstTheaterGroup.com.

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