last updated 7/14/97
I hope you all enjoyed my G3 review. I wanted to put together my thoughts of the aftershow experience so here it goes...
After the amazing 6/21/97 G3 show, my friend and I were honored with aftershow passes. If the quality and enjoyment of G3 was not enough, we were in position to possibly meet some our G3 heroes... WOW! When the show ended we made our way to the aftershow waiting area. When they escorted us backstage, our hearts raced as THE moment was about to unfold.
The air-conditioned waiting reception area was a nICE change from the smoldering heat. A dozen or two fans hung out talking about the show while they awaited the musicians to pop-in. The first to appear but soon disappear was KWS. He handed a G3 signed Ibanez guitar (not a JEM) to a radio contest winner. We were hoping he would stick around, but he did a few photos with the lucky winner and went elsewhere. This guy has a G3 momento to cherish forever.
Vai strolled in next, which was a real treat of course. He made his way around the room, signing autographs, chatting with friends & fans like a normal person. Everyone in there was very cool and patient, as no one was swarming him but rather giving Steve the space he deserves. I've previously heard many stories about what a nice guy Vai is and how well he treats & appreciates his fans. The moment we were waiting for arrived as we made our way over to him. My friend and I spent a few moments with Steve, told him how great the show was, etc. At that time we had the privilege of having our JEM guitars signed from the master himself. We didn't want to annoy him, as you never know when you're overstepping the line, and thankfully he appreciated us a sincere fans by graciously signing our instruments & posing for photos. It was a thrilling experience, not only to meet Steve, but more so to witness what a great guy he is in real life. It's nice in this day and age to see that someone you admire and try to emulate musically is such a goodhearted person in addition to being an incredible musician. This was great to see.
At this time we were lucky to meet GKS' Rich Pike. As many of you know first hand, Rich is a great guy who bends over backwards for the fans. It was a pleasure to finally meet him after exchanging several e-mail's over the past 8 months. These guys have so many stories to tell and if they had more time I'm sure the world would hear them. Again, it was nice to see such good people involved in G3.
Next up was Vai's bassist Phillip. I sound like a broken record, but again, here's another gentleman... he was friendly as can be and seemed real thrilled to meet the fans. We sung him our praises and asked him to bring the Vai band & G3 back to play this area more often. He graciously signed our G3 CD liner notes over his picture which was a thrill. I'm honored to have met him.
We were backstage for 20+ minutes now, and Vai was still chatting with fans so while I was chewing Rich's ear, my friend went over to see if Steve would sign his CD too and tell him what a fan he has become after going to G3 '96 with me. Of course Steve obligees and they call me over as they were talking about JEMs, on-line stuff, etc. We were chatting with him like you would a friend, and his relaxed demeanor really was cool. Of course I asked him about the new Universe, and he was excited about it. I teasing him that the "Universe guitar has been neglected... it needs some attention from you... help it out". He said then joked "OK, I'll play it, just for you". So we joked some more, shared some info and told him that we'd love to see G3 as an annual affair... as it's nice to see them touring regularly. We shook hands, wished him continued success & thanked him again!
By this time people were clearing out as security announced that no more performers would be appearing. Luckily, Mike Keneally strolled in which was good to see. Like the other guys, Mike is a real cool and accommodating so we chatted with him and he too signed our G3 liner note over his picture. As you can imagine we were on Cloud 9. Everyone was now clearing out and we exited, walking across the G3 stage which was being stripped down. I wish I had taken a picture from that vantage point but my head was spinning from all the excitement. We were really hoping Satch would have appeared, but I found out the next day via an e-mail that he was in another room with old friends and family members so he never made it to the aftershow area. I can't fault him for that, as we were lucky and appreciative of having met the performers that we did.
So G3 '97 was quite an event to remember. Let me wrap up by again thanking everyone involved for making this dream concert come true. Vai-gest readers should be thrilled to know that in addition to being fantastic musicians, these performers are real special people. They truly are people that you can PROUDLY be loyal fans of. Thanks again for a night to remember guys.
Once again people... DO NOT miss G3!
The man signing my JEM10!
Steve posing with my friend Joe right after
he signed Joe's JEM7VWH!