Who is the absolute best guitar player you've ever seen play live?

1. Joe Satriani in a little club on University Ave back just before he made it big. Was jaw-dropping.

2. Buckethead earlier this year playing with Brain and Brewer. I stood front row at the stage. My God...

 

Jimi aaaaand Phil Keaggy, Jimmy page

 

Either Pat Martino or Allan Holdsworth. Both are WAY better live than they are on any album (although their albums are still unbelievable).

Holdsworth's playing just blew my mind with its complexity, dexterity, and originality. I have never heard anyone play guitar like that before or since.

Martino is insanely good live. His improvisation tells a story, he isn't just playing a bunch of fancy scales or arpeggios, his work transcends the instrument. His music takes me to a different place!

 

It's a hard one. When I was young and immature, and got wowed by show-offs I can very much relate still to the initial reaction I got when watching Al Di Meola live. Especially acoustic. However, the actual songs and music where not that memorable at all. Some time later I saw Steve Morse live, and that was it. Still is. Although in the same kind of "too-fusiony" vein, they both shared stages later on Al Di Meola and Steve once. But today Steve's left more traces, and scars (ha ha!) inside me that Al ever did. Al di Meola was re-visiting here in the subsequent years, but I never ever bothered to see him again live. Steve did a more lasting impression.

I do consider versatility and variation more these days. Steve Morse is to me, not the "jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none" but "master-of-all-trades-jack-of-none"... so to speak.

Mind you I have seen, Clapton, SRV, John McLaughlin, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, all those that has participated in G3 tours (Satriani, Vai, Petrucci) etc, and dime a dozen shredders, and country lickers, but no one comes as close as Morse. Seen a number of old stalwart blues players too. Jazzers too, Metheny, Sco, and all. Morse wins hands down so much that I last March spent considerably amount of money to watch his Dixie Dregs reunite in NYC in original lineup. Travel across the pond, a full week stay in NYC, tix to the show. I thought "this may be the last chance we'll ever get" so I took the plunge. Had to sell one bass, and guitar before, no big deal. It was worth it.

 

Oh, almost forgot ... Peter Finger! Check out 'Niemandsland'.

 

Stuart Daniel Baker aka Unknown Hinson

 

Keith Scott from Bryan Adams band.
In fact there was only him, Bryan Adams and a drummer but
he played so well you'd think there was whole lot more musicians.
He played through a big stack of Marshall amps and really only used a few pedals.
Adams even said he might have some difficulty playing " Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"
but K,S. did it perfectly, although you could see he was working hard to play it perfectly.
You could see the strain on his face on just that one song but he got it right.
Bought last minute tickets @ $55.00 and we were so close we could see Adam's acne scars.

 

I haven't seen Unknown in a couple of years, but he's a monster player. He's powerful, but with a light touch and no extraneous movements that don't produce a note. It make sense, given that he was a guitar teacher IIRC.

 

Joe walsh

 

Tony Rice

 

BB King...

 

Rory Gallagher, saw him loads of times, always inventive and exciting. He never made a recording I liked all the way through, but live he was the best. Seventies and Eighties Cooder was special too. Relatively recently, I was lucky enough to catch Redd in the UK. He makes it all look so easy.

Of course, there will be a different list tomorrow!

 

well I've seen alot of the greats but one I still dont know who it was. I went to see Roy Buchanan 77' loading zone tour in houston the opening act
was James Cotton the band played for 20-30 mins before cotton came out, there we two white guitarist one on a strat and he was killing it, then this
dude on a les paul started soloing OMG !!!!! he was like blues Randy Rhoads he could start at the first fret and rip up the neck it was awesome.....