G3 is not a conventional band but a rotating guitar supergroup and touring concept created by virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani. Conceived in 1995 by the multi-Grammy-nominated guitarist Joe Satriani, the inaugural G3 tour took place in 1996, bringing together three of the most iconic and virtuosic guitarists of their time: Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. The idea grew out of Satriani's own frustration with the isolation of touring as a solo artist, as he later explained about pitching the concept to his booking agency, recalling he told them, "Thanks, guys. I've got a career and I can play whatever I want, but how come I'm all alone?" That first run of shows, held in the fall of 1996, paired Satriani, Vai, and Johnson with opening acts Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Adrian Legg, and quickly established the format that would define G3 for decades: each guitarist performing a solo set with his own band before all three joined together for a closing all-star jam.
By the time it launched, Satriani was already a bona fide guitar hero, having broken through a decade earlier; Joe Satriani had been a worldwide guitar hero since his 1986 breakthrough album, Surfing With The Alien, and over 10-million albums and CDs later, earned 13 Grammy nominations across his career. The G3 concept itself became a genuine institution in the guitar world, with the G3 Tour first conceived back in '95 by Satch, who, after tapping Vai and Johnson for its premiere event the following year, continued to organize and lead various follow-up tours across the 20th and 21st centuries with numerous A-list guitar heroes . Successive editions brought in a revolving cast of six-string legends, and over the years, the lineup evolved, featuring guitar greats like John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Lukather, Uli Jon Roth, Steve Morse, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Michael Schenker . Live releases from these tours, including a platinum DVD documenting the 2003 trek, helped cement G3's reputation, since the 2003 North American tour, showcasing Satriani, Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen, was documented in the platinum DVD G3 Live in Denver, alongside other platinum releases from the 1996 run and the 2005 Japanese tour with Vai and Petrucci .
Across its history, G3 has toured the globe repeatedly, with a total of 13 G3 concert tours, each of which has been the source of some of the best high-profile six-string linkups in history, as well as some bizarre stage demands courtesy of Robert Fripp back in 2004 . The lineup for the 2007 edition, which ran through North America starting in March, brought together Satriani with two other formidable talents, since the G3 2007 tour featured Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Joe Satriani , marking the first time Gilbert headlined the format alongside Petrucci, a Dream Theater founding member who had by then become one of the tour's most frequent recurring guitarists. Over the years the roster expanded to include an extraordinary range of players, with special guests joining the closing jams that included guest spots from Queen's Brian May, Neal Schon of Journey, King Crimson's Robert Fripp, Steve Lukather of Toto, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Phil Collen of Def Leppard and many others , turning many G3 stops into unpredictable, once-in-a-lifetime jam sessions.
G3 remains active and beloved by guitar fans decades after its inception, with Satriani, Vai, and Johnson reuniting the original trio for a celebrated run of shows and a live album. As Satriani put it upon bringing the founding lineup back together for the 2024 tour, "Reuniting the original G3 line up is a dream come true for me," a sentiment echoed by Johnson, who called it an honor to reunite with Joe and Steve. The reunion culminated in a live recording capturing the magic of the format's return, since the original lineup behind the G3 touring concept returned with Reunion Live, released January 31 worldwide on earMUSIC, capturing the guitar magic of Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai on their sold-out 2024 US tour . Nearly thirty years on, G3 endures as one of instrumental rock's most influential recurring events, a testament to Satriani's original vision of guitarists sharing a stage rather than touring alone.
For this archive, G3 holds a special place among the shows Wayne Dennon documented over the years. Wayne photographed the band during its 2007 tour, capturing the Satriani, Petrucci, and Gilbert lineup on one memorable night, and that show remains a highlight of the collection, with 51 photographs preserved here and viewed by archive visitors more than 38,000 times, a lasting reminder of the caliber of musicianship Wayne was drawn to document throughout his career behind the lens.
