Guitar Gods to Take the Stage in Pompano Beach

AEG Presents is proud to announce that guitar superstar Joe Satriani is bringing the 2018 incarnation of his massively popular G3 tour to the Pompano Beach Amp on February 1, 2018. Satriani will be joined by fellow six-string legends, John Petrucci of Dream Theater and Phil Collen of Def Leppard for an action-packed celebration of guitar wizardry.

"G3 tours are always very exciting, challenging and a lot of fun for me," said Satriani, who recently released his 16th solo album, "What Happens Next." "I love any chance I get to stand on stage and play for my fans, but I especially love the crazy jolt I get when I can perform alongside other guitarists I admire. It ups my game, it ups their game, and I know our audiences always get a real kick out of the whole experience."

Since its debut in 1996, Satriani's G3 tour has featured the world's greatest guitarists (everyone from Steve Vai and Eric Johnson to Steve Lukather and Robert Fripp) and has become a consistent concert hall sell-out attraction in the U.S., South America, Europe, Australia and Japan.

Satriani had a hunch that an action-packed night of guitar wizardry could be a touring behemoth back in 1995 when he initially hatched the plan to hit the road with some of his six-string comrades. At first, he envisioned something along the lines of Lollapalooza with a lineup featuring a dozen or more guitarists.

"I quickly realized that wasn't the way to go," he said. "Each guitarist would only get to do a few songs. I wanted everybody to be able to do a proper set, and then we'll all jam together for the finale." Then he seized upon a concept much like the Three Tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras) but one that would pool the unique talents of three guitarists.

"So, there it was: "Three guitarists - G3," he said. "That idea felt really right to me. It was streamlined and easy to understand, and I knew I could still offer people a night of unique talents."

John Petrucci has a long history with G3 - the Dream Theater founder and guitar virtuoso made his maiden voyage on the tour in 2001, and the 2018 trek will mark his seventh appearance on the bill.

"I always look forward to having John on any G3 tour I do," said Satriani. "He continues to be one of the most incredible and inspiring guitarists I've ever played with, and he never fails to do things on stage that I find utterly jaw dropping. I can only imagine what new surprises he's got planned for this tour."

2018 will see Phil Collen making his debut as a G3er. The venerable guitarist joined Def Leppard in 1982 and has been a key part of their worldwide multi-platinum success story, but he's rarely stepped out as a solo axeman in his own right.

That's what's going to be so interesting and cool," Satriani noted. "We think of Phil as being this integrated part of Def Leppard, but I recently got a chance to play with him at my latest G4 Experience in California, and I thought he was extraordinary. In my opinion, he's probably underrated, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in his full set on the next G3."

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