2019 is half over, and my second half of the year is going to be far less exciting compared to my first half. Why? Because on Thursday, June 27th, I saw Paul Gilbert live at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, and nothing can compare to how incredible it was.

Paul Gilbert has been a guitar hero of mine since I was 13. I still remember hearing “Technical Difficulties” for the first time and then cleaning up brain goo that had leaked from the holes on the side of my head. My sense of “guitar virtuosity” had been immediately changed. From there, I was voracious in my attempt to learn as much about this immaculate wizard-of-guitar as I possibly could. Racer X, Mr. Big, the solo albums…if Paul touched it, I had to get it in my veins. 

This early teenage excitement pervaded my entire day on Thursday. I woke up thinking, “Today is the day I see Paul Gilbert.” I sat at my desk at 3:00 P.M. thinking, “It’s only 5 hours until I see Paul Gilbert.” I even applied deodorant hoping I smelled decently enough to not offend the nostrils of a Mr. Paul Gilbert. By the time 8:00 P.M . Rolled around and I entered the Whiskey, I was almost out of my own skin. My elation only grew when I picked a spot dead center of stage and planted my flag there. Nothing; not man nor god nor Mother Nature could have moved me from that spot. I was ready, I was in the zone, and I was going to see Paul Gilbert. 

Paul descended the stairs from the dressing room on the second floor of the whiskey. His purple suit made him instantly distinguishable against the rest of the band. He walked with grace and precision as he assumed his position as band leader. The crowd screamed, but Paul’s amplifier screamed louder. The opening licks that shot from his fingers like lightning stunned the audience and left everyone picking their jaws from the floor. 

The opening song “Blues For Rabbit” was absolutely perfect. It immediately set the tone for the concert; we were in for bluesy fusion, but that didn’t mean Paul was any lighter on the shred. The band was tighter than a seaman’s slipknot, and Paul was proving himself to be a fantastic bandleader AS WELL as player (to all guitarists reading this, you know exactly how difficult that feat is to pull off convincingly). 

Paul’s setlist was fantastic and featured almost every song on the new album. Personal favorites that I heard live include “Sir, You Need To Calm Down,” “A Herd of Turtles,” and “Love Is the Saddest Thing.” In addition to the new songs, Paul did play a few covers including “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles, and “Still I’m Sad” the Rainbow version. I honestly loved hearing Paul’s version of these songs because it shows both his “musical DNA” and his creativity. Special creative shoutout goes to While My Guitar Gently Weeps because Paul managed to fit both Technical Difficulties and Scarified into the Beetles. 

A personal set highlight for me was Green Tinted Sixties Mind, which is a cut from the 1992 album Lean Into It by Mr. Big. I love this album, and this is one of my favorite songs on it. To see Paul play it and have his guitar “sing” the vocal melody through use of a slide was surreal. The slide he used to mimic a voice was a really creative solution to getting around melodies that are too high to sing, and I loved it. 

Stage presence is a big deal at a rock show, and Paul has it in spades. I saw this giant of a man windmill his guitar, jump on to add emphasis to his chords, and even solo by playing with his teeth. His crowd interaction was also fantastic. Paul told stories, made the audience laugh, and even gave his guitar pick to some nerdy 25 year old in the front row (I WILL CHERISH IT FOREVER)! 

Gear matters quite a bit to guitarists (we guitarists love the gear AS MUCH as we love playing the gear). For the majority of the show Paul played 2 Ibanez Fireman models; one white and one purple. He also had a special 3 hum bucker version of an Ibanez Iceman, and his classic red RG that has been covered in stickers and had the original Edge Trem replaced with a stop tail piece. His amp was a vintage Marshall JMP copy and his settings were almost completely clean. I was truly amazed to see him fiddle with his TC ELECTRONIC MojoMojo as much as he did. Watching Paul tweak his amp and pedal settings while on stage was actually relieving to me as a guitarist; it shows that not even the pros dial everything in perfectly the first time. 

Do I even need to say it? Paul got a 15/10. The concert was amazing, and as cheesy as it sounds, inspiring. It’s one thing to listen to your favorite players on CD all day, but then another to see them LIVE and to experience the music in such an immediate, visceral way; that sticks with you even more. Everything about the concert was phenomenal, and I can say it satisfied the “teenage” guitarist in me as well as the musician I am today. I only have one thing left to say at the end of it all; “Paul Vs. Godzilla.”