By 1987, Joe Satriani was on the verge of becoming one of rock’s most celebrated guitarists. His second solo album, Surfing with the Alien, was taking instrumental rock into the mainstream, earning him widespread recognition and establishing him as a formidable new voice on the guitar.
But while Satriani had spent years mastering his instrument and developing as a musician, he was still relatively inexperienced when it came to the business and practicalities of touring.
His first solo outing brought some hard lessons, not least the financial realities of trying to build an audience on the road. And as he subsequently discovered while touring with Mick Jagger, even playing alongside one of rock’s biggest stars didn’t guarantee everything would go according to plan.
“It’s my very first tour as a solo artist, it was a lesson in expectations for sure; and a rough one economically,” Satriani tells Guitar Player today, reflecting on the tour he embarked on to support Surfing with the Alien.
Despite having already established himself as a highly respected guitarist and teacher — with future guitar stars Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett among his students — Satriani found that the album’s success didn’t automatically translate into a viable touring business. Struggling to fill even modest 400-seat venues, he was losing $8,000 a week and seriously considering hanging up his guitar for good.
An unexpected phone call from legendary Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, however, would soon change his career trajectory — and introduce him to an entirely different level of touring.
“I believe it was bassist Doug Wimbish who recommended me to Jagger at a rehearsal right after they auditioned my good friend Neal Schon,” Satriani says today, reflecting on how he came to be within Jagger’s orbit. “It helped that Surfing with The Alien was on the charts and I was on the cover of a few guitar magazines at the time.
“Coincidently, Bill Graham and his team were promoting the tour for Mick and they knew me well from the San Francisco area. Mick asked them to bring me in for an audition at SIR in New York City. I just happened to be on my way to New York City to play four sold out shows at the Bottom Line. It’s just one of those stories about being in the right place at the right time and being prepared for some good luck!”
Touring with Jagger proved an absolute joy for Satriani. “Mick was fun, smart, full of energy, interesting, generous and, overall, a total professional,” he recalls. “Working with him onstage and off was very inspiring. He’s a creative genius with natural musical instincts.”
Jagger’s audiences were receptive to Satriani each night, and the high-profile gig gave the guitarist a considerable boost in visibility. That exposure helped drive sales of his solo album and, in turn, generated renewed interest in his own shows. When Satriani resumed his solo touring career after the Jagger dates, he was able to headline considerably larger venues.
One by one, the amps went down, making strange noises as they did. My amp went down on the second song.”
— Joe Satriani
The Australian leg of the Jagger tour, however, brought an unexpected technical headache. A show in Perth was plagued by sound and power failures that left thousands of fans unable to hear Jagger perform.
“We had such a good time leading up to that show but as fate would have it, the gremlins came calling,” remembers Satriani. “It all turned out to be a local technician plugging all of the guitar, keyboard and bass amp electricity feeds to an underpowered source.
“When we started the show, one by one, the amps started being starved of current and went down, making strange noises as they did. My amp went down on the second song. Mick was so upset about this technical mishap, especially since no one on the crew seemed to know how to remedy the situation. It was immensely frustrating to say the least.”
The relationship continued beyond the tour. A few years later, Jagger reached out again, this time asking Satriani to help audition musicians for another solo project.
“When he was putting musicians together for another solo album, I helped him audition drummers in Los Angeles,” Satriani says. “Guitarist Jimmy Ripp was still the musical director and I didn’t feel there was any need for another guitarist at that point. Jimmy was handling it all quite well and seemed to have a handle on where Mick wanted to go stylistically.”
By 1993, Satriani had established himself as a guitarist capable of handling some of rock’s biggest stages. That year, Deep Purple came calling, asking him to fill in for Ritchie Blackmore, who had abruptly quit in the middle of the band’s The Battle Rages On... tour, just ahead of its departure for Japan.
Satriani was initially hesitant but ultimately couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with a band he’d admired since childhood.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Blackmore’s musicianship,” affirms Satriani. “He’s an original guitarist and composer of the highest order, and so, is basically not replaceable. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with Deep Purple, which I loved since I was a kid.
“To my delight, thjey were so cool, and gave me carte blanche to approach the gig however I wanted. As long as I had the song’s parts and structure down, they were cool with me being me.”
I’ve always been a big fan of Blackmore’s musicianship. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with Deep Purple, which I loved since I was a kid.”
— Joe Satriani
His previous work with Jagger had helped put Satriani on Deep Purple’s radar. “I think they knew of my solo albums and it helped that I had played stadiums and arenas with Mick, so, they knew I could handle the job,” he says.
“But I think it was our mutual Japanese promoter Mr. Udo who suggested they try me out. I had a week to learn the show and fly to Japan to meet the band and have one rehearsal before the tour started!”
After completing the December tour dates in Japan, Deep Purple invited Satriani to stay on for a European summer tour in 1994. The band later offered him a permanent position, but he declined, choosing instead to concentrate on his solo career.
Satriani looks back fondly on his time with both Jagger and Deep Purple, grateful for the opportunity to play alongside musicians he’d long admired. But it was getting to know his heroes away from the stage that left the deepest impression.
“Meeting and playing with my heroes were great for sure, but getting to know them and finding out they were all awesome human beings was the best thing to discover,” he says. “Those experiences reminded me that I should always strive to be the best person I can be no matter who I’m meeting for the first time, or, working with.”
