JOE'S BIG ADVENTURE

ON THE ELEPHANTS OF MARS, JOE SATRIANI GOES IN SEARCH OF NEW THEMES AND TEXTURES. THE RESULT? MORE JOE THAN EVER BEFORE.

- JOE BOSSO

Back in the early spring of 2020, Joe Satriani was conducting business much as he had been for the past 30 years. He had a new record, Shapeshifting, set for release, and his concert schedule was full. “And then the pandemic hit, and everything went upside-down," he says. The guitarist went ahead with release plans for the album, but he was forced to reschedule all of his 2020 dates. "Not as easy as it sounds," he points out, “because you don't want to be hit with cancellation fees. Fortunately, we had great relationships with promoters and we were able to work things out." He sighs. “And then we had to do it again."

With the COVID pandemic proving to be a stubborn beast, Satriani was placed in the unenviable position of pushing his rescheduled 2021 dates to this year. And as of this writing, that might not be the end of the tour rejigging. "Everything is in flux because you just can't predict what will happen," he says. "I'm pretty sure COVID-19 is going to become endemic by the end of summer, and we're hoping that we can start the tour in the fall. Everybody's vaccinated and follows protocols. The problem is the restrictions on quarantine and what that does to a budget. We're a tight band and crew, and the last thing you want to do is go out on tour and have one person get sick. You can lose a fortune in a week on tour."

He lets out an exasperated groan. "Part of me is so bored with talking about the nuts and bolts of all of this," he says. “I like making music and talking about music, but this is the reality we've been facing. It's been a rough time."