"I get it, I get, okay. But you're also wrong. Like... and you know that too." might be the most relatable thing you've ever said. LOL. Love it Michael.
I WAS THERE! I'm not kidding...there were people in tears. As blazingly amazing as his crazy stuff is...Petrucci puts a gargantuan amount of feeling and soul into his playing.
I believe you. I remember vividly listening to this solo for the first time. For some reason I had forgotten about this release and bought the 3 CD album in August 2005. I was 20 at that time and had just put my headphones to sleep. The concert was going great until Hollow Years. Once the solo hit, I couldn't stop crying. It's the only time something like that has happened to me. This is probably my favorite solo of all time.
What amazes me the most is that it's freaking technical, it's freaking fast and yet it is so melodic and soulful. JP is on another level of guitar playing. It's shockingly good.
When Live at Budokan came out on DVD, I asked my girlfriend at the time to watch Hollow Years with me as I couldn’t get over this solo. It was at that moment I realised I love John Petrucci. I don’t remember her leaving. I just kept shredding.
J.P has it all. People say he has no feel. I think he's probably the most complete Guitar player he has all the skill not to mention he's humble as hell about it.
Sure, there are a million G3 shredders out there who can play as fast or faster. But something about JPs phrasing, tone, feel etc. has always elevated him above the rest for me.
Dream Theater made everyone step up their game! I have been playing bass for 30 years and I still have no idea what Myung is doing most of the time. I catch riffs here and there, but that is about it. Thanks for showing this!
If someone is one of the best ever in prog rock business, why would it be hard to say you can’t follow where he goes? Doubt any sane tennis pro in history would say he can do whatever Federer does…or any sane road cycling pro in the peloton right now has zero problems admitting he can’t climb like Jonas Vingegaard. I have no doubt that Petrucci would have no problem stating he can’t play the stuff Julian Lage is doing (I mean, on the spot with no preparation).
This solo gets me every time, not originally on the record either, he started improvising this during the tour which culminated to this performs for the Budokan DVD. This DVD of theirs is probably the greatest live show DVD i've ever seen, this song, Beyond this Life with the improve middle section, In the Name of God with the added outro solo, Instrumedley?!?!?!, it's just absolutely incredible. It's been inspiring me for years. And now I have the joy of introducing it to my kids. Life is good. Cheers brother.
Yeah when this DVD came out it rocked my understanding of what I thought was possible. I think this recording and the train of thought record just made me a MEGA dream theater fan almost overnight.
John Petrucci is a legend. You can't watch him play and not have your jaw drop open. He is my absolute favorite player - technical skill, tone, style, emotion, and raw power. They DEFINE and OWN the progressive metal genre. I have been seeing him live for almost 20 years and he gets better every time - it is incredible. Thanks for your professional perspective on his greatness.
What makes it so tough is the seamless transition between positions and the flawless string hopping. Few players can do this.. it’s like he’s playing with a bow instead of a pick.
Thanks for doing this video. Petrucci has been amongst my favorite all time guitarists for about 30 years now. He is one of the only virtuoso guitarists that hasn’t seemed to lose technique and playing ability as he’s aged. I’m not sure what’s happened to some other of his guitar peers (I won’t name names) but they seem to regress in their playing after they get into their 40’s, 50’s and beyond. Not Petrucci. He remains a standard for metal guitarists to this day.
I don't care what anyone says. This is the best live guitar solo ever performed. I dare someone to show me better. He will always be the goat in my eyes.
Petrucci is just a cybernetic freak of nature, man. All we can do is bow down and appreciate his greatness while he's making music. He's just on another level.
After a 15 year hiatus from playing guitar this was the guy that I found my inspiration from after getting back into it around 2006. He's just so damn good!
For me this was the PEAK of DT's live performance prowess. Everything came together SO RIGHT on the Train of Thought Tour. I saw them front row in Toronto on this tour and it's was absolutely STUNNING. You can actually see a variation of this solo from that night on the internet. Look up Dream Theater - Hollow Years (Live in Toronto 2004) You can actually see me and my brother front row (stage left, right in front of John) - my brother is the kid with the long hair that brought his drumsticks and air drummed along with Mike ALLLLLL night. Anyway - My point in saying that is this was not "off the dome" (or off the top) as they say. Petrucci wrote/worked this out every night of the tour and perfected, and perfected and perfected until you get his absolutely BEAST of a live version. You also can see his hands quite clearly in that version to work out what he's playing! ;) That doesn't take away the prowess and the power...but it does give us mortals a "glimpse" of hope? (maybe?)
John will always be my favourite. All the other guitar greats are great. But John has speed, precision, bluesy licks, everything. I dont believe there isn't a genre he can't absolutely crush
Next to Dave's solo on comfortably numb from the Pulse live dvd/cd This is my second favorite of all time. I got spinal meningitis it was pretty bad I was in ICU for nearly a week. Anyway, as a welcome home present my wife got me this dvd. I remember by the time I could actually watch tv without getting sick, I put it in, and when he got to the part where you said, "That was shockingly clean, even for john" that's why I started to tear up. When he hits the melodic part after that going up the scale, I remember i had tears just running down my cheeks. I don't recall ever hearing a blistering shred fest of a solo have this kind of emotion coming out of it. incredible. . That's when you know it's a great solo. When the emotion in it can bring a pretty manly man to tears.. Thanks for reviewing this. Thing is, is the song is what builds up to the emotion to that solo.. just hearing the solo is good, but the song is what helps make it great.
Bought the Budokan dvd as a blind purchase around 2005, not really knowing anything about Dream Theater. JP's playing on the DVD and on this track and solo in particular, opened my eyes and DT became my favorite band since. This is that one solo I always go back to. It has it all and it's largely improvised and extended over the original much shorter acoustic solo.
i will forever LOVE JP solos. the tech is there...but it's so musical. i am so glad i got to catch a G3 tour back when i lived in myrtle beach. John's set was absolutely mindblowing. i am SO stoked to hear their new stuff with Mike back in the band again.
Is this solo overwrought and wankalicious, yes. Is it still tasty, organic, completely in the pocket, and meshes perfectly to the melancholy vibe of the song, yes. I'd normally say bursts of 32nd note arpeggios and scale runs over the whole neck have no place in a ballad, but when you're Petrucci, it's Tuesday.
My teenage years were a steady diet of Dream Theater and Rush with a side of Yngwie. You go through that phase and find Tommy Emmanuel later in life. People like Petrucci and Emmanuel were put on this earth to play guitar and we are all better for it.
Used to play that version of the song, including the solo, many years ago and it's very challenging just speed-wise. But it's a great way to learn scales since this is exactly that at lightning speed all over the fretboard. It really helps to slow it down and see what exactly he's doing. Even if I couldn't come anywhere close to JP's performance here, it was enough to wow the crowd and a great learning experience for me.
One could say 99% of every Petrucci solo is his best solo ever. They just get better and better. This is what happens when you don't party and just focus on your music and practice.
Been watching and subbed for a while. I always enjoy your videos but I don’t think I’ve told you that enough. John P is one of my favorites so this video hits home for me.
I remember being like 15-16 or something and I'd bought the Live at Budokan DVD. This solo blew my young guitarist mind. Still does 20 odd years later. haha
This is my most favourite solo ever. Had listened to it a hundreds of times and it was this one which made me pick up guitar again after selling my bass some years ago ;)
I also have to thank you Michael. In recent months you've reacted to my my 3 favorite musicians...JP, Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. Thank you brother!
even the most relax plaing from petrucci make time to learn it, he is my favorite guitar player ever, and can do a decent solo cover, speed, tech. emotional and clean player i ever see
I'll recommend Breaking All Illusions solo from them. Super bluesy, super clean solo that might not be the same blistering speed, but still delivers a fantastic ending.
5:02 reminds me of his brilliant tuition video Rock Discipline. He was pushing the envelope with his chromatic runs. Then he applied the technique to his solo. All those years later he sounds even better than he did then. JP is such a maestro on the guitar.
Check out liquid tension experiment, and a song called rhapsody in blue. It's a classical peace, made into a prog metal. There is some astonishing guitar on it ✌️
This was the very first song I ever heard from DT… i have been a huge fan ever since. A question i have… When JP is playing the mega fast 3 note per string lic’s, is he actually picking the string 6 times, thus enabling him to up/down pattern consistency when he changes strings? It would certainly contribute to how “clean” it sounds, but it also makes it sound extra fast. Check out his right hand when he’s playing it. I have watched him over and over, and it maybe just a theory, but I think i might be right? Your thoughts MP? Oh, if you havent watched any of “Liquid Tension Experiment” may i suggest you do. Live in New York, and my recommendation for a song “When the water breaks” - you can thank me later :) cheers, Ewan
I use JP jazz 3 picks and they are very thick compared to what you are using. I used the fairly thick green tortex picks for a long time and after switching I found that I could emulate John's three note per string stuff better. Not saying I'm good at it, but I can get closer than I could before. 😅 but I think the pic thickness helps.
Haha man you are amazing and so talented! and I %100 Agree wiyh what u said.! and btw to the people who say no soul in shred?!: yeah many players can shred but only JOHN PETRUCCI ( and a few other players)CAN MAKE YOU CRY WHILE SHREDDING IN LIGHTING FAST.. THATS WHY he is one of the greatest of all time..
Being a(n electric) guitar teacher and doing what JP does is like teaching neurosurgery and being one of the best neurosurgeons on planet earth. Worlds apart even though job description might sound a bit alike.
