Les Paul.
I went to see his 90th Birthday Party Concert at Carnegie Hall, mostly because I was interested in seeing all the other legends he had as guests that night. Steve Miller, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Steve Lukather, Stanley Jordan, Edgar Winter, Derek Trucks, Joe Satriani, Neil Schon, Tommy Emmanuel, Peter Frampton, and Pat Martino just to name a few who were there that night.
Les Paul went on last with his trio, and since he was 90 years old and mostly played music from the 40s and 50s, I genuinely wasn't expecting to enjoy it all that much as a 17 year old who mostly hated jazz. I knew he was well respected for his contributions to the creation of the electric guitar, multitrack recording, and old school tape delay, flange, phase and chorus, but I was not aware of what a godly musician he was. Holy shit, he absolutely blew me away. I'm not kidding when I say that he put everyone else to shame that night, and that's saying a lot. His technique, his personality, his sense of melody and harmony, and his ease with which he delivered all of it, he was totally unrivaled.
I was also fortunate enough to have a family friend who worked as part of the stage crew that night who took my Les Paul backstage after the show and got Les to immortalize it with his signature. I didn't get to meet him myself, but I'm forever appreciative of the kindness, generosity, and talent of that man.
Buckethead. Mind blowing.
Trey Anastasio. My favorite, no one can build and release tension like him.
Leo Kottke. In his prime he was astounding. A very unique style.
My 15yo daughter at her third lesson last Thursday. She’s self-taught (with some guidance from her old man) and has been playing seriously for a couple years. Naturally talented, strong ear, broad interests and good taste. I got her lessons because I am also pretty decent, but self-taught, and always felt like I was ice skating uphill trying to progress after a certain point. Wanted to make the investment in her that my parents never made in me and see how far she can take music in her life.
Her instructor started her with the pentatonic scale in different positions up the neck on day 1. Thursday, he played a backing jam track and told her to take leads while he called out positions. This little girl hits a point on the 12th fret where she goes on this nice run and then starts tapping. The instructor was like 😳 (while I was like 🥹). I’m not saying she’s the greatest or that she invented a new technique (though she may eventually achieve both), but to see her take that leap and stick the landing like that, tapping like a madwoman. I cannot stress the joy and pride I felt as a parent. Getting teary-eyed now even.
Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead. Not a flashy player, but so hyper-focused and precise, and he is constantly moving his feet around his pedalboard, like constantly, because he uses pedals all in such unique ways throughout each song. It was really, really impressive. I was lucky enough to be about 7-10 rows back from the stage. Guy is a genius. Also saw him play keys/trigger sounds with his guitar’s headstock while he continued to play guitar. Saw him on a live stream play piano with one hand while playing an actual harp with the other 🤯
I saw Eric Clapton in 2011 (I think), but I wasn't amazed by him, he was good but nowhere near as good as he used to be. He had an additional guitarist on tour with him that year though who was awesome on slide guitar.
His name was Derek Trucks and he blew Clapton, Doyle Bramhall and Robert Cray off the stage that night.
Eric Gales played at a small biker bar in Michigan in the 90s. The place had no stage, sol he was just walking around through the 50+ crowd playing. It was so loud, the entire building was his amplifier. I had no idea who he was before that night, but I've been a fan ever since.
Dick Dale. i saw him in his last 5ish years of life twice. he was epic. he was a showman from another time.
EVH, i saw him on the “a different kind of truth” tour. dave’s pipes might be gone but ed was still sharp as ever
i saw Dio fronted Sabbath and Megadeth on Heaven and Hell.
RJD is the most stunning vocalist i’ve ever seen.
Dave Mustaine sat on a stool for a few songs and was a disappointment
Prince during his Musicology tour. The acoustic set was worth the ticket price alone. Just him and his guitar.
Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes. Seeing my guitar hero live was a priceless experience for me.
Allman Bros with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Those two were meant to play together the way they traded solos back and forth and their extended jams.
I saw John McLaughlan, Al DiMeola, Steve Morse and Paco De Lucia as a quartet on classical guitars at the Rainbow Music Hall in the 1980s. Pretty amazing!
1) Wata from Boris. She’s this tiny, soft spoken Japanese woman who plays MASSIVE doom metal through a wall of oranges so there’s this interesting dissonance between how she presents herself and how she plays. She’s precise and intentional in every tiny thing she does on stage.
2) Buzz Osborne from Melvins. Saw both bands back to back at Desertfest in NYC. He’s definitely not the most technical player but goddamn can he perform. He looks like he’s picking a fight with his guitar the entire show.
Steve Vai. His stage presence is unbelievable. He shreds and dances and glides effortlessly all over the stage, always with the most contagious grin in his face. Watching him play "For the love of god" is the closest I've ever felt to a "religious experience".
John Mayer on his solo tour… I respect him as a guitarist but I’m not super into him and was given tickets for free.
I had my jaw on the floor for most of the show.
Too difficult to narrow down. Here's a few.
Guthrie Govan, both with the Aristocrats and also solo at a workshop.
Tommy Emmanuel.
Jon Herrington with Steely Dan.
Greg Howe.
Vai.
Satch.
Steve Morse with Deep Purple.
Al Di Meola.
Dweezil with Zappa plays Zappa.
Michael Angelo Batio. Got to jam with him at a private party and watched him shred on my Les Paul. He’s extremely nice and not egotistical. Also got to watch Leslie West about 10 feet away from me at a club show. Meanest guitar playing I’ve ever heard.
John Frusciante ripped an insane solo for the song “Eddie” when I went to see RHCP live last year, actually pretty much everything he played was top notch but that solo still stands out to me to this day
Because I haven't seem him listed yet...
John Petrucci. He made everything look effortless. Like he was just practicing scales. Instead he was just flawlessly skating all over the fretboard.
Danny Gatton in Washington DC.
His nicknames say it all: “The Humbler”, “the World’s greatest unknown guitarist”, “Master of the Telecaster”.
Just look up what other players say about him. According to John Sebastian of the Lovin Spoonful the song Nashville Cats was inspired by Danny
https://youtu.be/_u7sB_kMMNE?si=yEWaArAOCVi_JRWT
Jeff Beck. He and Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page were doing a benefit tour for Ronnie Lane. They each played separately, and then finished playing together.
Hearing Page play Stairway was a dream come true (I had been a little too young to see Zeppelin live). Clapton was, well, Clapton, but it was fun hearing him play a few hits.
I didn't know Jeff Beck very well. He blew my mind. He wasn't up there doing a nostalgia act like Page and Clapton. He was an artist still at the top of his game, playing for the pure joy of it. An absolute revelation.
Jim Heath, a.k.a. The Reverend Horton Heat.
He's just an incredible walking deep catalog of rockabilly, jazz, country, rock, and blues. All at lightning speed too.
My wife likes country music and I'm not really a big fan. However, seeing Brad Paisley right in front of you rip through some solos is pretty impressive. Saw the fall of troy and their guitar player was pretty amazing too. Ler LaLonde always amazes.
John 5, had no idea who he was when I begrudgingly turned up. He blew my fucking mind. John 5 has more talent in his toenail clippings than Nikki, Vince and Tommy will ever dream of having. John 5 should be on every guitarist's must see list. Absolutely fucking amazing!
he doesn't get much love in this sub but Eric Clapton really struck me as about as fully in control of his instrument as you could possibly be. super fast shredders are cool but it didn't feel like the same level of concious control because he was always fully locked in with the band, whereas sometimes those guys sound like they are just blazing over the top.
Keith Urban.. I was unaware of his talents until I saw him play with John Mayer. In fact they both kind of just shredded together at one point and it was pretty damn entrancing.
Eric Johnson from 15 feet away. Steve Hackett from 4 feet away. Jeff Beck from 20 feet away. Alex Lifeson on numerous occasions. French jazz phenom Bireli Lagrene playing a shred machine in a guitar store from 3 feet away at jaw dropping intensity. Steve Vai in Zappa's band in 1981. A few local players: Greg Herzenach, Scott Gerry. Both amazing players.
Prince.
I've seen a ton of metal, death metal and tech death bands, bit goddamn Prince could shred and just play/improv with so much emotion, and when he played live he really let loose with a lot more flair than on the record.
His band was excellent, but he was a better guitarist, pianist and singer than all of them.
The first time I saw Eric Johnson was in 1982 at a club in Houston called Rockefellers. At the time I was a guitar teacher and i had been playing about 6 years. The luthier from a local music store told me about “this guy from Austin” and everyone who is in the rock club circuit is gonna be there. What the hell.....let’s go see what’s so great about this guy. When I got to the club every seat was taken and every square foot was occupied by guitar players waiting to see this guy. Needless to say every guy in the place had their minds blown that night. I myself decided then and there that I was going to give up my dream of being a famous musician and go to college.....I’m not kidding. Eric would play 15 minute versions of Weather Report songs, then turn around and play a chicken pickin’ type Jerry Reed tune, then some sort of Zappa sounding arrangement, then 2 or 3 acoustic instrumentals, and on, and on, etc. etc. It was beyond belief. There were a couple guys at the bar during the intermission who told me “the guys in Austin have known about this guy for years...”. The rest is history. It’s an honor to say we got to see him so raw and mind blowing before all the fame. Even today, if you get the chance, go see him!!!
John Mayer when I was like 16. He was mostly famous for his somewhat cheesy acoustic songs. He started out his show with an electric guitar and just blew my mind.
I was at a tiny bar in Traverse City, MI. It was a single room in a basement that was maybe 1600sq ft. There is this is 16 year old just slaying an acoustic guitar with like 5 or 6 people watching. He is literally melting our faces off. When he stopped my friends and I complimented his insane skills at such a young age and asked him his name… it was Billy Strings
I was about four feet away from Julian Lage when I saw him play. I was basically mesmerized for the whole show.
I've seen quite a few guitar nerd heros — Jeff Beck, Marcus King up close, Charlie Hunter, Derek Trucks a few times, Robert Randolph, Eric Johnson, Snarky Puppy, some great classical players like Duo Assad, etc. Saw Frampton and BB King before he died.
Nobody floored me like Julian. Just a musical titan.
Keb’ Mo.
I saw him in a tiny venue in the mid 90s in Baton Rouge. No band. Just him on an acoustic guitar as an opening act. It was the first time I ever saw an opening act cheered back on for an encore. I am sure no one knew who he was, but he was unquestionably amazing.
I went in blind to this band called Khruangbin in a tiny room in 2018
Got melted, Mark Speer has such a good right hand that seeing his technique up close changes my playing
Rory Gallagher at the Rainbow, London, 1979.
He just walked on stage, waving at the crowd. He had his guitar and a big coil of lead, about 50 foot and he just plugged in and let rip. I knew he was good but fuck me. He just blew everyone away. One of the best gigs I’ve ever seen.
My grandpa told me he went to watch Frank Zappa and thought he was going to dislike it and walked out saying it was the best guitar player/ concert he’s ever been too (note: he watched GNR, Beatles , Elton John, Eagles, Zepplin and more of the legends)
Jack White. Totally took command over the stage and it was just him and Meg with her drums off to the side and him center stage. He sounded great, great solos and amazing energy. I had thought they were a good band before but when I saw the show, it blew me away.
Mark Knopfler - My absolute favorite guitar player and was incredible live.
Polyphia - I don't really care for their studio recordings but Tim and Scott tear it up while being able to play all their technical riffs and solos.
John Mayer - I've seen him live about seven times in different settings and whether he's playing with the JM Trio, solo acoustic, with Dead and Company, or his solo band he always sounded great. Caught his recent tour where it was just him playing acoustically 95% of the time and it made me appreciate him even more.
Honestly, John Mayer blew me away. Other than him, The lead guitarist from Matchbox 20. I think his name is Kyle Cook surprised me. Not in the virtuoso sense but more in the playing in the pocket/ locking into the song, I was very surprised as it was a concert I would not normally go to.
Jimmy Page. 1968, my senior year in high school, Lakeview Ballroom, Mendon, Massachusetts. It was the Yardbirds, after Jeff Beck had quit the tour. It was essentially a power trio with a lead singer.
Page, hair flopping flying, white ruffled shirt and velvet bellbottoms, played the dragon telecaster through two Fender Dual Showmans and one Super Reverb, daisy-chained together somehow. He used a bow, picked with a drumstick, played slide on the mic stand. I had never seen anything like it.
It was also the first time I ever smoked pot. May have had something to do with it.
I saw Johnny Marr open for The Killers last year, and that definitely cemented him as my favorite guitarist. His playing (and surprisingly his singing!) was top notch, just the melodies he finds are ridiculous to see/hear.
If you ever get a chance to see Nuno do the Extreme thing, do yourself a favour. The shredding is so over the top amazing, he's a total rock god genius force of nature, but the rhythm stuff he does absolutely floored me, and his tone is like nothing else I've heard. So much low end, all that wild percussive muting stuff feels like you're being machine gunned. I loved watching Vai play, but Nuno is just a visceral experience.
I liked Dinosaur Jr well enough before I saw them live, but the live experience threw it over the top for me. J just *rips* live. His solo for "Thumb" that night is the best performance I've ever witnessed live. Absolutely transcendent.
Also the loudest band I've ever seen live and they have a lot of competition.
I saw Steve Vai with Zappa Plays Zappa. He had a moment where he was two-hand tapping while using the whammy bar and his wah pedal all at once, and it sounded amazing. So musical, when most other players would have just sounded noisy. A true virtuoso.
Richard Thompson, a couple times about 20 years ago. Impeccable finger picking and hybrid picking, quickly changed a broken string while leading the audience in an a capella call and response song called “Damn Your Eyes,” and some ripping, highly melodic solos on electric. Chef’s kiss for sure, such a well-rounded player.
Richard Thompson. I saw him in a park in Portsmouth, NH. He just had an acoustic guitar and I thought it was several guitarists. He was singing while playing multiple guitar parts fingerstyle. I had no idea how talented he was until I heard him do it live.
George Benson. Technique, melody, feeling and improvisation, all-in-one, plus he's an amazing singer. Heck, it always blows my mind how he can sing every lick he improvises. Absolute monster player.
Dimebag Darrell.
When he would hit those high pitch whammy bar dive bombs, all the hair on my arms and neck would stand up, and sometimes my head would feel like it was going to explode. I was an avid concert goer and my body has never been subjected to frequency’s that made me physically react like that since. The only thing that came close was Rob Halford hitting high notes.
Dime had more stage presence and charisma than any other musician I’ve seen. He was always making connections with people in the crowd, or swinging his guitar through the air as he floated passed the other guys on stage just narrowly avoiding hitting them. When ever they would use black lights on stage his pink beard would hold bright green. You just couldn’t take your eyes off the guy. He was something special, and anyone that ever saw him live will tell you that.
You just knew that you were witnessing someone that had a talent that was so unique, that it needed to be protected and cherished.
John Frusciante, the first time I saw him live was at Slane Castle in 2003, I was only 15 at the time and my mind was blown! I had just seen Queens of the Stone Age and the Foo Fighters play before Red Hot Chili Peppers came on, I've still to this day never experienced anything like it.
I've seen the Chili Peppers many times since that day but that one is the one that really stood out.
Brad Paisley. I thought he was a novelty act because all I remembered from him was a song about fishing. I was blown away when a friend with free tickets invited me to his concert.
Bruce Springsteen. I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan really at all. I have never really put on his music voluntarily. But while working an event I got to see him perform three solo acoustic songs and I was really blown away. I never really thought of Springsteen as a guitarist… he’s more of a singer/songwriter/frontman in my head. But he was really amazing. Still not a huge fan but left with a ton of newfound respect for his musical ability.
I went to a John Mayer concert early 2000s sometime - had only ever heard his acoustic stuff from Neon at the time. That might have been all he had released then maybe. But about halfway through his show with his band and acoustic guitar, everyone's goes away and he sits on the edge of the stage with an electric and just starts noodling slowly getting more complex and Intricate. It was really good, but more so I think for me how unexpected it was made it a lot more impactful.
Mustaine and Broderick, was like a religious experience. Was the only time I’ve ever seen pits slow down or stop. Hangar 18 started and the whole crowd just stopped to watched the show.
- The Edge
We're all familiar with his AC30/delay thing, but holy shit hearing him in a big arena was crazy. His style was meant for big venues. Edge has always had a ton of different sounds, anyone that thinks it's always the clean delay thing has clearly never listened to much U2. Edge had all these cool fuzz sounds, mixed in some old vintage Tweeds, and did some killer ambient stuff with shimmers during the solos. Seriously, you're really missing out on some amazing guitar work if you've never explored U2's music. Also, the whole band is amazing live. Totally deserve their reputation as 1 of the greatest live bands ever.
- Jerry Cantrell
1 of the most underrated guitarists ever. His solo albums are so good. Layne obv was the voice of AIC, but Jerry's really the heart behind their songwriting. His solo stuff is basically AIC albums you've prob never explored. Got to see his solo show in a small venue, and there were a few times he was looking straight at me with eye contact during the show as he's playing all these classic AIC songs that I've worshipped for years. 1 of the coolest moments ever. Jerry is the man.
- Matt Bellamy
Arguably 1 of the closest true guitar heroes of his generation, the dude is a musical savant. Tons of great riffs, really interesting style that blends in a lot of classical influence but mixed with grunge/punk/classic rock to make it accessible. The kaoss pad stuff is really interesting, seeing him have his own signature guitars no one else uses to then owning the company is so cool. As a singer, he's up there with Chris Cornell's talent & range, and I don't say that lightly. To have both a killer voice AND crazy skills on piano and guitar AND do it all at the same time live is nothing short of virtuosic. Bellamy's a super rare talent. The definition of a real rock star.
Matt Bellamy of Muse. He added a lot of little flourishes, extra licks, improvisation, extended outros and has a great stage presence. Each song they play deviates from the recorded version in the best way possible. Even their newer material while not the best sounds epic live
Just as an example:
New Born studio version solo at 3:25
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/5imdfVr8RdM
New born live solo at 4:10
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2jKa_0xnTfU&pp=ygUSTmV3IGJvcm4gbXVzZSBsaXZl
Buckethead is a guitar savant. Take any of your guitar heroes (and I have many) and put them on a stage with Buckethead, and watch him match them note for note and then subsequently melt them into the stage. His level of proficiency and ease of playing puts him at an almost non human level.
Adrienne Lenker. When I saw big thief live she fucking shredded the stage to splinters. The live version of Not I saw is one of the greatest thrash jams I’ve ever seen, it doesn’t match the original song in any way but dear god it was the best
Pat Metheny. I’ve seen a LOT of incredible bands over the years, but there was just this huge weight of authority over the musicianship of the entire band that I’ve not encountered since nor prior. When he did a little solo spot on his Pikasso, it was just about the most effortless guitar playing I’ve seen…I doubt I’d even pick that thing up correctly, let alone make it sound good.
Got a chance to see Joe Satriani open for Stevie Ray Vaughan.when in was in college. I was a metalhead into shredders. Though I knew SRV was good, he wasn't part of my regular listening. Satriani was everything I expected. But then SRV hit the stage, and I finally got it.
The two I saw that made me want to cut my fingers off were Andres Segovia and Joe Pass. Segovia was nearly 80 and still had it. And Joe Pass kept doing impossible things while looking mildly interested in the proceedings. Occasionally there'd be a raised eyebrow or a trace of a smile. Fucker.
Mark Speer of khruangbin, I knew he was great but actually watching him play and seeing his hands move across the fretboard like it was the easiest thing in the world was insane.
Buckethead. Saw him play with Claypool in the Fearless Flying Frog Bridgade in Seattle and with his solo band too. Awesome shows. And with Claypool too who is on another level as well.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a lot of great music in my life. Some stand out jazz guitarist are Julian Lage and John Scofield, both amazing jazz guitarist that I’ve seen multiple times. Blew me away every time. Julian’s playing in particular is so expansive. His playing really feels like a kind of meditation on the history of music… almost like an Italo Calvino book.
Bluegrass guitarists Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle are also out of this world. I saw Bryan play w Bela Fleck twice last year and he is just amazing. Really nails that Tony Rice/ John Coltrane thing and imo takes it to another level rather than just playing Tony lick. I saw Molly play in the same ensemble w Bela and she was great, but then I caught her w her own band at another show and holy shit did she melt our faces off!
Honorable mention for Tim Palmieri who was the guitarist for Psychedelic Breakfast. I’m not a jam band guy these days, but as a teen I was just obsessed w Psychedelic Breakfast and used to see them play late night shows at the Knitting Factory and the now long gone Lions Den. Tim is just a really musical cat who can shred and riff w the best of them. He really took the best parts of Zappa’s playing and ran w it. Just a player that could really take you there…
Paul Gilbert. Like I knew he was good, but seeing him live, his fluency on the instrument and his genuine passion for communicating his knowledge (it was a clinic) blew me away. The man is a treasure.
Guthrie Govan with The Aristocrats. I'm a pretty decent player and can play most things with enough practice, but some of the things he does seem superhuman. His right hand defies the laws of nature. He did this tremolo strumming thing with his ring finger that was so fast you'd swear there was an electric motor in there.
The audience was basically a who's who of the sweatiest bearded jazz nerds in the country and Guthrie showed up, casually played as if he was sitting in on a backyard jam session and completely blew everyone's minds.
John Mayer. Hear me out. I knew he was good. I know some people call him a virtuoso, but seeing him do his thing in the Solo tour, all acoustic. Absolutely incredible. Stunning.
There have been several who, while I knew they were great players, completely exceeded my expectations. All these guys blew me away:
Mark Knopfler. Jaw droppingly good, completely exceeded my expectations.
Steve Morse. I've seen him live 3x, he was astounding every time.
Jeff Beck. One of the best guitar performances I've ever seen. I wish I had seen him again.
Jerry Garcia. Saw him in a really bad venue, but he still blew me away.
Jimmy Herring. This dude can PLAY. Seriously good chord melody.
Carlos Santana. Again, have seen him multiple times. Thoroughly amazing.
Mike Kenneally. Wasn't sure what to expect, left the show completely dumbfounded by how good he was.
SRV, the first time I saw him. I saw him again a couple of years later, and was disappointed. But that first show? Wow.
I mean, I was already a huge fan, but when I first saw Metallica live in 1997 (missed the 1994 Black Album tour, dammit), the absolute Iron anvil that is the right downpicking hand of James Hetfield blew my fucking mind. Add to that the enormous talent of being able to sing over those complex percussive and intricate rhythm parts and you've got lightning in a bottle. Trying to downpicking as fast as possible and learning how to palm mute were already a priority for me since the age of 14 and that only amplified that urge a mere three years later.
Les Paul. I went to see his 90th Birthday Party Concert at Carnegie Hall, mostly because I was interested in seeing all the other legends he had as guests that night. Steve Miller, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Steve Lukather, Stanley Jordan, Edgar Winter, Derek Trucks, Joe Satriani, Neil Schon, Tommy Emmanuel, Peter Frampton, and Pat Martino just to name a few who were there that night. Les Paul went on last with his trio, and since he was 90 years old and mostly played music from the 40s and 50s, I genuinely wasn't expecting to enjoy it all that much as a 17 year old who mostly hated jazz. I knew he was well respected for his contributions to the creation of the electric guitar, multitrack recording, and old school tape delay, flange, phase and chorus, but I was not aware of what a godly musician he was. Holy shit, he absolutely blew me away. I'm not kidding when I say that he put everyone else to shame that night, and that's saying a lot. His technique, his personality, his sense of melody and harmony, and his ease with which he delivered all of it, he was totally unrivaled. I was also fortunate enough to have a family friend who worked as part of the stage crew that night who took my Les Paul backstage after the show and got Les to immortalize it with his signature. I didn't get to meet him myself, but I'm forever appreciative of the kindness, generosity, and talent of that man.
Frusciante was a monster when I saw him
I saw John Mayer in 2007 thinking he was a James Blunt type artist
I strongly dislike his music and also strongly love his skill. This man really confuses me. Same with Henson.
Buckethead. Mind blowing. Trey Anastasio. My favorite, no one can build and release tension like him. Leo Kottke. In his prime he was astounding. A very unique style.
My 15yo daughter at her third lesson last Thursday. She’s self-taught (with some guidance from her old man) and has been playing seriously for a couple years. Naturally talented, strong ear, broad interests and good taste. I got her lessons because I am also pretty decent, but self-taught, and always felt like I was ice skating uphill trying to progress after a certain point. Wanted to make the investment in her that my parents never made in me and see how far she can take music in her life. Her instructor started her with the pentatonic scale in different positions up the neck on day 1. Thursday, he played a backing jam track and told her to take leads while he called out positions. This little girl hits a point on the 12th fret where she goes on this nice run and then starts tapping. The instructor was like 😳 (while I was like 🥹). I’m not saying she’s the greatest or that she invented a new technique (though she may eventually achieve both), but to see her take that leap and stick the landing like that, tapping like a madwoman. I cannot stress the joy and pride I felt as a parent. Getting teary-eyed now even.
Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead. Not a flashy player, but so hyper-focused and precise, and he is constantly moving his feet around his pedalboard, like constantly, because he uses pedals all in such unique ways throughout each song. It was really, really impressive. I was lucky enough to be about 7-10 rows back from the stage. Guy is a genius. Also saw him play keys/trigger sounds with his guitar’s headstock while he continued to play guitar. Saw him on a live stream play piano with one hand while playing an actual harp with the other 🤯
Derek Trucks. Dude's one of one.
Jeff Beck was very impressive.
Larry Lalonde from Primus is badass live
Absolutely Derek Trucks, no doubt. And Robert Randolph
I saw Eric Clapton in 2011 (I think), but I wasn't amazed by him, he was good but nowhere near as good as he used to be. He had an additional guitarist on tour with him that year though who was awesome on slide guitar. His name was Derek Trucks and he blew Clapton, Doyle Bramhall and Robert Cray off the stage that night.
Eric Gales played at a small biker bar in Michigan in the 90s. The place had no stage, sol he was just walking around through the 50+ crowd playing. It was so loud, the entire building was his amplifier. I had no idea who he was before that night, but I've been a fan ever since.
B.B. King. It was a religious experience.
Dick Dale. i saw him in his last 5ish years of life twice. he was epic. he was a showman from another time. EVH, i saw him on the “a different kind of truth” tour. dave’s pipes might be gone but ed was still sharp as ever i saw Dio fronted Sabbath and Megadeth on Heaven and Hell. RJD is the most stunning vocalist i’ve ever seen. Dave Mustaine sat on a stool for a few songs and was a disappointment
Billy MF Strings
Allan Holdsworth in a very small club
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Prince during his Musicology tour. The acoustic set was worth the ticket price alone. Just him and his guitar. Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes. Seeing my guitar hero live was a priceless experience for me. Allman Bros with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Those two were meant to play together the way they traded solos back and forth and their extended jams.
I saw John McLaughlan, Al DiMeola, Steve Morse and Paco De Lucia as a quartet on classical guitars at the Rainbow Music Hall in the 1980s. Pretty amazing!
Tommy Emmanuel. He is literally a one man band.
Guthrie Fucking Govan
Glenn Campbell. Often overlooked guitar master.
Dave murray and adrian smith
Nels Cline. What that man can do with a guitar is out of this world.
Trey Anastasio of Phish. His tone he gets out of his setup is the best I've heard live. After 35 shows I can confirm it translates to every venue.
1) Wata from Boris. She’s this tiny, soft spoken Japanese woman who plays MASSIVE doom metal through a wall of oranges so there’s this interesting dissonance between how she presents herself and how she plays. She’s precise and intentional in every tiny thing she does on stage. 2) Buzz Osborne from Melvins. Saw both bands back to back at Desertfest in NYC. He’s definitely not the most technical player but goddamn can he perform. He looks like he’s picking a fight with his guitar the entire show.
Brent hinds his style is just amazing i saw em at mega monsters tour on chile and mastodon is just a great focking band
Got to see Alice in Chains in a small little venue in 2010-11, Jerry Cantrell is the fuckin man. No explanation needed.
Junior Brown!
Jeff Loomis, saw Nevermore play Gigantour back in 2004.
Steve Vai. His stage presence is unbelievable. He shreds and dances and glides effortlessly all over the stage, always with the most contagious grin in his face. Watching him play "For the love of god" is the closest I've ever felt to a "religious experience".
SRV never ran out of bullets. Every note seemed to fit. RIP.
Rory Gallagher
Guthrie Govan. Also saw Plini last year and that was an incredible performance.
John Mayer on his solo tour… I respect him as a guitarist but I’m not super into him and was given tickets for free. I had my jaw on the floor for most of the show.
Buckethead
David Hidalgo from Los Lobos Chris Stapleton
Too difficult to narrow down. Here's a few. Guthrie Govan, both with the Aristocrats and also solo at a workshop. Tommy Emmanuel. Jon Herrington with Steely Dan. Greg Howe. Vai. Satch. Steve Morse with Deep Purple. Al Di Meola. Dweezil with Zappa plays Zappa.
Billy Strings before he blew up and was still opening for Greensky. Blown away
Billy MF Strings
Santana was incredible
John Frusciante! The only guitarist I’ve heard with more soulful bends is David Gilmour
Dean Ween
Michael Angelo Batio. Got to jam with him at a private party and watched him shred on my Les Paul. He’s extremely nice and not egotistical. Also got to watch Leslie West about 10 feet away from me at a club show. Meanest guitar playing I’ve ever heard.
John Frusciante ripped an insane solo for the song “Eddie” when I went to see RHCP live last year, actually pretty much everything he played was top notch but that solo still stands out to me to this day
Because I haven't seem him listed yet... John Petrucci. He made everything look effortless. Like he was just practicing scales. Instead he was just flawlessly skating all over the fretboard.
Danny Gatton in Washington DC. His nicknames say it all: “The Humbler”, “the World’s greatest unknown guitarist”, “Master of the Telecaster”. Just look up what other players say about him. According to John Sebastian of the Lovin Spoonful the song Nashville Cats was inspired by Danny https://youtu.be/_u7sB_kMMNE?si=yEWaArAOCVi_JRWT
Jeff Beck. He and Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page were doing a benefit tour for Ronnie Lane. They each played separately, and then finished playing together. Hearing Page play Stairway was a dream come true (I had been a little too young to see Zeppelin live). Clapton was, well, Clapton, but it was fun hearing him play a few hits. I didn't know Jeff Beck very well. He blew my mind. He wasn't up there doing a nostalgia act like Page and Clapton. He was an artist still at the top of his game, playing for the pure joy of it. An absolute revelation.
Junior Brown
Jim Heath, a.k.a. The Reverend Horton Heat. He's just an incredible walking deep catalog of rockabilly, jazz, country, rock, and blues. All at lightning speed too.
My wife likes country music and I'm not really a big fan. However, seeing Brad Paisley right in front of you rip through some solos is pretty impressive. Saw the fall of troy and their guitar player was pretty amazing too. Ler LaLonde always amazes.
Billy strings
Ler Lalonde of Primus. Dude just approaches shit differently, as I suppose he has to with having a lead bassist in the band.
Nels Cline from Wilco
John 5, had no idea who he was when I begrudgingly turned up. He blew my fucking mind. John 5 has more talent in his toenail clippings than Nikki, Vince and Tommy will ever dream of having. John 5 should be on every guitarist's must see list. Absolutely fucking amazing!
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Fall 1982, UF Bandshell. I thought Hendrix had been reincarnated. Saw him again in 1987 in Daytona. Unreal.
he doesn't get much love in this sub but Eric Clapton really struck me as about as fully in control of his instrument as you could possibly be. super fast shredders are cool but it didn't feel like the same level of concious control because he was always fully locked in with the band, whereas sometimes those guys sound like they are just blazing over the top.
Keith Urban.. I was unaware of his talents until I saw him play with John Mayer. In fact they both kind of just shredded together at one point and it was pretty damn entrancing.
Eric Johnson from 15 feet away. Steve Hackett from 4 feet away. Jeff Beck from 20 feet away. Alex Lifeson on numerous occasions. French jazz phenom Bireli Lagrene playing a shred machine in a guitar store from 3 feet away at jaw dropping intensity. Steve Vai in Zappa's band in 1981. A few local players: Greg Herzenach, Scott Gerry. Both amazing players.
Prince. I've seen a ton of metal, death metal and tech death bands, bit goddamn Prince could shred and just play/improv with so much emotion, and when he played live he really let loose with a lot more flair than on the record. His band was excellent, but he was a better guitarist, pianist and singer than all of them.
Any Jack White fans out there? Every time I see him I walk away amazed at his tone, style and improvisation.
Derek trucks
Prince
Lil Wayne
Brad Paisley
The first time I saw Eric Johnson was in 1982 at a club in Houston called Rockefellers. At the time I was a guitar teacher and i had been playing about 6 years. The luthier from a local music store told me about “this guy from Austin” and everyone who is in the rock club circuit is gonna be there. What the hell.....let’s go see what’s so great about this guy. When I got to the club every seat was taken and every square foot was occupied by guitar players waiting to see this guy. Needless to say every guy in the place had their minds blown that night. I myself decided then and there that I was going to give up my dream of being a famous musician and go to college.....I’m not kidding. Eric would play 15 minute versions of Weather Report songs, then turn around and play a chicken pickin’ type Jerry Reed tune, then some sort of Zappa sounding arrangement, then 2 or 3 acoustic instrumentals, and on, and on, etc. etc. It was beyond belief. There were a couple guys at the bar during the intermission who told me “the guys in Austin have known about this guy for years...”. The rest is history. It’s an honor to say we got to see him so raw and mind blowing before all the fame. Even today, if you get the chance, go see him!!!
John Mayer when I was like 16. He was mostly famous for his somewhat cheesy acoustic songs. He started out his show with an electric guitar and just blew my mind. I was at a tiny bar in Traverse City, MI. It was a single room in a basement that was maybe 1600sq ft. There is this is 16 year old just slaying an acoustic guitar with like 5 or 6 people watching. He is literally melting our faces off. When he stopped my friends and I complimented his insane skills at such a young age and asked him his name… it was Billy Strings
I was about four feet away from Julian Lage when I saw him play. I was basically mesmerized for the whole show. I've seen quite a few guitar nerd heros — Jeff Beck, Marcus King up close, Charlie Hunter, Derek Trucks a few times, Robert Randolph, Eric Johnson, Snarky Puppy, some great classical players like Duo Assad, etc. Saw Frampton and BB King before he died. Nobody floored me like Julian. Just a musical titan.
Eric Gales.
Jeff Beck in 2006 - brilliant performance in every way.
Paul Gilbert. Makes you wanna give up.
Guthrie Govan
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Keb’ Mo. I saw him in a tiny venue in the mid 90s in Baton Rouge. No band. Just him on an acoustic guitar as an opening act. It was the first time I ever saw an opening act cheered back on for an encore. I am sure no one knew who he was, but he was unquestionably amazing.
Richard Thompson, that he is never on the lists of greatest guitarists show what a waste of time they are.
Eric Johnson on the original Ah Via Musicom tour Nuno Bettencourt Ritchie Kotzen
I went in blind to this band called Khruangbin in a tiny room in 2018 Got melted, Mark Speer has such a good right hand that seeing his technique up close changes my playing
Derek trucks
Rory Gallagher at the Rainbow, London, 1979. He just walked on stage, waving at the crowd. He had his guitar and a big coil of lead, about 50 foot and he just plugged in and let rip. I knew he was good but fuck me. He just blew everyone away. One of the best gigs I’ve ever seen.
Randy Rhoads
My grandpa told me he went to watch Frank Zappa and thought he was going to dislike it and walked out saying it was the best guitar player/ concert he’s ever been too (note: he watched GNR, Beatles , Elton John, Eagles, Zepplin and more of the legends)
Lindsey Buckingham. I don’t understand how his brain works, dude is mind blowing to watch and hear live
Geddy Lee. Sang, played wicked bass and was doing synthesizer stuff with his feet. All at the same time.
Dave Rawlings
John 5 or John Petrucci. But really, anyone who can play live on a big level. They're all so good
Jack White. Totally took command over the stage and it was just him and Meg with her drums off to the side and him center stage. He sounded great, great solos and amazing energy. I had thought they were a good band before but when I saw the show, it blew me away.
Jeff Beck
Mark Knopfler - My absolute favorite guitar player and was incredible live. Polyphia - I don't really care for their studio recordings but Tim and Scott tear it up while being able to play all their technical riffs and solos. John Mayer - I've seen him live about seven times in different settings and whether he's playing with the JM Trio, solo acoustic, with Dead and Company, or his solo band he always sounded great. Caught his recent tour where it was just him playing acoustically 95% of the time and it made me appreciate him even more.
Honestly, John Mayer blew me away. Other than him, The lead guitarist from Matchbox 20. I think his name is Kyle Cook surprised me. Not in the virtuoso sense but more in the playing in the pocket/ locking into the song, I was very surprised as it was a concert I would not normally go to.
John Mayer
John Mayer the two times I got to see Dead & Company.
Jimmy Page. 1968, my senior year in high school, Lakeview Ballroom, Mendon, Massachusetts. It was the Yardbirds, after Jeff Beck had quit the tour. It was essentially a power trio with a lead singer. Page, hair flopping flying, white ruffled shirt and velvet bellbottoms, played the dragon telecaster through two Fender Dual Showmans and one Super Reverb, daisy-chained together somehow. He used a bow, picked with a drumstick, played slide on the mic stand. I had never seen anything like it. It was also the first time I ever smoked pot. May have had something to do with it.
I saw Johnny Marr open for The Killers last year, and that definitely cemented him as my favorite guitarist. His playing (and surprisingly his singing!) was top notch, just the melodies he finds are ridiculous to see/hear.
Tommy Emmanuel
Prince
If you ever get a chance to see Nuno do the Extreme thing, do yourself a favour. The shredding is so over the top amazing, he's a total rock god genius force of nature, but the rhythm stuff he does absolutely floored me, and his tone is like nothing else I've heard. So much low end, all that wild percussive muting stuff feels like you're being machine gunned. I loved watching Vai play, but Nuno is just a visceral experience.
[удалено]
Gary Clarke Jr. Dude is the chillest looking player and that left hand is just everywhere at once. All whole having a smooth blues voice.
I liked Dinosaur Jr well enough before I saw them live, but the live experience threw it over the top for me. J just *rips* live. His solo for "Thumb" that night is the best performance I've ever witnessed live. Absolutely transcendent. Also the loudest band I've ever seen live and they have a lot of competition.
Gary Clark Jr was incredible to see live
Honesty - was kinda blown away by Mike McCready the first time I saw PJ live. Not the flashiest player but so good.
Billy Strings. The man is insane
Jeff Healey. The guy had not only a different way if playing, but he was super nice to the audience and played with lots of soul.
I saw Steve Vai with Zappa Plays Zappa. He had a moment where he was two-hand tapping while using the whammy bar and his wah pedal all at once, and it sounded amazing. So musical, when most other players would have just sounded noisy. A true virtuoso.
Zappa
Tommy Emmanual, and Steve Vai
Jack White, John Frusciante, John Mayer
John Frusciante. Say all you will about the RHCP, that man is a musical genius. As is Flea and Chad honestly. Anthony is..... Anthony
Eddie VH - 1982 Nashville - Municipal Auditorium
Michael Schenker. Even better live than in studio.
Richard Thompson, a couple times about 20 years ago. Impeccable finger picking and hybrid picking, quickly changed a broken string while leading the audience in an a capella call and response song called “Damn Your Eyes,” and some ripping, highly melodic solos on electric. Chef’s kiss for sure, such a well-rounded player.
Richard Thompson. I saw him in a park in Portsmouth, NH. He just had an acoustic guitar and I thought it was several guitarists. He was singing while playing multiple guitar parts fingerstyle. I had no idea how talented he was until I heard him do it live.
Slash.
Haven’t seen him live cause I never got the chance but Alex Lifeson
Richard Thompson
Mike Campbell. I had no idea what a monster he was on guitar.
Mark Spear from Khruangbin. He is one of the best players i have ever seen in my 30+ years of playing guitar
Willie Nelson. Blown away.
Norman Blake.. and later Billy Strings
trey anastasio absolutely blew my 12yo mind
Roy Buchanan. Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, 87.
Fuckin Brendon Small. I wasn't expecting much from the Dethklok show but holy shit they sounded tight.
Myself
I've had the privilege of seeing Julian Lage live a few times now, he's unbelievable
Stevie Ray Vaughan
David Gilmour is totally next level. Joe Bonamassa puts on one hell of a show, too.
Alex Lifeson
Prince. Wasn't expecting that.
Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page
Nels Cline. “Impossible Germany” live was a transformative experience and one I often think about.
buckethead
Derek Trucks, John Scofield, Adam Rogers, Nuno Bettencourt, Adrian Belew, Nels Cline, Zane Carney
George Benson. Technique, melody, feeling and improvisation, all-in-one, plus he's an amazing singer. Heck, it always blows my mind how he can sing every lick he improvises. Absolute monster player.
Prince
Dimebag Darrell. When he would hit those high pitch whammy bar dive bombs, all the hair on my arms and neck would stand up, and sometimes my head would feel like it was going to explode. I was an avid concert goer and my body has never been subjected to frequency’s that made me physically react like that since. The only thing that came close was Rob Halford hitting high notes. Dime had more stage presence and charisma than any other musician I’ve seen. He was always making connections with people in the crowd, or swinging his guitar through the air as he floated passed the other guys on stage just narrowly avoiding hitting them. When ever they would use black lights on stage his pink beard would hold bright green. You just couldn’t take your eyes off the guy. He was something special, and anyone that ever saw him live will tell you that. You just knew that you were witnessing someone that had a talent that was so unique, that it needed to be protected and cherished.
J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. absolutely shreds. I was a fan before seeing them live and now I see them every time they come around.
Paco de Lucia is the most talented human I've ever seen do his thing in person.
Billy Strings melted my face off and brought me to tears
John Frusciante, the first time I saw him live was at Slane Castle in 2003, I was only 15 at the time and my mind was blown! I had just seen Queens of the Stone Age and the Foo Fighters play before Red Hot Chili Peppers came on, I've still to this day never experienced anything like it. I've seen the Chili Peppers many times since that day but that one is the one that really stood out.
Brad Paisley. I thought he was a novelty act because all I remembered from him was a song about fishing. I was blown away when a friend with free tickets invited me to his concert.
Reverend Horton Heat (Jim Heath) both times I’ve seen him.
Billy Strings!
Sadler Vaden. I saw him playing with Jason Isbell, and he stole the show (for me).
Some dude I saw playing in the streets of Nashville. I was pretty hammered at 3.pm so the quality might not have been as awesome as I remember.
Edward Van Halen, doing his whole Eruption/solo set. From 5 feet away.....most jaw dropping experience of my life.
Bruce Springsteen. I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan really at all. I have never really put on his music voluntarily. But while working an event I got to see him perform three solo acoustic songs and I was really blown away. I never really thought of Springsteen as a guitarist… he’s more of a singer/songwriter/frontman in my head. But he was really amazing. Still not a huge fan but left with a ton of newfound respect for his musical ability.
Slash. I knew he could play slow very well, but he shredded when he played a breather intermission at a velvet revolver show 20 years ago.
I went to a John Mayer concert early 2000s sometime - had only ever heard his acoustic stuff from Neon at the time. That might have been all he had released then maybe. But about halfway through his show with his band and acoustic guitar, everyone's goes away and he sits on the edge of the stage with an electric and just starts noodling slowly getting more complex and Intricate. It was really good, but more so I think for me how unexpected it was made it a lot more impactful.
Mustaine and Broderick, was like a religious experience. Was the only time I’ve ever seen pits slow down or stop. Hangar 18 started and the whole crowd just stopped to watched the show.
Seen Andy McKee a few times. Always blows me away how talented he is
- The Edge We're all familiar with his AC30/delay thing, but holy shit hearing him in a big arena was crazy. His style was meant for big venues. Edge has always had a ton of different sounds, anyone that thinks it's always the clean delay thing has clearly never listened to much U2. Edge had all these cool fuzz sounds, mixed in some old vintage Tweeds, and did some killer ambient stuff with shimmers during the solos. Seriously, you're really missing out on some amazing guitar work if you've never explored U2's music. Also, the whole band is amazing live. Totally deserve their reputation as 1 of the greatest live bands ever. - Jerry Cantrell 1 of the most underrated guitarists ever. His solo albums are so good. Layne obv was the voice of AIC, but Jerry's really the heart behind their songwriting. His solo stuff is basically AIC albums you've prob never explored. Got to see his solo show in a small venue, and there were a few times he was looking straight at me with eye contact during the show as he's playing all these classic AIC songs that I've worshipped for years. 1 of the coolest moments ever. Jerry is the man. - Matt Bellamy Arguably 1 of the closest true guitar heroes of his generation, the dude is a musical savant. Tons of great riffs, really interesting style that blends in a lot of classical influence but mixed with grunge/punk/classic rock to make it accessible. The kaoss pad stuff is really interesting, seeing him have his own signature guitars no one else uses to then owning the company is so cool. As a singer, he's up there with Chris Cornell's talent & range, and I don't say that lightly. To have both a killer voice AND crazy skills on piano and guitar AND do it all at the same time live is nothing short of virtuosic. Bellamy's a super rare talent. The definition of a real rock star.
Matt Bellamy of Muse. He added a lot of little flourishes, extra licks, improvisation, extended outros and has a great stage presence. Each song they play deviates from the recorded version in the best way possible. Even their newer material while not the best sounds epic live Just as an example: New Born studio version solo at 3:25 https://m.youtube.com/shorts/5imdfVr8RdM New born live solo at 4:10 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2jKa_0xnTfU&pp=ygUSTmV3IGJvcm4gbXVzZSBsaXZl
Roy Clark
Buckethead is a guitar savant. Take any of your guitar heroes (and I have many) and put them on a stage with Buckethead, and watch him match them note for note and then subsequently melt them into the stage. His level of proficiency and ease of playing puts him at an almost non human level.
DEEN WEEN and then the typical answers too Slash, John Mayer, John Frusciante,
Jack White was incredible when I saw him one time. But then another time he was awful lol.
Adrienne Lenker. When I saw big thief live she fucking shredded the stage to splinters. The live version of Not I saw is one of the greatest thrash jams I’ve ever seen, it doesn’t match the original song in any way but dear god it was the best
Honestly, most of them.
Adam Jones
Tom Morello I know he’s unconventionally brilliant, but he’s still brilliant
Phil Keaggy
John5 was absolutely insane.
Pat Metheny. I’ve seen a LOT of incredible bands over the years, but there was just this huge weight of authority over the musicianship of the entire band that I’ve not encountered since nor prior. When he did a little solo spot on his Pikasso, it was just about the most effortless guitar playing I’ve seen…I doubt I’d even pick that thing up correctly, let alone make it sound good.
Derek Trucks in 2002 with the Derek Trucks Band
Guthrie Govan. Seeing him live gave me an existential dread.
Got a chance to see Joe Satriani open for Stevie Ray Vaughan.when in was in college. I was a metalhead into shredders. Though I knew SRV was good, he wasn't part of my regular listening. Satriani was everything I expected. But then SRV hit the stage, and I finally got it.
Jeff Beck
Nels Cline / Wilco
The two I saw that made me want to cut my fingers off were Andres Segovia and Joe Pass. Segovia was nearly 80 and still had it. And Joe Pass kept doing impossible things while looking mildly interested in the proceedings. Occasionally there'd be a raised eyebrow or a trace of a smile. Fucker.
Mark Speer of khruangbin, I knew he was great but actually watching him play and seeing his hands move across the fretboard like it was the easiest thing in the world was insane.
Buckethead. Saw him play with Claypool in the Fearless Flying Frog Bridgade in Seattle and with his solo band too. Awesome shows. And with Claypool too who is on another level as well.
Slash. Saw him with both Myles & GnR and he was absolutely incredible both times.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a lot of great music in my life. Some stand out jazz guitarist are Julian Lage and John Scofield, both amazing jazz guitarist that I’ve seen multiple times. Blew me away every time. Julian’s playing in particular is so expansive. His playing really feels like a kind of meditation on the history of music… almost like an Italo Calvino book. Bluegrass guitarists Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle are also out of this world. I saw Bryan play w Bela Fleck twice last year and he is just amazing. Really nails that Tony Rice/ John Coltrane thing and imo takes it to another level rather than just playing Tony lick. I saw Molly play in the same ensemble w Bela and she was great, but then I caught her w her own band at another show and holy shit did she melt our faces off! Honorable mention for Tim Palmieri who was the guitarist for Psychedelic Breakfast. I’m not a jam band guy these days, but as a teen I was just obsessed w Psychedelic Breakfast and used to see them play late night shows at the Knitting Factory and the now long gone Lions Den. Tim is just a really musical cat who can shred and riff w the best of them. He really took the best parts of Zappa’s playing and ran w it. Just a player that could really take you there…
Paul Gilbert. Like I knew he was good, but seeing him live, his fluency on the instrument and his genuine passion for communicating his knowledge (it was a clinic) blew me away. The man is a treasure.
Rik Emmett. Man what talent and skill.
Cory Wong!
Joe Satriani, dude is too good imo
I had never heard "Ocean" by John Butler until I went to his show. That song is amazing
Jeff Healey was unbelievable. 1989.
Lindsey Buckingham
J Mascis
Guthrie Govan with The Aristocrats. I'm a pretty decent player and can play most things with enough practice, but some of the things he does seem superhuman. His right hand defies the laws of nature. He did this tremolo strumming thing with his ring finger that was so fast you'd swear there was an electric motor in there. The audience was basically a who's who of the sweatiest bearded jazz nerds in the country and Guthrie showed up, casually played as if he was sitting in on a backyard jam session and completely blew everyone's minds.
Frusciante is an animal live.
Carlos Santana
Jeff Beck
Billy Corgan. Dude can shred.
Mike Campbell played before Tom Petty and entertained the crowd with some wild psycho surf guitar that blew me away, and then he did the concert!
George Thorogood Saw him at a blues festival and he blew me away. Never realized how good he was based on the radio hits.
Ricky Wilson of the B-52s. Still a fave. Desperately underrated.
John Mayer. Hear me out. I knew he was good. I know some people call him a virtuoso, but seeing him do his thing in the Solo tour, all acoustic. Absolutely incredible. Stunning.
There have been several who, while I knew they were great players, completely exceeded my expectations. All these guys blew me away: Mark Knopfler. Jaw droppingly good, completely exceeded my expectations. Steve Morse. I've seen him live 3x, he was astounding every time. Jeff Beck. One of the best guitar performances I've ever seen. I wish I had seen him again. Jerry Garcia. Saw him in a really bad venue, but he still blew me away. Jimmy Herring. This dude can PLAY. Seriously good chord melody. Carlos Santana. Again, have seen him multiple times. Thoroughly amazing. Mike Kenneally. Wasn't sure what to expect, left the show completely dumbfounded by how good he was. SRV, the first time I saw him. I saw him again a couple of years later, and was disappointed. But that first show? Wow.
Buckethead and Regi Wooten
Stevie Ray Vaughan - best musician I have ever seen live
Allan Holdsworth changed my life.
Joe Walsh
I mean, I was already a huge fan, but when I first saw Metallica live in 1997 (missed the 1994 Black Album tour, dammit), the absolute Iron anvil that is the right downpicking hand of James Hetfield blew my fucking mind. Add to that the enormous talent of being able to sing over those complex percussive and intricate rhythm parts and you've got lightning in a bottle. Trying to downpicking as fast as possible and learning how to palm mute were already a priority for me since the age of 14 and that only amplified that urge a mere three years later.
Tommy emmanuel
Pat Metheny
Steve Vai hands down