Joe Satriani had a conversation with Le Hangar des Guitares and recalled his tour with The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger at the beginning of his professional career as a guitarist. He reflected on what he learned about himself and the future of his musical journey thanks to Jagger.
Mick Jagger released his second solo studio album entitled ‘Primitive Cool’ on September 14, 1987, and it received positive reviews from rock music lovers worldwide. The singer started to get more and more attention with his works and his prolific and successful career as a member of a very famous rock band. He planned his first solo tour to support the record, which began in Japan on March 15, 1988.
Also, Satriani joined him as the lead guitarist. It was one of the milestone moments in his career, considering that many people noticed his unique playing style. In his interview, the guitarist revealed that Jagger taught him many things about being a musician and solo artist during this tour. As he stated, playing in front of thousands of people after the small clubs was an unbelievable experience for him.
Satriani admitted that he thought that he would be a band member, playing as a guitarist in his early years in the rock music industry. Still, he ended up as a solo multi-instrumentalist instead. The guitar player added that he understood many things about his capacity and abilities more and more while working with Jagger. Moreover, he defined performing for the Rolling Stones frontman as ‘a great lesson in extremes.’
During the interview, Satriani said:
“A solo career wasn’t something that I was pursuing. I certainly didn’t think I was going to become a solo instrumental guitarist. I always thought I’d be a guitarist in a rock band, but in ’88, when I was beginning to do shows as a solo artist, I was also playing with Mick Jagger, and it was the strangest dichotomy.
You know, playing two sets a night in a small 300-capacity club, trying to play instrumentals, and figuring out what to do. Then, two months later, in front of 90,000 people at the Tokyo Dome, playing with Mick Jagger in a big band, running around. It was a great lesson in the extremes, and I learned a lot from Mick and the other guys in the band. But most importantly, I learned about myself, about what I was capable of.”
You can watch the interview below.
