Paul Gilbert

For 3 nights, Paul Gilbert sold out the Iridium in Central Manhattan in preparation for a national onslaught for his upcoming 19th solo album, “Behold Electric Guitar”. Unfortunately it was a night of mixed emotions, half of the crowd wanted the shred; the Frenzy, the Scarified, Technical Difficulties and other notable shreds. But tonight was different as most shows are at The Iridium. The Iridium allows such artists to venture out and explore other avenues of their music. Although Paul danced his fingers over his fretboard effortlessly, it wasnt a shredfest as much as it was an exploration of a new path and perhaps a clinic on how he writes music. He also took the time to do a few covers such as “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets as well as “Little Wing” and “Red House” by Hendrix. Another such let down for some was the lack of the Makita hand drill which has been in his repertoire for years. People do like their gimmicks!

Backed by top notch musicians in their own rights including, Roland Guerin on Bass, Asher Fulero on Keyboards and Bill Ray on Skins, they teamed together to complete the lecture faculty for all to be schooled! Class was indeed in session. Performing highlighted tracks from “Behold The Electric Guitar”, complete with sidebar and cliffnotes, Gilbert took advantage of the intimate setting that the Iridium offers. Not quite sure how these shows will compare as he progresses through this tour onto other lecture halls and concert venues, but we can all consider ourselves a graduate from Gilbert University as we stand in ovation as our valedictorian leaves the stage as he heads to the next city