# Live review from a wonderful European concert: Surrounded by six-seven guitars, Pat Metheny seems like a child in a world full of toys – Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2024/11/01/live-review-from-a-wonderful-european-concert-surrounded-by-six-seven-guitars-pat-metheny-seems-like-a-child-in-a-world-full-of-toys-photos/
- Published: 2024-11-01T00:04:24+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**The Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, packed to the rafters, welcomed, in an atmosphere
of great events, on Tuesday 29 October, the first date of Pat Metheny’s European
autumn tour, dedicated to the two albums “Dream box” / “Moon dial”, but in reality
a pretext for a roundup of all the solo adventures of our man and to present some
news.**

The first of which is that on this tour, unlike usual, as announced directly by 
the protagonist, Pat speaks. And not a little, if it is a question of summing up
fifty years of career and fifty-three records recorded, a number that surprised 
Pat himself, when he learned it.

The first speech followed a long medley led by the acoustic guitar consisting of
some famous pieces of the PM Group, from “Minuano” to arrive at a “This is not America”​​
that retains all its dramatic charisma even in this basic version.

![](https://i0.wp.com/traccedijazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/pat-metheny_241029_1926-
1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

Seeing Pat bent over his guitar studying the best harmonic connections to move from
one song to another, you can vividly perceive the deep dedication and love for his
art that has always accompanied the guitarist’s path.

At least since – as he tells – when he happened to see the Beatles on TV at 10 years
old and to notice that strange six-string object that the following year he asked
his parents for as a Christmas present.

Then came all the usual stages that tie a teenager to music, from “House of the 
Rising Sun” to the other hits of the time played in the garage, up to the lightning
with jazz, brought about by his trumpeter brother Mike, who one day made him listen
to “Four and More” the 1965 live performance in NY by Miles Davis’ quintet.

![](https://i0.wp.com/traccedijazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/pat-metheny_241029_1701.
jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

That changed his life, leading him to eliminate everything else to concentrate on
that music, and allowed him to discover his “personal Beatles”, namely Gary Burton’s
quartet, Metheny’s home for three years at the beginning of his career.

The second suite is dedicated to Charlie Haden and the duo album “Beyond the Missouri
sky”, opened by a story about the meeting with the bassist, who later became a personal
friend of Pat, and about the indications given by the older colleague in the recording
studio on the use of the acoustic guitar, an instrument with which he ended up recording
the entire album together with Haden’s double bass.

There is room for the long rhythmic ride of “New Chautacqua” and for the noise follies
of an improvised piece with partly telluric cadences, as well as an appearance of
the 42-string Pikasso designed by the faithful Linda Manzer, before the second long
speech dedicated this time to Pat’s latest discovery, the baritone guitar.

For him, the possibility of combining a particular type of nylon strings with this
guitar that summarizes the sound of three instruments, viola, violin and cello, 
was a true revelation, to the point of dedicating increasing parts of the shows 
to the instrument until he decided to record the entire “Moon Dial” during the breaks
in the tour.

![](https://i0.wp.com/traccedijazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/pat-metheny_241029_1813-
1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

I remain of the opinion that it is difficult for non-musicians to share Metheny’s
uncontainable enthusiasm for this “discovery””, given that it is “simply” an acoustic
guitar, albeit with deeper and more serious sounds, which allow one to appreciate
in a more vivid and detailed way the unmistakable phrasing of the guitar style, 
the shades of melancholy that often emanate from the compositions, and the mastery
with which the songs of the two medleys are linked, one dedicated to “What’s it 
all about”, with the famous “Garota de Ipanema” clearly visible, and the other to
the most recent album.

At this point the show enters the most spectacular section, with the appearance 
on stage of the electric guitar and the dramatic turn of events of the unveiling
of the famous Orchestrion, a multi-instrument percussion apparatus, with drums, 
sticks and marimba that interacts with the guitar providing a multicolored rhythmic
carpet.

But there is still room for a tribute to Wes Montgomery, in the faithful re-proposal
of the organ trio format with the loop stations that allow the guitar to be doubled
or tripled, a formula that Metheny then takes to the extreme consequences by multiplying
the instruments on stage, playing in sequence the guitar that he carries over his
shoulder, the bass and many other guitars mounted on fixed supports. He even provides
a much-appreciated shred of nostalgia with the solo on the famous synth guitar that
represents one of his sonic trademarks.

Surrounded by six, seven guitars, Pat seems like a child in a world full of toys,
jumping from one to the other in perfect timing, supported by the assistants who
never miss a second in alternating the appearance of all the instruments. A sort
of celebration of his story as a musician in love, fifty years after his debut, 
with the possibility of playing and reaching, through his strings, the emotional
ones of all his passionate audience.

The last encore is with “And I love her” by the Beatles, and then it comes to mind
that the closing of the circle, started at 10 years old watching TV, is truly perfect.

**Photos by Roberto Cifare.**

![](https://i0.wp.com/traccedijazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/pat-metheny_241029_1727-
1.jpg?resize=640%2C960&ssl=1)

### _Related_