Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero 05 competition, held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 10, couldn’t have been a more joyous event if it were scripted by Santa Claus. The ten finalists were gracious and talented, Tommy Rich’s house band kicked ass, cleveland.com’s Webcast spread the joy far beyond those in attendance, the techs at the Hall were totally tops, and the judges (Joe Satriani, Steve and Trevor Lukather, DJ Munch, and GP’s Jude Gold) were insightful and hilarious.
But the night belonged to the players, of course, and each guitarist uncorked a phenomenal performance. (Jaws were dropping like flies, baby!) The thrills and chills exploding from the stage were ample reminders of why it’s tremendously cool to be a guitar player. Stay tuned for entry instructions for Guitar Hero 06. Be there! (Many thanks to Gibson and Audio-Technica for sponsoring GH05.)