“I have to get over arguing with myself that it doesn’t sound right”: Joe Satriani on the challenge of taking on Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts for The Best Of All Worlds tour

Joe Satriani says taking on Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts for the upcoming The Best Of All Worlds tour has been challenging, as has been arguing with himself that his playing “doesn’t sound right.”

The Best Of All Worlds tour kicks off during the Summer in 2024, and will see Satriani alongside Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham as they perform Van Halen material along with tracks from supergroups Chickenfoot and The Circle.

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In a forthcoming interview with Guitar World, Satriani says that prep for the tour has been a mental challenge as he is doing his “best impression of the greatest guitar player of all time.”

“I have to get over arguing with myself that it doesn’t sound right,” he says. “I’ll have to go through some mental therapy and be okay with sounding a bit different.”

Satriani also commented on the prospect of filling EVH’s shoes when speaking to Forbes earlier this month (November). “You can’t fill them. You can put them on, but you can’t fill them,” he says.

“You have to respect the genius of the architecture of his guitar parts and how he built the songs and you’ve got to get in there and just enjoy what he was building cause he would weave in and out of his original composition every time he played it live and bring new amazing little nuggets to each little section.”

Despite his concerns, Hagar said during their appearance on The Howard Stern Show that Satriani was chosen because of his differences, rather than because he sounds like Van Halen. Satriani’s drive to do the guitar work justice is what has carried him this far. Watch below from the one-minute mark:

Find out more about The Best Of All Worlds tour via Red Rocker.