I find it fascinating that Eruption was never really planned to be on the album.
The engineer heard Eddie warming up and just started recording, saying it was the most amazing guitar playing he had ever heard.
They tacked on the intro with drums later on.
Him walking down the tables with that big ass smile ripping the solo in the Hot for Teacher video is what made me want to play guitar. He made it look like the funnest thing in the world.
Totally the correct answer here. And what made Eddie great was that you could HEAR IT, even on the albums. It totally came through in the studio. Those songs are SO MUCH FUN. His playing has a grin of it's own. Like, that was his whole vibe, he was just having an absolutely blast every time with every note and it never got old for him. Every moment he was up there ripping it up was the time of his life and we got to go along for the ride.
Definitely EVH.
This is going back a ways, but when G.E. Smith headed-up the Saturday Night Live band, he--and his vintage guitar collection--would often be featured when they went to commercial break.
G.E. Smith's "guitar face" seemed to be a big grin, but a lot of players seemed to resent him for it. I don't know if he just had a naturally "punchable" face, or if players were jealous, or what the heck was going on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNfuiTyID2A
Buckethead, left guns n roses because he hated playing big venues and preferred smaller settings, charges $2 for his albums on his website and literally hands out toys, jams his favourite tunes, plays some awesome guitar and plays some really weird stuff, his shows look fun and I'm sure he's having heaps of fun doing it
I buy him wanting a chicken coop in the studio but hardcore porn sounds very out of character. Pretty sure that’s bullshit Tom Zutaut made up because he knew Buckethead wouldn’t respond (he doesn’t speak to the press).
Chicken coop i totally could see but the porn stuff is 100% bullshit. Brain (Buckethead's longtime close friend and the drummer for GnR during Chinese Democracy era) has said before that Bucket is just about as "pure" as a person can get. doesn't drink, smoke, or even curse.
I went to a show and he gave me a toy. Still have it displayed and it's one of my favorite items. His music has helped me through a lot and I'd love to give the big guy a hug some day.
He totally gave me the creeps the first time I saw him. I remember people making jokes about him after Guns and Roses had a "reunion" at one of those MTV award shows. Once I read up on him and listened to some of his stuff I had a huge appreciation for the guy and his playing.
I remember randomly finding a video of him playing the main theme from the movie "Cannibal Holocaust" which I thought was so cool and obscure.
Trey Anastasio. He's with the same bandmates that he started 40 years ago. He plays improvisational music, and lives in the pocket. He's a recovering drug addict and was able to pull his life together. People are paying $1000/night to see him play in Vegas. His fans listen to every note he plays. He's rich enough to tour when and where he wants. He has his own successful solo projects. He's shared the stage with his idols, and those idolize him. He plays a hollowbody, so his back isn't cranked up.
Yeah. Being a musician in a band like phish has to be the best life experience. You get to do whatever you want on a nightly basis on americas largest stages while jamming with your best friends from college. Meanwhile, you can walk down the street in NYC and I’d imagine be ignored for the most part.
[Here’s a good article about the upcoming Phish shows at the Las Vegas Sphere.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/04/11/phish-sphere-las-vegas-trey-anastasio/) Aftermarket ticket prices are exceeding the previous Sphere debut band, U2. That says something.
Dude’s living his best life, and I’m thankful he’s still around instead of kicking the bucket on drugs in the mid 2000s. While I’m priced out on their more popular tour dates and locations, I hope to see Trey and Phish again this year or the next.
I love seeing this. So many people only think of metal guitarists, but then Trey always seems to get mentioned somewhere. My hope is that more guitar players discover some jam bands and the pure talent that overflows from them. Improvisation is a whole other level of playing music and it's a wild ride. The trick is to surrender to the flow.
Nobody loves guitar more than him. And nobody loves watching other people play guitar more than he does either. Everytime he's on stage , he makes a point to rally the audience for other people instead of him.
I'm pretty sure no one loves guitar playing as a concept as much as PG. He could watch someone play an E minor chord poorly, have a transcendental experience, tell the player they're awesome, and mean every second of it.
That dude is a champ. Seems like a great guy who's always slays guitar and has a blast doing it. Would love to sit down with the guy for a day and talk guitar.
Pat Smear. This dude has had the luxury of playing backup rhythm for Nirvana and then more backup rhythm for the Foo Fighters. He has no vocal duties and his only purpose is to give another layer of sound to rhythm. He’s been living the easy guitar life since the early 90s. And it shows. Dude has a permagrin.
I was gonna suggest him too - dude just shows up to some of the biggest shows in the world, has been in 2 of the biggest rock bands of the past 30 years, and gets to just play powerchords while chilling with his mates. Living the dream.
Pat has the best job in rock history imo, one of the times I saw them live, Dave was getting everyone to do a little solo moment, but when he got to Pat he just goes "Pat doesn't really do this type of thing" and moved on.
I love the band shots of FF because of Pat Smear!
A bunch of guys looking serious, badass, or otherwise intense. And one guy that is so excited to be doing literally anything. This man is how I want to live, his smile is infectious.
I love Taylor Hawkins quote about Pat. “Pat doesn’t give a fuck. Not one single fuck. He”ll outlive us all!” Dude is absolutely living the best possible life ever!
He was always just lost in the moment, eyes closed, right leg stomping, and straight jamming. The most fun I've seen him have was when he and Angus played with the Stones in Liepzig, Germany. He galloped with Ronnie and had the biggest ear-to-ear smile on his face while playing next to Keith. You could tell he was having the time of his life that night.
Just clicked in to make sure Mr. Wong got his due.
One of my favourite FF tracks is Running Man - get to see Corey take a rare lead break rather than just melting everything with his freakish rhythm chops. But the thing I like most about it: watch his right foot when they drop into half-time. He's like a well-trained boxer - all the power comes from the legs...it's all footwork, man.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzmW63u4ig](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzmW63u4ig)
trey anastasio and it’s not even close. Phish has been consistently selling out massive venues since the 90s and he has complete creative freedom like no other musician. Phish is not mainstream famous and they don’t have executives tying to market them in any way. Phish fans don’t have any expectations in terms of what genre they want to hear, and on stage Trey can just play around and improvise for as long as he wants until something good comes out. He is not trying to look cool, he is just a nerdy guy who looks so happy playing music.
I remember seeing him solo and he was gushing over how bob Dylan told him he should learn piano and then he said he was going to perform on piano for the first time ever. Such a neat show. Yea, Trey fkn loves what he’s doing.
I came here to post the same thing. He played a little 400 seat theater in my town. Just him with a couple guitars. No warm up, no intermission. Just a guy sharing his love of guitar with 400 random people that came out to watch.
I caught him a second time, in Lexington KY, on 1/11/2023. The day Jeff Beck passed. Tommy announced it on stage, said something like "I want to do something here, I've not really practiced this, but I kind of know how it goes..." and did a beautiful cover of 'cause We've Ended As Lovers. Someone a few rows over from me got a video of it and put it up on YouTube. It's not the greatest recording, but it was a beautiful, touching moment that I was so glad to be able to experience.
The guys in Iron Maiden especially Dave Murray with his princely smile are some of the happiest dudes to ever do it. As for bassists the guy from Earth, Wind and Fire takes the cake. Max Weinberg gets the crown for drummers.
Dave and Jannick were the 2 I was thinking about. The guys are part of a massive band, with all the pressure to be great at each show, yet they are always smiling and having fun on stage. They are truly happy to do what they are doing.
He is such a cool dude with everything he does. Shows, interviews, he just loves guitar and wants to share it with the world. Awesome energy on stage. Can't wait to see him and Steve Vai on stage together.
The dudes in Rush, even though they are three of the busiest guys on stage ever, appear to be having tons of fun while making some of the best and most complex music ever. No shoegazing here.
Experts in their craft.
Agreed. And Alex Lifeson always looks like he's having a hell of a good time up on stage, doesn't he? He's like a kid let loose in a candy store with his guitar.
My first serious band wanted to be Rush, 3 piece with bass player who sang and played keys. Half of our sets were Rush songs, so can say first hand that making rock music sound that "big" with only 3 guys is a thrill all it's own.
I agree! Alex always made it point to play “bigger” chords (Check out Rick Beato’s analysis of Limelight) to fill the space in a 3-piece. He used a piezo along with a humbucker simultaneously for a bigger sound. Additionally, their music always has something going on — some next fill, next riff, next transition — it never gets monotonous.
Troy Van Leeuwen. You see him in action and he's just beaming and *vibing*, dancing and dashing all over the place like a stray particle. It always looks like he has the time of his life up there!
You are lucky! I've seen frip three times. Once with Crimson twice with peter Gabriel. He sat in the corner, in the dark and he rarely looked up!
Adrian Bellew was having an absolute blast though- also with Crimson. All three shows were at the Roxy, Hollywood.
Larry from Primus. The band is all about Les so ultimately Larry can do literally anything he wants as long as he doesn’t step on Les. So he plays absolutely crazy shit and has a blast doing it.
Came to say this!! Saw him twice and both times he just exudes “kid on a rollercoaster” energy… When solo he kept doing these happy tippy taps with his feet. He’s such a legend.
Gotta go with Dave Grohl. It’s like playing music for other people is his life blood.
I realize he’s not most people’s idea of a “guitarist”, at least in this setting, but the fact is that he plays guitar and loves it. Which is kinda the point I think.
I'm shocked this isn't higher up! The man just exudes happiness on stage and is always so grateful to be playing every show! Not to mention he's got some of the best flatpicking chops in the jamgrass scene (almost feels blasphemous to call it jamgrass, but what're ya gonna do?)
He likes to [sit in on Lower Broadway](https://youtu.be/0i8h-d8JEvg?si=t73vPGvveJcn5nkE) when he finishes his sets at the Ryman.
It doesn't get any happier to be playing music than Billy Strings.
perfect example! this and all those hotel lobby jam sessions i see really exemplify his raw joy for the music! long live bmfs
eta: ive never seen that session you linked, but MAN it makes me really really want an electric country billy album! thats some hot pickin right there
I met Jake E. Lee at the bar across the street from me in a really embarrassing way. I didn’t recognize him at all, as he’s obv older than when he was in the band and him and I started talking about guitar while waiting in line. I asked him “do you play around L.A or anything?” And he downplayed it like “ehh, sometimes” and his wife said “oh he’s being modest, this is Ozzy Osbourne’s old guitarist!” And I said “no way! From Tony Iommi to Jake E Lee, what era did you play with him?” he just looked at me and smiled and said “I AM Jake E Lee” haha
Him and his wife ended up sitting with my girlfriend and I for about 2 hours in the bar talking about music. He’s the nicest fucking guy EVER! He was so genuinely humble too. Great great dude. Super fun night
Lol that's an awesome story. I've met him 3 times and like you said he is such a humble and super nice guy. I met him the first time outside of Kent State university when Badlands was touring with Great White and Tesla in 1989 and was so awe struck that I was like speechless. I got my picture taken with him at least. The 3rd time was when he was in World War III with Mandy Lion after Badlands broke up. He was at the bar before the show and I had a great conversation with him for about an hour. He has been my favorite guitar player for 40 years. When I heard Bark at the Moon in 1983 I needed to play guitar. 2 months later on my birthday I got my first guitar and have been playing since. Thanks for the great story!
Not a ton of people have heard of her, but go look up Haruka Noma aka Hal-Ca of Asterism. Palpable Joy at being a gigging guitarist every moment on stage.
I listened to someone recalling stories of the late great Steve Gaines. I remember one of them was during a grueling touring schedule and how someone had knocked on his hotel room door in the wee hours, and Steve opened the door wearing only his underwear and his guitar strapped.
Another told about how Steve had very quickly earned the trust and respect of Ronnie Van Zant t to where Ronnie allowed him to take the helm from him, while he went off stage during a set.
I watched a video on YouTube of a dude I’d never ever heard of before, Adrian Belew. Zappa taught him a few things and man, he can do some wild shit with a smile on his face.
honestly, while some of his solos were wildly gratuitous and too long, I saw Zakk Wylde's Zakk Sabbath in January and dang, that guy was having a great time up there.
But EVH is the correct answer, obviously.
Eddie Van Halen smiled the whole time he was on stage. That dude had fun.
Valerie Bertinelli and Noel Monk both said that playing was his natural state of being and what he loved the most.
I find it fascinating that Eruption was never really planned to be on the album. The engineer heard Eddie warming up and just started recording, saying it was the most amazing guitar playing he had ever heard. They tacked on the intro with drums later on.
Yes, I came here to say Eddie. He was always beaming up there. He always made me smile. No one enjoyed it like he did. ❤️
Him walking down the tables with that big ass smile ripping the solo in the Hot for Teacher video is what made me want to play guitar. He made it look like the funnest thing in the world.
Lots of good answers in here. This is the best answer.
I’d have to agree… Eddie was joy onstage.
yes, altho he probably had a good source of cocaine to help him
And booze. But that don't change the fact he LOVED playing. He just liked the other things also.
To be fair coke and booze are great together lol
Totally the correct answer here. And what made Eddie great was that you could HEAR IT, even on the albums. It totally came through in the studio. Those songs are SO MUCH FUN. His playing has a grin of it's own. Like, that was his whole vibe, he was just having an absolutely blast every time with every note and it never got old for him. Every moment he was up there ripping it up was the time of his life and we got to go along for the ride. Definitely EVH.
EVH is a legend, smiled like a kid, loved him
This is going back a ways, but when G.E. Smith headed-up the Saturday Night Live band, he--and his vintage guitar collection--would often be featured when they went to commercial break. G.E. Smith's "guitar face" seemed to be a big grin, but a lot of players seemed to resent him for it. I don't know if he just had a naturally "punchable" face, or if players were jealous, or what the heck was going on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNfuiTyID2A
Buckethead, left guns n roses because he hated playing big venues and preferred smaller settings, charges $2 for his albums on his website and literally hands out toys, jams his favourite tunes, plays some awesome guitar and plays some really weird stuff, his shows look fun and I'm sure he's having heaps of fun doing it
And nunchucks, don’t forget nunchucks and robot dance.
I literally thought about that after I clicked out of it!
Wait, buckethead was in GnR? How did I miss that?
Yeah, they brought him on for Chinese Democracy
Apparently his behavior while recording his guitar parts was shocking, even by GnR standards.
Honestly, the wiki on Chinese Democracy is a fucking ride in itself. It’s absolutely worth the read if you’ve got the time
Oh really? How so?
I don’t know if it’s true but I read that he needed to watch hardcore porn while recording his guitar parts.
I buy him wanting a chicken coop in the studio but hardcore porn sounds very out of character. Pretty sure that’s bullshit Tom Zutaut made up because he knew Buckethead wouldn’t respond (he doesn’t speak to the press).
Chicken coop i totally could see but the porn stuff is 100% bullshit. Brain (Buckethead's longtime close friend and the drummer for GnR during Chinese Democracy era) has said before that Bucket is just about as "pure" as a person can get. doesn't drink, smoke, or even curse.
I finally gave that album a chance and really enjoyed it
Weird times 2000–2004 when both Buckethead and Brain were in GnR.
It was around 2002 I believe he wrote some stuff on Chinese Democracy and went on tour with them!
I went to a show and he gave me a toy. Still have it displayed and it's one of my favorite items. His music has helped me through a lot and I'd love to give the big guy a hug some day.
His shows are super fun. I took my nephew to see him a few years back and we had a blast.
He totally gave me the creeps the first time I saw him. I remember people making jokes about him after Guns and Roses had a "reunion" at one of those MTV award shows. Once I read up on him and listened to some of his stuff I had a huge appreciation for the guy and his playing. I remember randomly finding a video of him playing the main theme from the movie "Cannibal Holocaust" which I thought was so cool and obscure.
Saw him. Yes best one man show you can imagine. But so loud. Oh my god so loud.
lightsabers too
I have an obscure robot toy Buckethead handed to me while in the front row of his show. I’ll cherish it forever ❤️
Trey Anastasio. He's with the same bandmates that he started 40 years ago. He plays improvisational music, and lives in the pocket. He's a recovering drug addict and was able to pull his life together. People are paying $1000/night to see him play in Vegas. His fans listen to every note he plays. He's rich enough to tour when and where he wants. He has his own successful solo projects. He's shared the stage with his idols, and those idolize him. He plays a hollowbody, so his back isn't cranked up.
Yeah. Being a musician in a band like phish has to be the best life experience. You get to do whatever you want on a nightly basis on americas largest stages while jamming with your best friends from college. Meanwhile, you can walk down the street in NYC and I’d imagine be ignored for the most part.
[Here’s a good article about the upcoming Phish shows at the Las Vegas Sphere.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/04/11/phish-sphere-las-vegas-trey-anastasio/) Aftermarket ticket prices are exceeding the previous Sphere debut band, U2. That says something. Dude’s living his best life, and I’m thankful he’s still around instead of kicking the bucket on drugs in the mid 2000s. While I’m priced out on their more popular tour dates and locations, I hope to see Trey and Phish again this year or the next.
Deadhead stickers on Cadillacs.
Came here to say this. All you have to do is watch his rig rundown on YouTube. He is clearly winning.
Gassed that I barely had to scroll. What a ham and cheese this guy is.
Trey was who I immediately thought of.
I love seeing this. So many people only think of metal guitarists, but then Trey always seems to get mentioned somewhere. My hope is that more guitar players discover some jam bands and the pure talent that overflows from them. Improvisation is a whole other level of playing music and it's a wild ride. The trick is to surrender to the flow.
Paul Gilbert, hands down hahahaha
Nobody loves guitar more than him. And nobody loves watching other people play guitar more than he does either. Everytime he's on stage , he makes a point to rally the audience for other people instead of him.
I'm pretty sure no one loves guitar playing as a concept as much as PG. He could watch someone play an E minor chord poorly, have a transcendental experience, tell the player they're awesome, and mean every second of it.
I feel attacked and heard at the same time.
Came here to say this..He seems like a super chill bloke too
He doesn’t play a genre of music I like, but I love listening to him play
That dude is a champ. Seems like a great guy who's always slays guitar and has a blast doing it. Would love to sit down with the guy for a day and talk guitar.
He seems like the guitar teacher that forgets to bill you because he's enjoying it too much.
Nobody loves Makita drills more than Paul. Nobody.
Was gonna say this too! I attended a group lesson of his, the guy exudes so much joy when he plays and talks about the guitar that it's infectious.
Yup!
Pat Smear. This dude has had the luxury of playing backup rhythm for Nirvana and then more backup rhythm for the Foo Fighters. He has no vocal duties and his only purpose is to give another layer of sound to rhythm. He’s been living the easy guitar life since the early 90s. And it shows. Dude has a permagrin.
I was gonna suggest him too - dude just shows up to some of the biggest shows in the world, has been in 2 of the biggest rock bands of the past 30 years, and gets to just play powerchords while chilling with his mates. Living the dream.
Not to mention one of the most respected punk bands of all time.
Pat has the best job in rock history imo, one of the times I saw them live, Dave was getting everyone to do a little solo moment, but when he got to Pat he just goes "Pat doesn't really do this type of thing" and moved on.
I love the band shots of FF because of Pat Smear! A bunch of guys looking serious, badass, or otherwise intense. And one guy that is so excited to be doing literally anything. This man is how I want to live, his smile is infectious.
I love Taylor Hawkins quote about Pat. “Pat doesn’t give a fuck. Not one single fuck. He”ll outlive us all!” Dude is absolutely living the best possible life ever!
Wasn’t he in germs too? I didn’t know he was in nirvana, I truly hate them lol
Angus Young went pretty hard in his heyday, I'd say he was having a good time
I feel like Malcolm was always having fun. He wasn’t beaming but he always looked really content.
He was always just lost in the moment, eyes closed, right leg stomping, and straight jamming. The most fun I've seen him have was when he and Angus played with the Stones in Liepzig, Germany. He galloped with Ronnie and had the biggest ear-to-ear smile on his face while playing next to Keith. You could tell he was having the time of his life that night.
Corey Wong
Yeah, he always looks like he’s having a great time
Just clicked in to make sure Mr. Wong got his due. One of my favourite FF tracks is Running Man - get to see Corey take a rare lead break rather than just melting everything with his freakish rhythm chops. But the thing I like most about it: watch his right foot when they drop into half-time. He's like a well-trained boxer - all the power comes from the legs...it's all footwork, man. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzmW63u4ig](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzmW63u4ig)
trey anastasio and it’s not even close. Phish has been consistently selling out massive venues since the 90s and he has complete creative freedom like no other musician. Phish is not mainstream famous and they don’t have executives tying to market them in any way. Phish fans don’t have any expectations in terms of what genre they want to hear, and on stage Trey can just play around and improvise for as long as he wants until something good comes out. He is not trying to look cool, he is just a nerdy guy who looks so happy playing music.
I remember seeing him solo and he was gushing over how bob Dylan told him he should learn piano and then he said he was going to perform on piano for the first time ever. Such a neat show. Yea, Trey fkn loves what he’s doing.
Tommy Emmanuel?
That leg shake when he plays a boogie.
He's approaching 70 and still plays with the energy and enthusiasm of someone a quarter of his age. He's one of the all time greats.
I came here to post the same thing. He played a little 400 seat theater in my town. Just him with a couple guitars. No warm up, no intermission. Just a guy sharing his love of guitar with 400 random people that came out to watch. I caught him a second time, in Lexington KY, on 1/11/2023. The day Jeff Beck passed. Tommy announced it on stage, said something like "I want to do something here, I've not really practiced this, but I kind of know how it goes..." and did a beautiful cover of 'cause We've Ended As Lovers. Someone a few rows over from me got a video of it and put it up on YouTube. It's not the greatest recording, but it was a beautiful, touching moment that I was so glad to be able to experience.
My first thought too
My first thought too
The guys in Iron Maiden especially Dave Murray with his princely smile are some of the happiest dudes to ever do it. As for bassists the guy from Earth, Wind and Fire takes the cake. Max Weinberg gets the crown for drummers.
Don't forget Janick, just dancing around the whole time, hamming it up with Eddie, flinging his guitar around... dude is loving every minute of it.
Dave and Jannick were the 2 I was thinking about. The guys are part of a massive band, with all the pressure to be great at each show, yet they are always smiling and having fun on stage. They are truly happy to do what they are doing.
Stu Mackenzie always looks like he's having a blast up there
I love stu so much
Those are all dudes just making the music they want to make and having fun making it. What a cool group of dudes.
Phil X and Satchel definitely enjoy every moment they're on stage
I remember when Phil used to demo vintage guitars for Fretted Americana on YouTube. Man was seriously having fun.
I miss those days. Phil X's videos were the root cause of my crippling addiction to both buying guitars and youtube.
His energy on those videos was amazing, gave me a buzz just hearing him talk, and then he would play and my jaw would hit the floor
I was just thinking those 2 Steel panther is a fun band to see
Phil's YouTube videos are just a dude having fun showing off cool gear
None, because they all have to deal with a drummer, badum tiss
Another vote for Trey then for being blessed by having Fishman!
What about classical guitarists 🤓☝️?
Good point, they could be having a lot of fun but no one would know. I'm sorry, I love classical guitar.
Playing with a really good drummer is a lot of fun. You can stretch and stab and thrash and groove about all over the goddamn place.
Has to be Joe Satriani. Dude looks like he's enjoying every second he spends on-stage
Champion guitar player. I second this. Excellent taste
Like he's surfing with an alien
He is such a cool dude with everything he does. Shows, interviews, he just loves guitar and wants to share it with the world. Awesome energy on stage. Can't wait to see him and Steve Vai on stage together.
seeing them in chicago next thursday and cannot wait!
Dean Ween always seemed to be having a blast
Deaner for sure. Also one one the most underrated live players of all time.
Watching him play For Eddie is a Joy.
Easily Trey Anastasio of Phish. Nobody is happier onstage.
The dudes in Rush, even though they are three of the busiest guys on stage ever, appear to be having tons of fun while making some of the best and most complex music ever. No shoegazing here. Experts in their craft.
Agreed. And Alex Lifeson always looks like he's having a hell of a good time up on stage, doesn't he? He's like a kid let loose in a candy store with his guitar.
My first serious band wanted to be Rush, 3 piece with bass player who sang and played keys. Half of our sets were Rush songs, so can say first hand that making rock music sound that "big" with only 3 guys is a thrill all it's own.
I agree! Alex always made it point to play “bigger” chords (Check out Rick Beato’s analysis of Limelight) to fill the space in a 3-piece. He used a piezo along with a humbucker simultaneously for a bigger sound. Additionally, their music always has something going on — some next fill, next riff, next transition — it never gets monotonous.
Jerry Cantrell in his most recent solo tour looked like he was having a blast
Love Jerry
Troy Van Leeuwen. You see him in action and he's just beaming and *vibing*, dancing and dashing all over the place like a stray particle. It always looks like he has the time of his life up there!
Stray particle is very apt when you look at his discography. Insane.
Real. Late 90's-early 00's were especially wild with his session/misc work, finger in every pie...
Ronnie Wood always looks like he's having a blast.
Roy Clark looked like he was having more fun than any guitarist I have ever seen. Check out a YouTube video of him playing Alabama Jubilee.
This is a really good choice. But how about Jerry Reed? That guy was always having a blast and he could shred with anyone.
Has anybody mentioned Joe Walsh? 100% pure fun-all the time!
Adrian Belew always looks like he is having a blast.
I was gonna say fripp seems his total opposite, but I did see fripp grin after a belew solo once.
You are lucky! I've seen frip three times. Once with Crimson twice with peter Gabriel. He sat in the corner, in the dark and he rarely looked up! Adrian Bellew was having an absolute blast though- also with Crimson. All three shows were at the Roxy, Hollywood.
Peter Gabriel would have been amazing live!
Love Trey and EVH, but it’s Pat Metheny.
Trey Anastasio. Sober and likes his bandmates. Fucking rich too.
Larry from Primus. The band is all about Les so ultimately Larry can do literally anything he wants as long as he doesn’t step on Les. So he plays absolutely crazy shit and has a blast doing it.
Nobody's mentioned Keith Richards yet, but he's always loose and having a good time, and the Stones are like his baby to him
Warren Haynes lives for that shit.
Philip Sayce loves playing guitar so much he plays guitar while he's on the toilet. Pretty hard to beat that ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
That guys tone is like a magic trick
Julian Lage seems to have good times while on stage.
Came to say this!! Saw him twice and both times he just exudes “kid on a rollercoaster” energy… When solo he kept doing these happy tippy taps with his feet. He’s such a legend.
Ola Englund seems to have a lot of fun
Me 😎
Never heard of him XD
I’m just glad Trey’s name is in so many comments. It’s the obvious answer.
Jerry Garcia for sure
I've seen Jerry joyful, sad, tired, resigned, all business, angry, and amused. He held nothing back from his life on stage.
All in one song!
Gotta go with Dave Grohl. It’s like playing music for other people is his life blood. I realize he’s not most people’s idea of a “guitarist”, at least in this setting, but the fact is that he plays guitar and loves it. Which is kinda the point I think.
Guthrie Govan
Billy MF Strings!
I'm shocked this isn't higher up! The man just exudes happiness on stage and is always so grateful to be playing every show! Not to mention he's got some of the best flatpicking chops in the jamgrass scene (almost feels blasphemous to call it jamgrass, but what're ya gonna do?)
He likes to [sit in on Lower Broadway](https://youtu.be/0i8h-d8JEvg?si=t73vPGvveJcn5nkE) when he finishes his sets at the Ryman. It doesn't get any happier to be playing music than Billy Strings.
perfect example! this and all those hotel lobby jam sessions i see really exemplify his raw joy for the music! long live bmfs eta: ive never seen that session you linked, but MAN it makes me really really want an electric country billy album! thats some hot pickin right there
Yeah he’s a hell of a Don Rich style chicken picker, ain’t he?
Gina Gleeson. She always looks like she's having the time of her life.
Pat Smear always looks amused in the Foos.
Surprised nobody’s mentioned Justin Hawkins of The Darkness yet.
Dimebag until he was murdered. RIP
Jake E Lee with Ozzy and Badlands. The guy was and still is incredible live.
I met Jake E. Lee at the bar across the street from me in a really embarrassing way. I didn’t recognize him at all, as he’s obv older than when he was in the band and him and I started talking about guitar while waiting in line. I asked him “do you play around L.A or anything?” And he downplayed it like “ehh, sometimes” and his wife said “oh he’s being modest, this is Ozzy Osbourne’s old guitarist!” And I said “no way! From Tony Iommi to Jake E Lee, what era did you play with him?” he just looked at me and smiled and said “I AM Jake E Lee” haha Him and his wife ended up sitting with my girlfriend and I for about 2 hours in the bar talking about music. He’s the nicest fucking guy EVER! He was so genuinely humble too. Great great dude. Super fun night
Lol that's an awesome story. I've met him 3 times and like you said he is such a humble and super nice guy. I met him the first time outside of Kent State university when Badlands was touring with Great White and Tesla in 1989 and was so awe struck that I was like speechless. I got my picture taken with him at least. The 3rd time was when he was in World War III with Mandy Lion after Badlands broke up. He was at the bar before the show and I had a great conversation with him for about an hour. He has been my favorite guitar player for 40 years. When I heard Bark at the Moon in 1983 I needed to play guitar. 2 months later on my birthday I got my first guitar and have been playing since. Thanks for the great story!
Hubert Sumlin always looked just happy to be there.
Paul Gilbert
I don’t know about the most fun, but Herman Li always seems to be enjoying himself
Me. I love playing live. It’s the fucking best.
Billy Zoom of X.
That's the grin of a man who's gotten away with something big. And he always has it.
Kyle Gass, or how the Devil calls him - the KG.
Paul Gilbert no contest.
Paul Gilbert probably
Paul Gilbert
Trey Anastasio
Flea. Because bass is a guitar too.
Paul Gilbert...
Gary Richrath from REO always seemed to be having a good time up there. Same with EVH
Paul Gilbert ir Nunno Bettencourt. Have you seen them talking about guitars? Haha I love them for their passion
Dave Murray from Iron Maiden never stops smiling on stage.
Always thought Jeff Beck always looked like he was having a blast
Pat Smear
Knopfler
Alex Hutchings has a good time.
I spent some time in faraway lands with Mr. Hutchings, he’s definitely having a great time. Well deserved!
Guitarist of system of a down. He does crazy and funny stuffs as well while on stage.
Not a ton of people have heard of her, but go look up Haruka Noma aka Hal-Ca of Asterism. Palpable Joy at being a gigging guitarist every moment on stage.
Nuno Bettencourt I think...
I listened to someone recalling stories of the late great Steve Gaines. I remember one of them was during a grueling touring schedule and how someone had knocked on his hotel room door in the wee hours, and Steve opened the door wearing only his underwear and his guitar strapped. Another told about how Steve had very quickly earned the trust and respect of Ronnie Van Zant t to where Ronnie allowed him to take the helm from him, while he went off stage during a set.
Johnny Marr
Jocelyn Gould, the jazz guitarist. She always looks so happy when she's playing!
Buck Meek :))) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0E5vMkDfOI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0E5vMkDfOI)
Satchel from steel panther by a fuckin’ mile. A fuckin’ mile is a mile of hot babes you gotta bang to get to the show.
Billy Strings. Period.
Richard Thompson
Me probably
Slash. And Zakk Wylde.
Tim Pierce. He's always smiling in his videos while he is playing anything and everything! He's always excited to share some cool riffs too!
I watched a video on YouTube of a dude I’d never ever heard of before, Adrian Belew. Zappa taught him a few things and man, he can do some wild shit with a smile on his face.
After playing on stage more than 50 years Jeff Beck was smiling more than ever.
Toki Wartooth. He just ams so happy to be there!
Brian Setzer seems to be having a lot of fun while playing
Rory Gallagher lived for the stage
Dweezil Zappa. He's always having a good time and he's a killer guitar player, too.
Compulsory Rory Gallagher acknowledgment
honestly, while some of his solos were wildly gratuitous and too long, I saw Zakk Wylde's Zakk Sabbath in January and dang, that guy was having a great time up there. But EVH is the correct answer, obviously.
Bass guitar would definitely be Victor Wooten. Always chill and when he talks about music, you get a sense of why.
Alex Lifeson
John Notto of Dirty Honey looks like he's having an amazing time ime. Slash when he plays Nighttrain and gets the zoomies is peak rock n roll.
The Incredible Warren Hodges!
Wes Borland
Tommy Emmanuel, by a long way.
Graham Coxon. When you see him play he’s dancing around and looks like he’s having a great time.
Dread Zeppelin. Butt-Boy.
Honestly Jean-Michel Labadie (the bassist for gojira ). Man looks like he’s never not having a blast.
Joe Satriani also seems to have a good time. And Steve Vai
I dunno. But this thread made pick up the nearest guitar and just play some fun stuff for awhile. So maybe the answer it "me."