The guitar legend brought Side-Eye to Los Angeles for a one-night-only performance filled with musical genius, technical wonder, and spiritual lift
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05-08-2026
At Walt Disney Concert Hall, Pat Metheny once again proved why he remains one of the most singular guitar voices of the last half-century. Jazz, new age, rock, fusion, Brazilian textures, cinematic atmospheres, and pure improvisational fire all live comfortably inside his musical imagination. Yet what makes Metheny extraordinary is not simply that he can play almost anything. It is that whatever he plays becomes his unmistakably.
This one-night-only Los Angeles performance with Side-Eye III+ had a noticeably modern charge. Built around constant rhythmic motion, multi-layered textures, and Metheny’s synthesizer guitar explorations, the concert often moved with the propulsion of a younger band pushing a master into fresh territory. The music was high-energy without becoming cluttered, complex without becoming cold. Even when the arrangements grew dense, Metheny’s melodic instinct kept the audience grounded.
From the opening moments, his sound carried that familiar combination of precision and warmth: sharp as a diamond, supple as warm butter, and always searching. His lines curled, darted, shimmered, and then suddenly opened into wide melodic landscapes. There are guitarists who impress you with speed, and there are guitarists who impress you with taste. Metheny does both, but his true gift is deeper. He makes virtuosity feel conversational. Even at his most technically dazzling, he never sounds like he is showing off. He sounds like he is following an idea until it reveals the next one.
The Side-Eye ensemble also highlighted Metheny’s generosity as a bandleader. Jermaine Paul, Chris Fishman, Joe Dyson, and Leonard Patton brought youthful energy and extraordinary musicianship to the evening, giving the performance its drive, color, and communal force. Paul’s bass work helped anchor the momentum, while Fishman added harmonic texture, Dyson supplied rhythmic fire, and Patton brought vocal and musical presence to the stage. Rather than keeping the spotlight locked on himself, Metheny repeatedly created room for his bandmates to stretch, respond, and take ownership of the music.
That generosity gave the concert its emotional lift. Metheny led with authority, but not ego. He listened as intensely as he played, leaning into rhythmic surprises and allowing the band’s energy to redirect the flow. The result was not a museum piece by a veteran master. It felt alive, flexible, and present-tense.
Then there is Metheny, the technical nerd, and that side of him remains a delight. Whether exploring layered synthesizer-guitar passages, unusual tones, or gear-driven experimentation, he approaches technology not as decoration but as a doorway. His technical curiosity never overwhelms the music. Instead, it expands the guitar’s emotional vocabulary.
The impact of the evening was captured beautifully by AnnMarie Fox on Instagram: “One night only with PAT METHENY at WDCH this evening was a visceral experience I will cherish forever! Thank you for the exquisite music and for elevating my spiritual frequency.” That phrase gets close to what Metheny achieved. His music did not merely dazzle the ear. It lifted the room.
Across a generous set of familiar themes, intricate new compositions, and fearless improvisation, Metheny’s first Walt Disney Concert Hall performance since his 2010 Orchestrion tour reminded the audience why his legacy is still expanding.
Pat Metheny does not simply play the guitar. He thinks through it, sings through it, and builds entire worlds inside its sound.
