Paul Gilbert with Greg Koch – Warrendale, PA – 4/28/26

Paul Gilbert’s “WROC World Tour 2026” kicked off in this month with extensive US dates planned through May, which will be followed by Tokyo, Japan, in October. The tour features special guest Greg Koch and highlights Paul Gilbert’s new solo release, which was inspired by George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior, with classic rock/blues jams and song lyrics from songs like “Keep Your Feet Firm and Even” or the more comical “If You Soak Bread in the Sauce” adding humor to his highly skilled delivery.

The evening began by a performance from Greg Koch, an American guitar virtuoso know for his “chicken picking” style who brought his son Dylan along on drums and Toby Lee Marshall on the hammond B3 organ (complete with a Leslie Speaker “Spinning Box”) to form the Koch-Marshall Trio. We were treated to a set of originals like “Daddy Long Legs” and instrumental covers of classics like Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You” that left us mesmerized.

Paul Gilbert came out smoking with his pink Ibanez and an enormous pedalboard or gadgets as he led us through an instrumental mix of songs he called the “Crazy PG Medley.” It caught our attention with familiar riffs from some Mr. Big tunes, including my person favorite, the psychedelic “Green Tinted Sixties Mind,” before concluding with a snippet of “To Be With You.” Highlights from the set included an instrumental cover of Dio’s “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and a classic rock jam featuring Greg Koch with covers of ZZ Top’s “Thunderbird” and The Who’s “Going Mobile.”

The set weighed heavily on the new album and Paul was sure to indicate the introduction of a new song by wearing his tricorn hat from the Revolutionary War ensemble that he wore for the album, but before taking their final bow, we were treated to an encore that featured Paul’s doubleneck and a riveting version of “Stairway to Heaven.”

Paul Gilbert was joined by Doug Rappoport who is best known for his 20-year tenure as the lead guitarist for The Edgar Winter Band, as well as Timmer Blakely, a professional bassist based in Portland, Oregon on bass, and professional drummer, Jeff Martin, who is best known as the original lead singer of Racer X, the high-speed heavy metal band founded by Paul Gilbert in 1985.

Tonight the tour continues on in New York, with additional dates listed below.