Trip Tip

Andy Timmons Band

Friday, Main Pub, Manchester, Conn.

Here's a very rare opportunity. On Friday, you can drive to Manchester, about an hour away, to the Main Pub, and see one of the without-question greatest guitarists in the world. His name's Andy Timmons. Disclosure: yes, he's a good pal of mine. But that relationship enables me to tell you that, in addition to his well-established reputation as a phenomenal player — melodic, textured, great songwriter, criminally fast for the shred-heads but never at the expense of the song — he's one of the nicest, kindest and funniest people I've ever met. Ditto for his band mates, bassist Mike Daane and drummer Mitch Marine. Oh, and this is a Big Event tour: the 25th anniversary of Timmons' "ear X-tacy" album, which is regarded by fans and musicians as occupying the same musical solar system as anything out there by Satriani, Vai, Johnson, Stern, Morse, Keneally, et al. The very fine Travis Larson Band opens. Showtime's 9 p.m. Main Pub, 306 Main St., Manchester; $18-$20; mainpub.com.