Joe Bonamassa Live

There was a rush of low-grade chatter moving through the crowd as Joe stepped into view at stage left. Still unlit he strapped on the flame topped Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Baritone and took one more moment to mentally prepare for what he was about to do. He exhaled, hitched up the guitar while aligning his fingers and ripped into the not yet released Sinners and Saints. We all stared in stunned silence while he commanded our full attention. Thirty seconds in the rest of the band made their way to the stage virtually unnoticed.

Joe moved on to a tiger top Les Paul and four songs later the band stopped playing long enough for him to thank the crowd for being there. We were still reeling from India/Mountain Time, which is gaining a reputation for being in the clean up position, when they tore into Another Kind of Love. These songs back to back cement Joe's triple threat status in the music world. He sings like an angel, writes like a poet, and plays like the devil. With some prompting from the stage the crowd came to life as we realized there should be some out pouring of appreciation during the show, jaw dropped silence wasn't going to cut it. Sloe Gin, High Water Everywhere, Your Funeral My Trial, and Blues Deluxe resonated through the theater and found multiple rounds of applause and cheering scattered throughout.

In what we've come to expect from him Joe mounted the stage in a suit, the jacket emblazoned with an amazing winged cross on the breast and back. I was personally surprised at how long he kept it on given the hot lights and the amount of energy he was exhausting during the performance. At which song exactly it happened I'm not quite sure but the jacket came off and revealed a drenched white button down shirt stuck to his body. Who knew playing guitar could be an exercise regimen?

There are some definite showstoppers in Joe's arsenal and the song in the number 10 spot is at the top of the list. Woke Up Dreaming is a feat of monumental proportion. It comes late in a line up and is a solo effort. It is 8 minutes and 20 seconds of the fastest, most intense, stylistically diverse guitar you will ever see. As he traverses the stage Joe steps to the edge, after setting his feet he leans into his playing stance and lets loose. I never would have believed wild abandon and complete concentration could happen concurrently but they do.

From right underneath him I watched his eyes over his signature sunglasses. He didn't see me, or the audience, or anything but the guitar. His jaw slacked, his mind focused, and he was immersed in his own creating. As his fingers flew up and down the neck I found it hard to believe his strumming hand was keeping pace but ever solitary note of what he did was easily discerned from the one that preceded and the one that followed. A standing ovation was not only warranted but it was all we could offer as an audience to express our awe for a talent we could only wish to posses a fraction of.

After 12 songs a quick chug and change found the band back on stage with Joe donning a black t-shirt for the encore. The simplicity of the dress only served to accentuate the tour de force that is Asking Around For You. Again Joe's vocal and playing made the experience memorable and unbeatable. The lilting love song is expressed with a pureness of heart and soul most performers lose after playing the same thing for the thousandth time. Looking around there were more than a few misty eyed attendants.

At the end of the show each member of the band was introduced and stepped into the spotlight to receive their just accolades before culminating with a group bow. So many times I've heard people say they wished they had seen an act live before some or all of its members slipped the mortal coil. Now is your chance to see a blues legend in the making. Don't miss Joe Bonamassa.