Few artists, particularly in these fickle times, can inspire such fierce loyalty as Joe Bonamassa, a guitarist whose commitment to the blues is as complete as his guitar playing is exquisite. His live shows, regular fixtures in the UK gig calendar, are invariably highlights of the year, and, with stunning new album redemption making a strong case for album of the year, loyal fans have good reason to make their way to Nottingham Arena on a wild and windy Friday night.
Opening, as his last run of shows did, with the one-two punch of king bee shakedown and evil mama, it’s clear that Joe is in the mood to rock this evening. Redemption has plenty of light and shade, to be sure, but it’s definitely a harder-edged album and that has carried across into Joe’s live set. King bee shakedown remains fierce, a Chuck-Berry-worshipping blast of high-octane, blues-powered rock ‘n’ roll that gets the senses tingling, whilst Evil mama has a riff that could level buildings. Things do slow a touch with the soulful just ‘cos you can don’t mean you should, although there’s no slowing the epic solo that sees Joe, bathed in light, playing for his life at the front of the stage. When Joe bought the, as then unreleased, self-inflicted wounds to the stage last time out, we noted its latter-day-Floyd feel, and that richly emotive progressive element remains. It feels more refined this time round, but the core melody has lost none of it s power and familiarity only heightens the anticipation for the climactic solo.
Having dispatched the new material early in the set, Joe leads us across more familiar territory with a blistering cover of Albert King’s I get evil (a highlight of the live at the Greek Theater set) and a similarly wild-eyed cover of the Blues Breakers’ Little girl, in which Joe adopts a Clapton pose, much to the delight of audience and band alike. In this portion of the set we also get a pair of cuts from the outstanding blues of desperation album, the first of which is a powerful no good place for the lonely. However, the point where everything really clicks into place is when Joe unleashes a remarkable (and extended) how deep this river runs, which is both poignant and jaw-dropping in equal measure. It’s as if the whole set has been leading up to this point, and Joe and his band dive into the track with fierce determination. It is one of those transcendental, edge-of-the-seat moments, where the night goes from being a rock ‘n’ roll show, to being something else altogether, and Joe’s exquisite guitar work is all the better for being infused with a raw passion that is undeniable. From here on in, the set is running on rocket fuel – a ferocious breaking up someone’s home ramming the point home as the band really go to town on the track. It’s hard to sit still, and a glance around the auditorium shows that a large portion of the audience are having the same trouble as they fidget, tap restlessly on their legs and generally show every sign of wanting to break free from the shackles of their seats and boogie down the aisle.
Following a humorous set of band intros, in which Joe details a fairly horrific ride from Plymouth to Nottingham, a reworked slow train not only rocks the house as it emerges from a storm of blistering feedback, it also features the vocal talents of Juanita, Jade and Paulie who take impressive lead turns. Watching Joe and Michael trade impish grins as they take the opportunity to rock out also adds something to the atmosphere, and it lends greater impetus to their push to get the entire arena standing as the set reaches its tumultuous end. And what an end… An emotional sloe gin , an explosive boogie with Stu that sees the band finally summoning the audience to rise, a rampant Last Kiss (closing the set proper) and, finally, an elegant Mountain Song, bought back from the depths of It’s like that, Joe’s second solo release.
Joe Bonamassa has been apt to describe the musicians with whom he works as the best band in the world, and it’s hard to disagree. For a touring entity that seems to rarely leave the road, there’s a freshness to their performance that belies the miles they’ve clocked up and the interaction between the musicians is a joy to behold. Michael Rhodes remains one of the coolest musicians to ever grace the stage, his initial serenity giving way as he surrenders to the power of the music and finally breaking altogether during Boogie with Stu, where he’s instrumental in getting the audience to their feet. Then, of course, you’ve got Reese Wynans, whose ever-genial presence at the keys belies the power and dexterity of his performance. It’s wonderful to see these musicians come together with such obvious joy, and, at the heart of this hurricane is Joe Bonamassa – the boy who realised his dream and remains in awe of it every single night. Such joy cannot help but be transmitted to the audience and, as we stream out into the night, the warmth of the gig remains. Joe’s set to return to the UK for a special run of RAH shows in the New year and, on the strength of this performance, his return cannot come soon enough.
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