Recorded for a Live Stream event (played, remember, in advance of Royal Tea’s much anticipated release), Now Serving… is the latest live offering from guitar icon Joe Bonamassa. As with live streams released by other bands during these uncertain times, the show is unique in Joe’s ever-expanding collection of live offerings, the more so because he made the decision to perform in front of a series of cut outs in place of an audience. Released in a similar selection of formats to previous Bonamassa offerings, Now Serving can be purchased as a standalone Blu Ray, a DVD, CD or double vinyl. In truth, this multi-formatting is becoming just a little annoying (especially when you consider how many bands have packaged their live streams up as multi-format packages), but there’s no doubting the quality of what’s on offer.
Comprising twelve tracks (including nine of Royal Tea’s ten tracks, slightly shuffled), Now Serving is a tightly wound showcase for Joe Bonamassa’a current mode. The show opens according to the parent album’s running order, which makes sense – When One Door Opens is a beautifully slow-burning show opener with a blistering sting in its tail. While the original live stream was sonically impressive, the audio for this release has been remixed and remastered for commercial release and it sounds utterly amazing. There’s a power and precision evident that makes the hairs stand up on the back of the neck, especially in those final thrilling minutes when Joe lets his inner rock star off the leash. The only slight oddity, which had me scrambling for the liner notes, is that someone took the decision to add audience noise between the songs, which feels incongruous given that the whole point of having no audience present was to capture the uncertainty of the time. While it may make the songs flow more effectively than the silence of the night, that same silence is what made the show somehow special and it’s a real shame that it has been papered over in post-production. The smoothly swinging title track is up next, and it takes on new life on the stage. It’s hard to say exactly what the difference is, because the band are insanely tight, yet this performance still seems to breathe in a manner hinted at on the studio version, but not quite as fully realised. It’s also insanely catchy and many has been the time I’ve caught myself humming the central refrain since the album first landed on my desk.
Joe steps away from the running order at this point, leading his band into an impressive High Class Girl but, as good as that is, it’s the bruising, harmonica-washed Lookout Man! that absolutely slays. An album highlight, this explosive live version leaves the original gasping in its wake, and you can feel the whole band lock into the groove with relish. With distorted bass and defiant vocals, Lookout Man is a devastating statement of intent that threatens to flatten the Ryman. After such a scorching display, it’s time for a breather and, fortunately, Joe has the perfect antidote on hand in the form of Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye. A shimmering ballad with a gorgeous, Gary Moore feel, it offers up some of Royal Tea’s most expressive lead work, and it has one hell of a build-up in its second half.
Returning to the album’s running order, next up is the well-worn A Conversation With Alice (released far in advance of its parent album). It remains insanely catchy, although it pales in comparison to the wah-inflected might of I Didn’t Think She Would Do It. With its blazing riffs and organ stabs, it’s a fast-paced boogie made for a well-polished dance floor, and the band swallow it whole. In contrast, Beyond The Silence is the sound of heartbreak rendered over seven gorgeous minutes. An emotional and cathartic number, Beyond The Silence is one of those songs that come to have great resonance over time, and the band deliver it with just the right balance of poignancy and potency. Bringing the main set to a close, we get the toe-tapping, falsetto-laden Lonely Boy and the band do it full justice. A joyful number with a big band feel, it’s utterly irresistible and it’s amazing to see just how many of the new tracks already feel like old favourites.
With the album concluded, Joe still has a few aces up his sleeve for this special show. First up, we head back to where it all began and Joe’s incendiary cover of Cradle Rock. It’s a measure of Joe’s confidence that he led off his debut album with a stone-cold classic, but he had the chops and, hearing him tear into it some twenty years later, it’s clear he’s lost none of his love for the piece. From the same album, we get Joes cover of Free’s. Walk In My Shadow before he brings everything to a crushing conclusion with the Jethro Tull classic A New Day Yesterday interpolated with Wurm from the three-part Tull epic Starship Trooper. Basically nine-minutes of guitar heaven, it’s the perfect set closer and it’s great to hear Joe digging into tracks rarely seen in recent years.
When we watched the live stream, we noted that the band seemed a touch uncertain during the opening numbers, but when listening to the set, no such nerves are evident, and the musicianship remains typically exemplary throughout. With the remix / remaster rendering this release exceptionally clear and powerful, the only slight misstep is the addition of canned applause, which feels an unnecessary embellishment for all that the band are worthy of every ovation they receive. Nevertheless, Live At The Ryman is another fantastic addition to Joe’s remarkable catalogue of live releases and, like those that have gone before, it provides a perfect snapshot of where Joe is right now. 9/10
