Dresden 16th May 2009 - Tante JU

As I promised, here's the write-up of my very first concert of Joe last Saturday (16th May) in Dresden @ Tante JU. I initially wrote it for my livejournal but shortened it a bit to post it here. It's still long, I'm so sorry but I couldn't help myself! The full version can be found here, which includes the images directly and a few more details surrounding my day and the concert.

I hope I don't come across as totally crazy. I'm just... dedicated and really enthusiastic. But let's get started –

The hall was pretty packed (about 600 people were there) and finally, at 9 pm, the first tunes echoed through the hall. I pretty much expected it to be the opening title and wasn't let down with "The Ballad of John Henry"! And actually, at that I really felt emotions welling up and I got a little teary-eyed when Joe and the band came on stage. Seeing him standing there, simply taking in his presence was impressive, and that intensity lingered on throughout the entire show. And I do have to add, Joe looked mighty fine in his black suit and light green dress shirt.

Unfortunately I really can't recall the entire setlist and would totally appreciate it if someone could help me out here! We did get "So Many Roads", "Further on up the Road" and the amazing "Sloe Gin" (I love this song to no end) which absolutely blew me away. After about 5 songs Joe took a little break from playing and for the first time spoke to the audience, he thanked us all for coming and added that it really means a lot to him that everyone showed up to see the band perform. He also mentioned that he visited Dresden for the very first time and thought the city was really beautiful. (This is my memory speaking, possibly not Joe's exact words. But word to that, it's so true!) Now if I'm not mistaken, on he went playing a few songs from the new album, including "The Great Flood", "Happier Times" and "Lonesome Road Blues". I was so very happy to hear these songs live, they are amidst my favorites for the time being. And during various songs I sometimes simply had to remind myself to actually breathe because the guitar solos were so intense and obviously, breathtaking.

Now there are two things I want to address. First, the heat. It's clear that in a room with a huge amount of people it's going to be hot sooner or later, especially at concerts. A main problem here definitely was the lack of a fresh air supply, the oxygen shortage was kind of obvious after a certain time. And of course the heat itself caused lots of sweat not only in the audience but especially for the band. Joe was totally soaked, after about 10 songs he finally took off his jacket but at that time there was no point of return. I mean, you could have thrown a bucket of water at him and would have had a similar result. I'm exaggerating but that seriously grasped my attention. Throwing a towel at him would have probably helped more, I guess.

Secondly, the sound. I know I'm going out on a limb here, flame me all you want because how can I say the sound wasn't at its best when it's Joe Bonamassa who's playing. I'm so sure it's not the band's fault and by all means it happened only a few times but still I was under the impression that where I was positioned I sometimes didn't get to hear the full and more important, balanced mix of music. Later on when I had a chat with one of the employees and mentioned it we agreed that you'll mostly get the best sound in the middle of the room with a distance to the stage but he also told me that the sound engineer who usually takes care of things wasn't there and they had a rather new guy working on the mixing console. I attribute the slight imbalance to that. Still, that doesn't at all mean I didn't enjoy the concert. I loved every minute of it and wouldn't have wanted to stand anywhere else, it was so worth it being so close in front. What's not to love, seriously!

So back to the fun parts – after a while there was a bit more room in front of the stage and while I've had a good view so far Eva gave me the opportunity to get even closer to the stage. This way I ended up being about a meter away from Joe and literally stood there in even more awe than before. If anyone's found a loose jaw lying around on the floor somewhere, it was mine.

As for photos, I managed to take a few really neat ones of Joe but sadly failed to get good ones of Carmine, Rick and Bogie. I tried quite a few times but they all came out blurry. Not using the flash certainly is the reason for that but I didn't want to go there because the band would have probably killed me had I flashed them to infinity. On the brighter side, they did a totally amazing job and were contributing so much to the brilliance that this concert was.

After the main set we got an encore with two more songs, "Story of a Quarryman" and "Asking Around For You". What a wonderful song choice to close the concert. After this trip I pretty much expected it to be midnight but it only was 11 pm! I got so carried away and sucked into the music I really lost my sense of time.

Finally the organizers opened up the rolling gate at the left wall to let in fresh air which was long overdue but I went out the other way to the bar and back to the merch stand. Where I eventually ended up buying a t-shirt, this one. That image has fascinated me from the first time I saw it so now I couldn't resist even though it wasn't a girlie version. Still, so pretty.

Save the best for last is probably the way to start this – All credit here goes to the wonderful Eva (thank you so much, omg). I got to meet Joe!

The only problem? My brain had a massive blackout, my mind was almost completely blank at that moment. I barely registered where I was and what was happening and it was such a weird, surreal feeling not being able to take it all in a hundred percent. I was able to tell him that it was the first time I saw him live and was really blown away by the performance, yet there were other things I would have wanted to say that simply didn't pop into my head at that time. Way to fail me, brain, I do really hate you sometimes. Also, my English is usually better when my brain is actually working.

Still, I've never had that happen, at least I can't remember being so out of it in a situation like this before. Seriously, Joe, why do you have such an effect on me! Oh well. I have so much respect, admiration (and ultimately, love) for your talent, your dedication, your music, what you've achieved so far is incredibly impressive, how can I not at least be a little bit beside myself when getting the chance to meet you.

(Oh my gosh. I knew I would make a fool of myself sooner or later. There you have it, that was my official fangirl mode...)

A friend of mine whom I've told about my reaction put it really well – "I do know what you mean, and I feel like it takes a long time to get used to that, with anyone you admire or respect greatly. It's fun and exciting, but it definitely also brings quite a bit of anxiety with it, that's for sure! I'm just glad to hear you got to meet someone like that for you and had a good experience!"

Back on topic, he signed two albums and a poster for me which made me the happiest camper around. Joe, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to do that!

A bit later I got lucky and was also able to get autographs from the band, Bogie was practically on the run but kind enough to stop for me and another lady. And Rick and Carmine are the funniest and nicest fellas around, we had a great chat and took some hilarious photos.

~ Finally, thank you guys so very much for making this such a wonderful and memorable evening! You made me incredibly happy that night and I so hope to see you again soon.

Eva, I have so much love for you already! <3 I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me that evening, it's so cool to have met you and really hope we'll meet each other again soon as well! You totally rock.

Also, if anyone's curious and wants to see a face to my name, here is a picture of Eva and me. I'm (obviously) the one with the glasses.

Last but not least – concert photos! I uploaded the best shots of Joe to my flickr gallery here. And then here I have a few pretty pictures of Dresden. And again, pimping my livejournal entry with the full range of random trivia, heh.

~ Sheesh, this "shortened" version still exceeds pretty much any world limit available, I'm so sorry! If you've really managed to read this entire monster of a post you totally deserve free cookies. I mean it, if we ever get to meet at a concert, holler and I'll get you some. So this way, thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and weren't scared away by my obvious fangirling capabilities.

Claudia