Well yesterday evening was great. Earlier in the day I’d had a text to tell me that my friend I’d been planning to attend the show with could no longer afford to attend, but as if by magic got one from Lavinia – a mutual friend of RICJUNKIE asking of if I had a ticket for the show!
So we met up and entered the venue. We were on the third row of the Upper Circle and the view wasn’t the best, we had to lean forward to see the stage, but it didn’t impede the show. When Two Minutes To Midnight boomed over the PA it was clear the venue was only 3 quarters full so it appeared many were unaware of the early start or couldn’t get to Edinburgh for 7.30. It was hard to imagine it was over two years since I’d seen Joe as he came to the stage with a great roar from the crowd. The sound was a little muffled on Slow Train and Last Kiss, but seats were taken quickly and the sound settled for the first standout of the night, Midnight Blues. Although a tribute to Gary Moore, the style of the song was very reminiscent of the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac with Joe’s tone and Tal’s drumming very much in that style.
Sloe Gin got the greatest cheer during the early songs, before Joe told us about his night off in Edinburgh with Sandi, revealing that he had been hospitalised by full strength Octomore whisky for 17 hours. If he was under the weather it did not show as he lead the band through a heavy version of Howlin Wolf’s Who’s Been Talking. The almost accapella opening of John Henry received a great crod response. Having not seen Joe for a while and avoiding the setlists published from earlier shows, it was great to guess which song was coming next. A superb version of Blues Deluxe brought howls from the audience and Joe held back just from the temptation to shred. Young Man’s Blues is not my favourite song from Joe’s set, but it was played in great humour, particularly the duel with Tal throughout. Tal brings a different vibe to the show and certainly draws a little of the constant attention from Joe (probably a good thing). Carmine was solid throughout and Rick was pleasantly audible throughout the show.
Woke Up Dreaming stunned those that had never heard it before and the India start of Mountain Time brought up the hairs on the back of my neck. One of the best versions I’ve heard of the song. All too fast the band left the stage before Joe came on to joke about how from 12 studio albums and 140 songs he’d never had a hit and he could guarantee from the new album there would not be a hit either (as all the songs are 8 minutes long). He then brought Sandi on stage to sing with him on Driving Into Daylight. To be honest her vocals did not appear loud enough to make a dent in the sound, but she was clearly happy to be with Joe and there was no guitar solo for her to sit through.
Then Joe got the flying V out for you know what… Someone had placed a saltire (Scottish flag) with Scotland Rocks on it, and during a pause in the song, he picked it up and placed it over Rick’s unused keyboard (Rick later placed it on Joe before the bow). Many first time attendees were bowled over and for those of that are familiar with Joe’s shows our beliefs were reconfirmed. Indeed I felt a greater connection to his music than I have in a long while. Nice to meet up with trdb (Tom) after the show, who initially appeared speechless about the show he had witnessed.
Later we headed to the bar for a drink and then leaving the pub we spotted Joe’s buses outside and a small crowd gathering, we lingered for a while as Joe signed tickets and DVDs but as Lavinia’s train time was alarmingly close I simply patted Joe on the back and thanked him for a great show. I’ve enjoyed speaking with him in the past and perfectly happy for newer fans to do so. In summary it was a great night and I can promise you now it won’t be so long til I next see Joe (approximately 1 week in Glasgow)! No over analysis or anything like that from me this time, just a great night’s performance.
"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
