The Germany Tour (Page 2 of 5)

Nice pictures Thomas! I´ll also post some after the tour, but they´re not as good as yours ...

We´re nearly ready to go now for out next Joe-experience in Ludwigsburg, but we just sat in the car and had to laugh so hard about that one guy from yesterdays show that I thought I´d share this short story with you:
There was a fan in the audience last night (with a very franconian accent), who had worked all his way up to the front of the stage just to speak to Joe - while he was playing! He kept on adressing him ("Joe!", "Joe!", "Jooooe!") and when Joe didn´t answer him (which was quite clear, because he was singing at that time...), the fan screamed "Du bischd der Bruder vom Jimi Hendrix!!" - "You are the brother of Jimi Hendrix"... obviously that was his message that he wanted Joe to hear, because he kept quite afterwards ...

I´m SO looking forward to the next show today - the review will have to wait until Monday, because I´m in a place without internet until then ... but I´m sure Thomas, Oliver and my Dad will write some great reviews.

Showtime!

Eva

ludwigsburg was another great experience and another sold out venue. i think if they go on like that they will not play in this relativ small venues anymore. joe bonamassa band is made for big stages,too, even if then it will be hard to be so closed like yesterday or the day before.
we were so near...................we could even clean up his shoes.
setlist was the same like in nürnberg, but my absolutly highlight was sloe gin which was more than outstanding, something for melting away that makes you warm, shivering and shaking at the same time. hard to discripe but i hope i will arrive to upload the video i did then maybe you can imagine.
seeing a lot of great guitar players during my live.............i must say joe bonamassa is somebody special, i rarly saw players whos fingers moved fast and sure like his and who puts so much feeling in his playing at the same time. its not only that i can hear it, its going in the body and i can feel it. as i said, hard to describe, but surly most of the readers here know what i mean.
the whole band puts so much power and energy in the songs and makes them all together a perfect team.
another wonderfull evening with very nice company again. all the best eva, for the rest of the tour. the same for the band...........................hope you come back soon. as they will play at the herzberg festival in july..................i will be there
nice sunday
Thomas

Great Pictures Thomas..... Thanks for sharing

i love img_0277

Thomas, you are absolutly right! The high energy level of the performance is unbelievable - and that in spite of the fact that Joe is suffering from some severe cold. A friend was asking us if Joe is into cocain because she couldn´t believe that such a "intellectual and slim person" can display so much energy. We informed her that guitar playing seems to be the only drug Joe is interested in.

Yesterday we had Rita with us who is most interested in Italian operas and whose pop/jazz background is somewhere between Elvis, Stones and Miles Davis. It was the first time she saw Joe and his band. She described Joe as a charismatic person and a divine guitar player. She liked in special his fantastic playing the acoustic guitar, not forgetting his "sensible hands, like those of a violin player" (we stood in the first row). She had a wonderful evening with a deep impact. Nice to see that Joe seems to be appriciated also beyond the bluesrock community.

Günter

A couple of good points Gunter!

Personally, I think the pause free set with just the occasional break for chat is great. I prefer the "relentless" approach. It's like a glorious machine that keeps on rocking and rolling.

Joe does feature (at least I have seen him feature) Rick on keyboards a few times in the set and Bogie too now has  a brief interlude here and there, as part of a tune, but not as long as the old drum solo I accept. However I personally feel that drum solos detract from the flow of a show. I would like to see Carmine showcased a little more however, as his fabulous skills, blending with Joe are soooo good it slips in almost unnoticed - which is really the way it should be for a realy professional musician. This is Joe Banamassa showcased after all!

My own feeling Gunter, is that Joe has explored solo approaches in the past and has blended what works into a show. We know he is not backward in coming forward (that's an English saying) in trying new things. Joe is raising the bar for all to see, as almost everyone admits. I feel that solos for the sake of solos are a step backwwards, but hey, that's only my opinion!

Hi Geoff,
that´s it: "relentless approach". We both seem to like it. I agree with what you said about the flow of the show and that it shouldn´t be interrupted by "solos". "Solo" was maybe the wrong expression because these have -especially when they are very long- sometimes an interruptive effect, indeed. If you compare Joe and the band with Indian curry (no insult intended: I love Indiand curries), you wouldn´t like to eat cummin, coriander or yellow powder seperately, but you could long maybe for a bit more Carmine-, Rick- or Bogie-flavour sometimes, even when the curry is perfect like it is.

Günter

Hello Bonabuddies,

I arrived in Hamburg yesterday in a kind of a "music haze" - having listened to music for 5 full hours on the train. I even put on LFNIP (as if I didn´t get to hear these songs often enough in the last days...) and dived back into the concert experience once more....
I´ll go and have a walk around Hamburg before I meet Issy this evening, but before that I have to write down my little review of Saturday (being back to a civilised place WITH access to internet )....

Ludwigsburg, 29.11.08

This one was even BETTER than Nürnberg - I always think "o.k., now it really CAN`T get any better" ... but it can!
I think Thomas described the experience very good - we were really so close to the Band that we could have cleaned Joe´s shoes! Joe was so kind to play my absolute favourite "Mountain Time" right in front of me, he was so close that I could actually HEAR the ring of the guitar strings....
I stood there and cried during half of the set (well, I didn´t "cry" to be exact - but I had tears in my eyes), because it was just SO beautiful ... the Ludwigsburg version of "Sloe Gin" was the most intense version I have ever seen Joe play. I was really shaking... I hope Thomas´ video turned out good - you really have to see that!!
And one more thing that got me so much was the new beginning to "One of these days" - did you guys hear that?! It´s so simple and beautiful .... I cried once more.
Joe threw me his pick after "One of these days" (yes, Oliver that was me - hope to meet you next time!!) and of course it is my holy treasure now ... I couldn´t get a guitar into my hands up to now to try if I can play like Joe now with the magical pick ...
During "Asking around for you" I called Sue (one day late for her birthday...) and it felt like she was there too - another magical "Bonabuddy-connection" from Germany to England ...

Joe was still ill on Saturday - I just can´t understand how he can put so much energy into the show when he still feels sick. Thank you Joe, for always giving your best - not matter how you feel ... no one in the audience would have guessed that you´re feeling ill.

When I spoke to Carmine and Rick after the show I asked them if they could PLEASE hire me as a T-Shirt seller ... I want to hear this every night!!
I am friendly, well-organized, have a good taste in music and can speak 3 languages. Hm Joe, can you hire me?!

Hamburg tonight!

Eva

P.S.: Ah yes, I can bake an excellent chocolate cake too!