Royal Albert Hall 4/5/9 (Page 4 of 5)

Actually Live From Nowhere in Particular sounded as good live for the leg I caught of that tour stretch....maybe even a little better, not just  because I was "There" either. The live recording is not superior to the live show inasmuch as I witnessed. 

Did anyone else besides myself notice Scott copped a little bit of Joe's riffs from a certain song? I thought it was so cool!

Rock On & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

THE GOVERNMENT... can't take your opinion away from you......But, even in the land of the so-called free, them telling you you are WRONG about anything is an open & shut case usually ...however YOU trying to tell THE GOVERNMENT there's something wrong , good luck  may be necessary with that to be meaningful or corrected...but we try

Rock On & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

I AM SO SORRY  that everyone didn't have the good sound in the RAH that those seated in my area had...that is SUCH a shame. (I do have to admit that I had a bit of a headache by the end, but then I always do at rock gigs) Yes, you are young Adam! Now that I've read all of these posts, I'm convinced that the RAH is not a good venue for music at all. Too uneven. It's the same with classical music. Actually, most orchestras don't like playing there for just that reason. My husband is a conductor and has conducted probably at least 30 concerts in the RAH during his career and he says it's an awful place. But, it is one of the icons and will continue to be so....

Hi, Here is best review yet from the Sun in the UK

HE’S been around for the best part of a decade, gathering a devoted following of blues-rockers still mourning Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Just two years ago Joe Bonamassa was playing to the few at London’s bijou Borderline.

But this week Joe-Bo finally emerged as one of the most important figures in rock.

Amid a scintillating two-and-a-half hour set the master guitarist told a sold-out Albert Hall crowd it was his life’s ambition to play there.

By the end, he hadn’t just played it, he’d very nearly blown the famous dome roof clean off.

And if his credentials needed any further endorsement, they came right from the very top.

In the spiritual home of Eric Clapton, in walked EC himself. After a thrilling, solo-swapping version of Further On Up The Road, a modest Clapton rushed off with just a handshake for his host and a wave to the fans.

That he’d made his appearance just a few songs in rather than as a finale, and by the haste of his exit, Clapton was saying: “Enough of me, what about this guy?”

New Yorker Bonamassa has never made a secret of the influence of Sixties British blues guitarists on his playing.

So when he declared after Clapton’s departure, “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done”, you knew he meant it.

Perfect

Bonamassa’s super-tight two-drummer band packs a mighty punch and they provided the perfect backdrop for his virtuosity.

Ambition accomplished ... Joe Bonamassa
But his fret-melting skills were never more in evidence than when he put down the electric and mesmerised the audience with a lengthy, unaccompanied yet ear-shattering acoustic guitar piece.

Live, many top acts jemmy in only a track or two from their latest album, preferring to play proven crowd-pleasers.

But such is Bonamassa’s faith in his superb new album, The Ballad Of John Henry, he was happy to feature most of it, with personal highlights being Happier Times and Last Kiss.

Show-stopping Sloe Gin appeared early on when it might have been expected as a closer.

As it turned out, Bonamassa had a spectacular finish lined up — a near ten-minute medley which began with the bone-crushing riff of ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid and ended with a faithful renditon of “Zepic” Dazed And Confused, in turn recognising another hero, Jimmy Page.

Anyone who’s heard Bonamassa’s radio show on Planet Rock (classic rock fans, if you haven’t tuned in yet, why the hell not?) will have twigged his sheer love of music. That love pours out in his playing too.

“Thank you, London, for making this the greatest night of my life,” said Joe. It was pretty great for 4,500 fans, too.

And so it is!

Andre Wittebroek

I very much doubt it, most Sun readers never venture past page 3

I've been very interested reading all your different opinions of the JB RAH gig sound.  I was standing right up in the gallery, but almost directly above the stage and to me Joe sounded really awesome, most of the time.  There were a few occasions when I thought that he needed a bit more mike, so I could hear the words of the song above the music.  I knew though that down below in the stalls he would be sounding just right.  The film clip on You Tube confirms this.  Towards the end, someone must have twiddled those knobs a bit more, as  then it became much better.

I've been to many gigs at the RAH and usually always sit in the stalls, I was just a tiny bit too slow in buying my JB gig tickets. The RAH is in general a magnificent venue.  It was built way before the time of electronic microphones and amplifiers.

Did you notice that there was a moment in Joe's performance, when he stood back and sang without the microphone (I can't remember which song it was now)?   I could hear him very clearly from my vantage point high up in the Gods.  I thought WOW!!!  He couldn't do that at the O2 arena!

I also very much enjoyed watching his very awesome playing through my binoculars too.   

The Paul Jones and Eric Clapton special appearance numbers sounded really great from my high perch too.   I certainly drank in every note of Paul Jones' harp playing as I'm a very particular fan of his.   (Have to have my fix at least once every month!)  I think that JB, EC and PJ should record a special album together.   What do you all think?

I'm also going to the Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton gigs at the RAH.  I'm sitting up in the circle, as I couldn't afford the stalls due to the credit crunch , so I'll let you know how the sound at those gigs compare.:)

CJ

Can it really be over a week since we were making our way eagerly through Hyde Park in anticipation of the great event?
I’ve left my comments until now, as I really wanted to keep hold of all my feelings as long as I can  - they are precious (Gollum!).

This was my first trip to Albert’s Hall. I rarely travel that far from home to a gig, its around 150 miles – I know, that’s nothing compared to Shred and Rocket, but this one was special. Joe Bonamassa – the Crown Prince of Blues-Rock – in the Royal arena.

The atmosphere was electric as the lights dimmed (slightly) and Rick held that eerie opening chord on the keyboards. Then a sight I will never forget of Joe slowly appearing from the shadows during the opening bars of Django, to the standing ovation from an audience that was clearly expecting so much of their man. Joe has put so much planning and preparation into the RAH gig and was desperate not to disappoint. We all new this was expected to be a momentous occasion, both for Joe, and his fans. Understandably, he seemed a little tense to me during the first few songs, but maybe a clue as to why was the Fender Tweed combo I had spotted in front of Bogie’s drums. I guessed what was coming up. Initially I was a little disappointed  - Clapton got such an ovation that I found myself thinking “hang on people – tonight is supposed to be Joe’s night” , but  hey – if Joe wanted to do that on his special night, and he looked to be havin’ a blast, them I’m cool with that..

That business done with, Joe really knocked it up a gear and went into the two acoustic songs. This has been my favourite part of the Joe show since the first time I saw him and was totally knocked out – I never know whether to look at Joe’s fingers, or the bewildered faces in the audience – how can he do that? And the idea of two drummers on High Water Everywhere really worked, both musically and visually – what a spectacle!

One of the evenings highlights for me was next –Sloe Gin – Joe really nailed this one – much has been said about the variable sound in the hall, but Sloe Gin rang out clear and true – pure magic. Now Joe was into his stride and really seemed to enjoy the rest of the set, the showman starting to play the crowd, culminating in the spectacular main set finale of Just Got Paid.

Good to see Joe bring on Paul Jones – the guy has done so much for Joe’s profile in the UK – many of us here may not have heard of Joe but for Paul – and we could still be waiting for a UK gig as prestigious as the RAH. Thanks for flying Joe’s flag Paul!

Back out for the heart warming pairing of India and Mountain Time – that always makes me feel so good – can somebody tell me why? (And I love the way Joe is prepared to re-invent his songs – these two are both very different from the studio versions, and have become a real highlight – same with High Water Everywhere as an acoustic rocker)
I had a real shiver down my spine and lump in my throat at the end of Asking Around for You, when Joe thanked us for sharing with him “the best day of my life”.

Two and a half hours – surely not – it all went by so fast. A privilege to be there on Joe’s big night. The RAH gig will go down as a landmark for Joe, and rightly so. Bring on the DVD!

Much has been said about the sound quality in the hall that night – and it seems like it was a bit of a lottery depending on where you sat. We were about 10 feet to the left of the mixing desk, so I thought we would probably be ok soundwise, but I have to say it did vary throughout. The first few songs neither Joe’s vocals or guitar solo’s were cutting through the mix as they should, and at times we got a Spector “wall of sound” effect, with Carmine very indistinct, and the horns, when used, hardly audible. The accoustic section sounded fantastic – as good as I’ve ever heard it, and the rest of the set was ok for a large hall. I was surprised to hear that some found levels distressingly loud, as Mrs Icon, who suffers from tinitus at times, didn’t need to use her earplugs.
I am also left wondering why the house lights were not entirely out during the performance – I found this quite unusual. Maybe so the audience can be seen on the DVD? Or is it normal at the RAH?

For me, the sound issues could not detract from what was a memorable night – indeed a truly memorable weekend, shared with new found friends from the forum – what fun putting faces to names.
The whole weekend will certainly take some beating, from the initial meet-ups at the Ice Wharf, the storming performance by Aynsley Lister at Dingwalls, the JB forum meet-up at Hyde Park Lido, the building anticipation as we arrived at the RAH, the gig itself, and the after-show party at Cocoon. We felt like we were being welcomed into a very special family of friends. Some we only met briefly, some for much longer, but we were all there for the same reason – and you could feel the connection.

Huge thanks are owed to so many – here’s just a few names – you know why:
Duncan (Greenose)
Phil (Wooders)
Michael (Lynch)
Aynsley Lister & his band
Carmine, Rick, Bogie, Anton, the brass section, and all Joe’s road crew
and last but not least – Mr Joe Bonamassa
(for what was quite possibly the best weekend of our lives! )

Ian & Max (Mrs Icon)

PS – I forgot to thank the guys who started digging up the road outside our hotel room at 8 am on Tuesday – just when we needed a sleep-in!