Here's a review in the Albany Times Union Preview magazine of the Albany show:
Joe Bonamassa @ the Egg 4/20/10April 21, 2010 at 12:08 am by David Malachowski
By David Malachowski
Special to the Times Union
ALBANY—Who says folks don’t go out to see music on a weeknight? Fast rising guitar hero Joe Bonamassa brought his six-string prowess to a sold-out crowd at the Egg on Tuesday night, and inside, you’d have thought it a Saturday, way after midnight.
Hailing from Utica, child prodigy Smokin’ Joe Bonamassa jammed with BB King at 12, soon he was in Bloodline with Miles Davis, Robbie Krieger and Berry Oakley’s sons, and was produced by the legendary Tom Dowd. Now, almost 33, Bonamassa is no longer cute kid, and that’s a good thing.
In Albany, dressed in a sharp suit, dark sunglasses and brandishing a double-neck guitar, Bonamassa dove into the thunderous “Ballad Of John Henry,” and quickly had the crowd in the palm of his fleet fingered hand. He brought up the tempo with “Last Kiss,” which echoes Muddy Water’s classic “Louisiana Blues,” and really let loose. That was until steamy slow blues “So Many Roads,” where he really ripped off a down and dirty over-the-top solo and bested himself.
Not quite as hunky as peers Kenny Wayne Sheppard or Jonny Lang, he puts his focus on his fretboard. So much so, though Bonamassa’s band was top-notch, they were very much behind him, and there was little interaction with his band mates.
Shuffle “So, It’s Like That” had a nice barroom feel, but “If Heartaches Were Nickels” was a sure showstopper, a passionate vocal (even though he said he was sick) coupled with an emotional solo.
Chestnut “Further On Up The Road” was well done, but a quiet intro to yet another slow blues “Sloe Gin” with just piano, was moving, as he juxtaposed quiet sensitive licks with rapid-fire machine-gun bursts of notes. You can’t have too many slow blues tunes, and in “Blues Deluxe” (made famous by the Jeff Beck Group) Bonamassa burned with dynamic, tough, taut playing.
A wildly unhinged “Young Man Blues” was more The Who than Mose Allison, soon a solo acoustic intro to “Woke Up Dreaming” was cascading notes, scales and arpeggios, at lightening speed, quoting songs and jumping genres as the crowd went crazy.
Given the Bonamassa treatment, a spare reading of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire” was another highlight, and after quoting the intro to Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious” (another nod to Jeff Beck) Bonomassa pulverized ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid.”
With fine, fast, fluid technique, Bonamassa’s playing is a given, and he’s becoming one of the best of his generation. His songs were decent, but he sure knows how to pick covers that suit him and get the crowd riled up.
One more thing Joe has fortunately figured out, is you just can’t beat a slow blues in a recession.
CONCERT REVIEW
JOE BONAMASSA
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany
Length: 2 hours
Highlights: “Sloe Gin,” “Blues Deluxe,” Bird On A Wire” and “Just Got Paid”
You are correct with the cast of characters at Valentines !!! I have pics around somewhere I believe, have to go in search of those. I still have Roy's business card around in my file !!!
