1 (edited by Amsterhammer 2010-04-25 09:32:50)

Topic: Harrisburg, April 25

Cathy and I will be rolling up to the appointed meeting place/drinking/eating venue around the corner somewhere between 4-5 pm after our leisurely drive up through Pennsylvania. Shame about the weather, though.

So, who's coming apart from Jane, The Hombres, ChrisM, Brokenknee (should be easy to spot  wink  ) and our still ticketless Vik?

edited to add The Hombres

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

My wife & I will be there around 5, along with Bev & Paul that you met at our house last week. We just this morning made arrangements so we could make it. smile

Amsterhammer wrote:

Cathy and I will be rolling up to the appointed meeting place/drinking/eating venue around the corner somewhere between 4-5 pm after our leisurely drive up through Pennsylvania. Shame about the weather, though.

So, who's coming apart from Jane, ChrisM, Brokenknee (should be easy to spot  wink  ) and our still ticketless Vik?

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Amsterhammer wrote:

Cathy and I will be rolling up to the appointed meeting place/drinking/eating venue around the corner somewhere between 4-5 pm after our leisurely drive up through Pennsylvania. Shame about the weather, though.

So, who's coming apart from Jane, The Hombres, ChrisM, Brokenknee (should be easy to spot  wink  ) and our still ticketless Vik?

edited to add The Hombres


Hey, I called the G-Man and asked them to move the reservation for tables from 6:00 to 5:30.  Just so you know, there are 2 sides to the restaurant - one is a bar with pool tables where folks can smoke, and one side is a restaurant only (non-smoking).  I wasn't sure who smokes and who doesn't, so I set it up on the restaurant only non-smoking side.  The reservation is under my name - Chris M, but I told them folks may not know my last name so they might ask for the table for a Joe Bonamassa pre-show party. 

T minus 8 hours and 10 minutes!  Wahoo!  We watched RAH last night to get (even more) psyched about tonight's show!

You bring your guitar and I'll bring the wine.  - Little Feat

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Our friends also made reservations for 8 at 5:00 (only 4 of us), so between us that gives 18 seats. smile

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Just released 10 tickets for the show. Come and get them......

Amsterhammer wrote:

Cathy and I will be rolling up to the appointed meeting place/drinking/eating venue around the corner somewhere between 4-5 pm after our leisurely drive up through Pennsylvania. Shame about the weather, though.

So, who's coming apart from Jane, The Hombres, ChrisM, Brokenknee (should be easy to spot  wink  ) and our still ticketless Vik?

edited to add The Hombres

"Music Washes Away From The Soul, The Dust Of Everyday Life"

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Jane H. wrote:

Great show!!!!got to meet some new bonabuddies but its never enough time to talk much and i missed a few. fun just sharing the show.
loved hearing the new songs.
i like trying to see which song Joe plays the fastest. well thats after Woke Up Dreaming of course. there were some fast things in Last Kiss, great version last night, but i think its a tie between the run after Rick's solo in SILT that was the fastest complex part, but then one part of the Sloe Gin intro was pretty intense.
hope to see some pics from some of the photographers. my camera just doesn't cut it.
was raining hard afterward so didn't stick around i was at least glad it wasn't foggy cause it had been all day.
anyway thanks again Joe and everybody. hope i don't have to wait too long till next time.

oh yeah i got a keychain at the show. they are nice. i will try to get a pic of it because the pic in the store doesn't really show its nice and thick and not too big. just right

more later

Sounds like a great show and a great time, too bad the weather was bad.

Music is good for the Soul...

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Can words describe Joe Bonamassa on stage?  If you’ll pardon my feeble attempt, here’s a description of what happened up on the mezzanine level in Harrisburg last night. 

Before we went up, the crowd outside was psyched, buzzing with excitement waiting to get in and see The Man.  One woman asked me for a light, and mentioned she has never seen him before but heard such great reviews she felt compelled to come.  I told her there was a word for her - Bonavirgin – and warned her that she would never be the same again, so she should remember this moment in time because she was about to get Bonabaptized, and later, when she exits the building with a religious fervor for Joe B, she would understand what I was trying to tell her.  Did she think I was being melodramatic?  Probably, but she graciously smiled and laughed.  Little did she know… (more on her later)

And there he was.  Larger than life… with that presence.  He owned the stage.  He is a showman.  He is the man.  Does he understand how he mesmerizes the audience?  How time stops when his fingers work their magic?  I think so, but I’m not sure he fully understands his power to hypnotize.  He goes to the zone.  He IS the music.  It is clear he loves what he does, and we believe it.  I believe it.

The show was powerful, with a great line up.  I thought some of his songs were better than I’ve ever seen him perform before.  I personally thought Further on Up the Road was even better than RAH. (Yes, I said it, and I make no apologies for it.)  Last Kiss and So Many Roads were kickin’.  It’s always magic when Joe plays Sloe Gin, but last night… it was… a religious experience.  Or maybe it was a sexual experience.  I’m not sure, LOL.  I’ve never seen him nail it like that.  Every nuance of every note was the most incredible experience I’ve ever heard/seen/felt.  I looked around and realized everyone – EVERYONE - was sitting on the edge of their seats.  That’s when I noticed I was too!  I was holding my breath.  People were sighing.  Gasping.  Those five rows on the mezzanine level literally forgot to breathe!  This will sound lame, but I cried, just a little.  (I cried!  What was that about?  Joe nailed the emotion lyrically and musically.)

I won’t bore you with more details because most of you reading this were probably there, but I have to tell you about our girl.  I was hanging around the lobby killing a few minutes before heading out to the bus, hoping for a chance to meet Joe, when who walked up and touched my arm with this doe-in-the-headlights look in her eyes.  It was our Bonavirgin.  She said, “Do you remember me?  I just had to tell you.  You were right.  You were so right.” And then she was speechless.  She looked at me with this look that begged for an explanation of what just happened to her.  I smiled and laughed, and silently proclaimed her Bonabaptized.  Another soul has clearly joined our masses, and she will go forth and proselytize.  I think we have a new recruit for the Street Team!

You bring your guitar and I'll bring the wine.  - Little Feat

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Great review Chris...

This was a great night & a sad night for us as is it was the last of our three shows this week, every show better than the last & each with special memories. It was great to meet up with everyone at the Gman before the show, what a great evening. Now the long wait begins for Joe's return. sad

Thanks for 3 great nights Joe, Carmine, Bogie & Rick. cool

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Hey, almost forgot... who called Joe a show off last night?  It was one of y'all sittin' up front.  That was funny! tongue

You bring your guitar and I'll bring the wine.  - Little Feat

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Great reviews all. Chris, that is a classic tale of a Bonabaptism. People are always skeptical when we start raving and view us as some kind of proselytizer that showed up on the doorstep. The day after when they have that glazed look in their eyes, we smile and say,"Told Ya!"
Hombre, we are two months into withdrawal out here from the three show circuit and it's getting bad. I think Joe should blow off Europe and start the loop again from the West Coast! lol They get enough Blues over there as it is.
Rick

Free download from Vienna! http://mbsy.co/bNLR
Lots of unique videos of Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwd5vL8fXTw
Buy Joe's merchandise here. http://www.jbonamassa.com/affiliates/id … hp?id=1381

11 (edited by cathysiler 2010-04-27 00:32:55)

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Sorry this is so late, but you know how it is with Mondays! But it was worth it!

The pre-show meeting of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Dutch fans was the perfect "warm-up". We met a local Joe fan who had a "Joe Bonamassa"  embroidered, leather, base-ball cap he had made..props to "Michael". He and the "Mistress of all Embroidery", Gale, have mad needle skills. Tim (Hombre), had www.joebonamassa.com embroidered across the back shoulders of his jeans jacket. Extra Street Team points to them all.

The venue is user friendly. Great acoustics, comfy seats, and, sold out! Joe and the boys were in good spirits and were playful all night. The mix was spot on. I had moments that allowed me to marvel at how well Rick and Joe's voices blend. Bogie is so tight! He never seems to tire. Carmine again defied the limits of the chair. Joe was amazing. No signs of the lingering respiratory issue. He continues to stun me every time! I love the big red guitar. (I'm sorry to say Joe told me what it is and I forgot..a '79???) I'm also a big fan of the ever evolving intro to "Sloe Gin". I agree with everything Chris said about the crowd response. There were moments when "wow" came out of my mouth like the faithful saying "amen" at a revival.

That's how I felt after the show...revived..filled with the Bona-spirit. As I went out the front door I ran into Joe's Dad. What a nice man!!! He couldn't stop expressing his gratitude to Joe's fans and was raving about how amazing they were. I told him we were grateful to him and his wife, for raising such a great young man. (ed - http://www.flickr.com/photos/49663389@N07/4557126254/)

And now for a big shout-out to the group from Lititz Pa. Fifty Bonamaniacs loaded onto a school bus and made the journey! What a sight. Parked in front of the tour bus. Hats off to whomever organized that trip!

Finally..Don and Jocelyn!! We've been meeting at shows for years now!! Time to jump into this community!!!

THANKS Joe and all for another great show, adventure, and memory! Cathy

Edit: Apologies to all my phone buddies (Rick, Patty, Libby, Shred)...I left the phone in the car..

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Beat the heck out of a scratchy cell phone concert, didn't it Cathy.  smile Nice review and I think that red guitar is a 355 model.
What a great deal with a whole bus load of fans coming to the show. Rocking for sure.  cool
Rick

Free download from Vienna! http://mbsy.co/bNLR
Lots of unique videos of Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwd5vL8fXTw
Buy Joe's merchandise here. http://www.jbonamassa.com/affiliates/id … hp?id=1381

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

I'll have more to add once I get around to it, but here are some people (rather than show) pics of the night.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49663389@N … 816622025/

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

14 (edited by Hombre 2010-04-27 12:43:53)

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

I'm with you Rick, Joe should be on a repetitive circuit of the same venues. smile My wife (Gale) is walking around the house saying "DON'T GO JOE, DON'T GO".

You're right Cathy, Joe does have the best fans. Having said that, Joe, Carmine, Bogie & Rick make us the best fans by treating us the the way they do. Example...What other entertainer would be available for photos & autographs feeling as poorly as Joe did after the Wilmington show?

Thank you Cathy for giving Gale her new title, I love it. big_smile

15 (edited by ChrisM 2010-04-28 19:23:45)

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

You know me... still the newbie with so many questions.  I have a suggestion for a merchandising idea, and wonder if you can tell me who I should ask?  And I want to make it known that if these end up going on sale, I WANT ONE!   big_smile

If anyone noticed the bus Sunday night, you probably saw the license plate.  If not, I have a picture of it posted here (along with concert pics and a few of us who gathered together that night):  http://www.flickr.com/photos/49741985@N … 21678363/.

Here in PA we only have "official" license plates on the rear bumper, so that leaves my front plate free to advertise for Joe.  I want a "Bona-Who" plate so I can tell everyone who asks.  And believe me, they will ask.  I used to have a personalized plate that said "Type O" and I got sick of everyone asking me if that was my blood type, so I traded it in.  I think a Bona-Who souvenir plate would be just the ticket for word-of-mouth advertising.  So where can I get one??????

And, yes, I was a pest and stood behind Joe's bus and photographed this.  I felt bad doing it, but I did it.  I confess.

Edited to fix the link.

You bring your guitar and I'll bring the wine.  - Little Feat

16 (edited by Hombre 2010-04-27 17:52:04)

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Chris here is a previous thread on license plates & frames. http://www.jbonamassa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13056I'm Im sure Alex Jr. will read it.

By the way nice pix. smile

ChrisM wrote:

You know me... still the newbie with so many questions.  I have a suggestion for a merchandising idea, and wonder if you can tell me who I should ask?  And I want to make it known that if these end up going on sale, I WANT ONE!   big_smile

If anyone noticed the bus Sunday night, you probably saw the license plate.  If not, I have a picture of it posted here (along with concert pics and a few of us who gathered together that night):  http://www.flickr.com/photos/49741985@N08/.

Here in PA we only have "official" license plates on the rear bumper, so that leaves my front plate free to advertise for Joe.  I want a "Bona-Who" plate so I can tell everyone who asks.  And believe me, they will ask.  I used to have a personalized plate that said "Type O" and I got sick of everyone asking me if that was my blood type, so I traded it in.  I think a Bona-Who souvenir plate would be just the ticket for word-of-mouth advertising.  So where can I get one??????

And, yes, I was a pest and stood behind Joe's bus and photographed this.  I felt bad doing it, but I did it.  I confess.

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Chris, you will have more success getting one made. There are a ton of sources online that will do one for about 25 or 30 bucks. A suggestion for an official license plate holder with JB script has been requested for a while with no results. I got tired of waiting and had one made and in my hands in a week for 25. Many states do not allow a custom front plate. This is one.
No patience,
Rick

Free download from Vienna! http://mbsy.co/bNLR
Lots of unique videos of Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwd5vL8fXTw
Buy Joe's merchandise here. http://www.jbonamassa.com/affiliates/id … hp?id=1381

Re: Harrisburg, April 25

Hombre wrote:

Chris here is a previous thread on license plates & frames. http://www.jbonamassa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13056I'm Im sure Alex Jr. will read it.

Thanks, Hombre.  You know everything.    lol

You bring your guitar and I'll bring the wine.  - Little Feat