Topic: Joe wows 'em in Peoria sell out 3.9; some in crowd seemingly doze off
Joe and the guys rocked a sold-out house in Peoria on Wednesday night and most even managed to stay awake for the entire show.
It wasn’t until Joe figuratively left three fingernails on stage during his acoustic performance that the crowd gave him his proper due with a full-scale standing ovation. Tal Bergman seemed to sum things up best when he pantomimed the audience as sleeping during the opening of Slow Train.
Speaking of Bergman, he is awesome. I really liked Bogie Bowles. He’d sit back there and give you a solid effort. But Bergman is on another level. He sits back there and attacks his kit. He looks a little like The Cowardly Lion but his drumming is anything but timid. He’s a joy to watch. He seemed to constantly have a smile on his face and it spread to Joe and especially Carmine and Rick as they were sharing grins throughout the show.
Highlights of the show included a fantastic version of Dust Bowl. I like the track and it really comes alive in person. Joe and Tal nailed Lonesome Road Blues, just a stunning couple minutes at the end which should have stood the audience on its collective heads but, unfortunately, did not. Young Man’s Blues showed Joe and Carmine in synch like a fine Swiss watch, absolutely mesmerizing. Mountain Time provided its usual crescendo and Bird on a Wire found Joe in terrific voice.
I wasn’t thrilled with a few of the new arrangements. I can see the reasons for changing things up, but The Ballad of John Henry, for instance, is a masterpiece as originally constructed and shouldn’t be messed with in my opinion. Happier Times is a personal favorite and I was a little disappointed to see it changed up.
The new arrangements not withstanding, the show bordered on overwhelming. This is the third time I’ve seen Joe and it’s the third time I had to be scraped off the floor at the end. By that time, nobody in the crowd was dozing.