Amarillo, Texas USA Gig on Friday 5-11-2007

Hello all,

I've been a lurker here for quite some time, and thanks to the urgings of a friend I've finally taken the plunge and registered. (More about said friend later, perhaps even in another post. Plus, I'll soon post a little about myself in the Intros for those interested...)

I attended the gig at The Globe News Center in Amarillo Texas last night (Friday 5-11-2007). I was also at Joe's performance in the same venue last year, and while that show was amazing in its own right, last night simply put it to shame!

I'll pass on giving a set list for the show because that can be found elsewhere, but I will mention some highlights that I particularly enjoyed:

1. - The show opener "Bridge to Better Days". It is one of my favorite Joe tunes, and I especially liked the little snippet of Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers" the guys worked into it. That happens to be my favorite song of the 'modern era DP', and how they (a) got their hands on that bit of information, and (b) decided to work it into the set for me I'll never know, but I really appreciate it. :-)~

(Incidentally, if the entire show last night had consisted of one looong version of BTBD it wouldn't have hurt my feelings at all. Okay, maybe that and an extended "Palm Trees, Helicopters, and Gasoline"...)

2. - Tone. Great music to me begins and ends with tone, and Joe, Bogie, Carmine, and Rick have it in spades. To me, lousy tone = lousy music. No danger of that with The Joe Bonamassa Band! Oh, did I mention their INCREDIBLE TONE?!?!

3. - The overall sound quality. The mix was right on all night. The venue itself obviously plays a part, but beyond that it's up to the sound crew (and the artists themselves) to get everything to sound good and clear, regardless of the volume. In my opinion, they all succeeded with flying colors last night. I apologize for not knowing and being able to list the names of everyone responsible, because they deserve the recognition.

I've been a guitar player for thirty years, and I've been fortunate enough to attend hundreds of live gigs all over the USA. The show last night was easily one of the top ten I've ever experienced. It was in the same league as some of the finest shows I've seen by Eric Johnson, Stevie, and ZZ Top; it was that good. The guys were on their game, they were tight musically yet seemed to be relaxed and having a great time together, and the crowd was up and into the show. If you haven't seen Joe and The Boys play live, I can't recommend strongly enough that you go see them each and every time you have the opportunity. If you don't you'll be missing something special.

The only negative aspect of the night was the assortment of rude drunks (and/or just plain idiots) in the crowd who kept screaming and whistling during the show when they should have been more respectful both to the band onstage AND the fans around them. Poor manners and boorish behavior on the part of some has unfortunately always been a part of the live music experience, and it probably always will be, but to those people, I say: If you want to get drunk and behave poorly, or just act out for some other equally ridiculous reason, please do everyone a favor and stay home to do it.

Now, please bear with me for a personal note:

Soon after the doors opened last night and I had gone inside, I saw this guy come in wearing of all things a Speedy Gonzales t-shirt!  He looked to be more or less my age, had a pleasant face, and was carrying what appeared to be a small suitcase slung over his shoulder. We exchanged hellos and he seemed nice enough.

Later on, before we were allowed into the actual seating area, he came up to me and we started talking. Cool accent to match his cool t-shirt. I soon learned he was from England and his name was Michael Lynch. Before the evening was over, we had cussed and discussed everything from The Who to Iraq to American fast food to Dr. Martens to Lemmy to The West Ham FC to guitar picks. So, thank you Michael for being incredibly nice and making the evening even more special for me. Whenever you get back to Texas, we'll pick up where we left off. Remember your pledge to keep in touch, alright?

To sum it all up, last night's show was an incredible performance by a stunningly talented group of guys. Throw in a beautiful venue with great sound design, add in a new friendship to boot, and I'd be hard pressed to find a better way to spend an evening in Amarillo Texas.

Thanks everyone for reading this long first post of mine. Thanks Michael. And last but certainly not least, thanks Joe, Bogie, Carmine, and Rick for your music. (Joe, it was an honor to meet you and shake your hand last night. I hope to do it again someday.)

Best to all, Lloyd (Redskin204)