1 (edited by Coach305 2012-04-27 03:49:57)

Topic: Omaha, 4/26/12

Set list and mini-review:

  • "Slow Train" - Joe started right on time (of course) with my favorite track from Dust Bowl. The way they've integrated the lights into the start-up is quite striking, and very theatrical.  Joe started out playing the single-pickup Firebird but broke a string; Mike was Johnny-on-the-spot with the Bona-byrd, though, and Joe never missed a beat...  wink

  • "Last Kiss" - Quite the crowd pleaser.

  • "Midnight Blues" - A heartfelt and moving rendition.  I think this might become another one of those "have to play" songs if Joe's not careful...

  • "Dust Bowl" - What a unique song, so unlike anything else in Joe's oeuvre!  Love it...

  • "Who's Been Talkin'" - I'd been anticipating this one for awhile, and it didn't disappoint.  A classic JB treatment of the equally classic Howlin' Wolf track...

  • "Sloe Gin" - A somewhat understated but hauntingly beautiful rendition, and another crowd-pleaser (of course)...

  • "The Ballad of John Henry" - A new and amazing arrangement of this favorite.  Just when you think you've heard everything, Joe pulls a surprise on you...   wink  I brought one of my drama students along with me as a guest, and although he had heard the song before, he had no idea what a theremin was!  We had a nice chat about that on the drive home...always looking for the "teachable moment," am I!  big_smile

  • "Lonesome Road Blues" - A high-energy treatment, and a nice follow-up to the new-fangled TBOJH...

  • "Look Over Yonder's Wall" - A little something for the blues purists, I suppose, but Joe just killed it on this one, so I don't really care why he played it, just hella glad he did...   wink

  • "Steal Your Heart Away" - Joe and the fellas rocked this one, and it was a nice counterpoint to what came just before and just after...

  • "Blues Deluxe" - You could spot the long-time fans easily at the outset of this one ( wink ), and Joe played and sang his hindquarters off on it.  One of the evening's peak moments...

  • "Young Man Blues" - Joe and Tal had a lot of fun with this one.  I heard The Who play it live three times, and Joe's version is every bit as good, IMHO...

  • "Woke Up Dreaming" - As with TBOJH, Joe seems to be reinventing this one right before our eyes. The new bits worked well with the old, and the overall performance had jaws dropping all around me (not that that is unexpected on this song)...

  • "India/Django/Mountain Time" - The way Joe is now combining these two instrumentals is truly moving, and he is in complete command of his instrument.  And "Mountain Time" was...well, at least the tipsy lady sitting to my left didn't seem to notice me crying...   wink

  • "Driving Toward the Daylight" - New song, played on a Tele, absolutely killer singing/playing.  What more can you ask? Can't wait to hear the whole DTTD album!

  • "Just Got Paid" - A lively rendition, brought the crowd to its feet (of course).  Always a little bittersweet for me, since I know there won't be any more Joe after he plays this, but what a finale!

A couple of miscellaneous notes:

  • Joe used the Rotosphere a little more than I expected.  Sometimes it seemed like the perfect touch, but there were a couple of times where it didn't quite work for me.  YMMV...

  • There was a little more of the mindless "woo-hooing" tonight than you'd like to see, but as Joe noted he hasn't played Omaha in about three years, so I guess I can cut the Cornhuskers a little slack on that score.  Hoping the Des Moines crowd isn't quite so gauche, though...  cool

  • I got my tickets by purchasing the "Titan" litho last fall, so I was a little surprised to be up in the nosebleed balcony seats. Is that the norm for those of you who've gotten tickets via a litho purchase in the past?  A lot of chatter up there during songs, but at least we were far enough from the bar that there weren't people constantly excusing themselves to get another drink!

  • The amp line-up: Two Silver Jubilees, two Black Jubilees, the Trainwreck (I think), and an amp I couldn't quite make out from so far away, probably a Van Weelden.  No Category 5 this time, that I could see...

  • Whoever was running the smoke machine was having an off night...  wink

  • What???  No "Blue and Evil"???  !@#$%   big_smile

Terrance Shuman
Kansas City, MO

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Thanks Coach for the excellent review of the evening.  Too bad about all the crowd noise, it wasn't any better 3rd row center main.  Rig layout: Left two Silver 2555's; Center a Van Weeldon and possibly the new Jim Kelly prototype(?) on top, Right two Black 2555's.  Speakers all Marshal cabs with EV's. The new three cab rig really came through with a beautiful tone.  Joe was his friendly self afterward taking his time even though he's got a long night drive to Wichita's show tomorrow night.  He was apologizing for the string break "Happens to me about once a year. So rarely at a show we've never drilled for that sort of thing." Mike really came through.

*** Be careful how you interpret the world...  It *is* like that! ***

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Thank you Joe for a great evening of entertainment!  An additional thanks to Carmine, Rick, and Tal, too! Big hug & thank you to Clancy!  Lots of great energy coming off the stage!  It was exactly what my heart and soul needed.  Have been feeling a little blue lately and the songs just all seemed to recharge my batteries.  Mountain Time was especially heartfelt for me tonight.....right there with you Coach...tears for me, too.  I thought a lot about what those four great guys on the stage mean to me and how they have forever changed my life.  What a world that has opened up for me and I'm sure many of you...the friendships made because of Joe just seem to be endless....what a great blessing in life, to have an endless supply of friends ♥

It is truly amazing what Joe does on and off the stage.  Still don't know how he does it all, but so thankful that he does!  Always a treat Joe Bonamassa wink

                                                                    pattyluvsjoe

P.S.  Our seats were the first row of cushioned seats...so the orchestra seats in front of us were folding chairs on a riser........very poor seating by that venue in my opinion.  The people in the chairs were so high up that it blocked our view.  Had to sit cock-eyed in our seats the entire show just to see....management there ought to take a seat at a show and see what kind of service they are providing to their patrons.  The outside of the venue looked so modern, but the inside could definitely use a makeover.

"I'm not nice to any guitar!"      lol
                 Joe Bonamassa 05-03-12

JBLP CHILD #184

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Thanks for the great reports. Coach, the litho seats, as told to me, are assigned by the venue and "guest of artist" tickets are kind of random. I have had two sets and neither was very close, though they were center orchestra. Patty, that has sooo got me going for the meetup next week. I've resisted listening to the recordings so far of the shows. We want to "raw dog it" for full impact. Can't wait to lay eyes on great friends! smile
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: Omaha, 4/26/12

Thanks Coach for such a detailed review. I've had comped tickets before and they were further back, but I enjoyed having a different perspective. I'm happy to hear there were no sound issues in the balcony. That complaint has surfaced a few times this tour.    Cathy

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Great review Coach.  This was the 7th time for us to see Joe and my g/f and I walked away thinking this was his tightest performance we had seen.  He really was on his game.  Great show, as usual.  Agree there was too much howling and yahooing, but it sure didn't ruin our night.

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Super review, Coach.  Nothin' more need be said!

Rock ON & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! wink"
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.”

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Nice review Coach.  It's got me juiced for the Indy show next Saturday!

Gibson 60th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Reissue, Gibson LP Standard Faded CSB, Gibson Gary Moore LP Standard, Epi Joe Bonamassa GT LP, Epi Zakk Wylde LP, Dean Michael Schenker Flying V, Jackson Randy Rhoads V, ESP/LTD George Lynch Kamikaze, EVH Striped Series R/B/W, Fender/Squire John 5 Telecaster, Fender Joe Strummer Relic Telecaster

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

I picked up my cell phone this morning and saw a missed call. Hmmm, don't recognize the number but I'm used to a lot of calls from all over in my line so I redial. Hi, you called, can I help you fix your boat? big_smile, It was Patty! She tried to give me a preview song from the show but I was not by the phone. hmm I owe you a big hug for the attempt Patty. Will deliver soonest and the drinks are on me. One more reason the folks on this forum are the best. Thanks!
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

10

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

pattyluvsjoe wrote:

Thank you Joe for a great evening of entertainment!  An additional thanks to Carmine, Rick, and Tal, too! Big hug & thank you to Clancy!  Lots of great energy coming off the stage!  It was exactly what my heart and soul needed.  Have been feeling a little blue lately and the songs just all seemed to recharge my batteries.  Mountain Time was especially heartfelt for me tonight.....right there with you Coach...tears for me, too.  I thought a lot about what those four great guys on the stage mean to me and how they have forever changed my life.  What a world that has opened up for me and I'm sure many of you...the friendships made because of Joe just seem to be endless....what a great blessing in life, to have an endless supply of friends ♥

It is truly amazing what Joe does on and off the stage.  Still don't know how he does it all, but so thankful that he does!  Always a treat Joe Bonamassa wink

                                                                    pattyluvsjoe

P.S.  Our seats were the first row of cushioned seats...so the orchestra seats in front of us were folding chairs on a riser........very poor seating by that venue in my opinion.  The people in the chairs were so high up that it blocked our view.  Had to sit cock-eyed in our seats the entire show just to see....management there ought to take a seat at a show and see what kind of service they are providing to their patrons.  The outside of the venue looked so modern, but the inside could definitely use a makeover.

Just wanted to add a little more from my perspective, especially the part about the venue. When I purchased the tickets for the show, every seating chart I found on the Omaha Music Hall had row AA, where our seats were, as the front row. So, needless to say, I was rather shocked to see two rows in front of us. Now, I'm not complaining about being in the (now) third row, but to put the first two rows on a riser that's high enough to block the view of the row behind was absolutely ridiculous. I'm guessing that section must have been an extension for the stage that can be set up lower to accommodate extra seating and somebody decided last-minute to add seats. The reason I say this is because I went online when we got to our hotel to check tickets for the show (just out of curiosity) and I was offered 3 seats in a row 1 main floor center. Of course, I now know where those were and wish I had pulled the trigger and snatched them and tried to resell the ones we had. A bit of a pain though when you've driven 6 hours to the venue and you have friends you're trying to meet up all you want to do is relax and have a good time.
Because of our blocked view, taking video was for the most part futile. I did catch most of "Slow Train" unobstructed and Renee got almost all of "Blues Deluxe" unobstructed, I believe. I started shooting a couple other songs, when the "obstructions" were getting more drinks or using the facilities, but had to stop when it became frustrating to continue. BTW, as a side note, why people buy (or maybe receive) seats in the first two rows of a show and spend that much time NOT in their seat is beyond me. There was a number of songs when the "obstructions" were gone for at least part of, if not most of, the song.
Another thing that just drove me crazy; There was - thankfully - a walkway between our seats and the riser in front of us, so when we stood up for the grand finale, "Just Got Paid", we moved as far forward as we could to get that much closer to the stage. Only natural, right? Well, the usher working that side came over and motioned to us to move back to the area right next to our seats. I mean, what difference did it make? We were not creating any kind of issue at all, because of the riser there was only so far we could go. If the four people sitting in our section to the right of us wanted to leave early they could have just went up the center aisle. As Patty eluded to, customer service from the staff at this place (and not just this guy, but other situations we noticed) left a lot to be desired.
And I cannot believe after all this time that there are still issues with the photo passes. When the passes first became a requirement, back in 2008, the first 4 or 5 times I tried to get one I had no luck. I had all but given up on taking any photos at Joe's shows. But for last year's Spring tour I tried again and the process worked and the passes were there waiting for me. So now, thinking there would be no problems, I was surprised when there wasn't one waiting for me in Omaha. As it turned out, it didn't really matter because of the situation with the blocked views, but still extremely frustrating to say the least!
As to the show itself, I think I'll keep most of my comments to myself. Both Renee and I agreed it was far from the best performance from the Joe and the band we've seen, and after 45 (or so) shows we've seen enough to know when we've seen a great one. I will say that the highlights for me were "Look Over Yonder's Wall", which I didn't expect because I hadn't seen the Denver set list from two nights prior, and "Blues Deluxe", which was fabulous! I thought the reception from the audience for the new songs, especially "DTTD", was very lukewarm, but it didn't surprise me because both Renee and I agreed they weren't our favorites. Sorry, just being honest. I also really missed a guitar intro to "Sloe Gin", which had been a highlight for years. Anyway, I think I'll stop there. It sounds like most everyone enjoyed the show more than we did and I don't want to make it sound like the show was bad, because it wasn't. Remember, even Joe on a bad night is way better than almost anyone else at their best!

Re: Omaha, 4/26/12

Lee wrote:
pattyluvsjoe wrote:

Thank you Joe for a great evening of entertainment!  An additional thanks to Carmine, Rick, and Tal, too! Big hug & thank you to Clancy!  Lots of great energy coming off the stage!  It was exactly what my heart and soul needed.  Have been feeling a little blue lately and the songs just all seemed to recharge my batteries.  Mountain Time was especially heartfelt for me tonight.....right there with you Coach...tears for me, too.  I thought a lot about what those four great guys on the stage mean to me and how they have forever changed my life.  What a world that has opened up for me and I'm sure many of you...the friendships made because of Joe just seem to be endless....what a great blessing in life, to have an endless supply of friends ♥

It is truly amazing what Joe does on and off the stage.  Still don't know how he does it all, but so thankful that he does!  Always a treat Joe Bonamassa wink

                                                                    pattyluvsjoe

P.S.  Our seats were the first row of cushioned seats...so the orchestra seats in front of us were folding chairs on a riser........very poor seating by that venue in my opinion.  The people in the chairs were so high up that it blocked our view.  Had to sit cock-eyed in our seats the entire show just to see....management there ought to take a seat at a show and see what kind of service they are providing to their patrons.  The outside of the venue looked so modern, but the inside could definitely use a makeover.

Just wanted to add a little more from my perspective, especially the part about the venue. When I purchased the tickets for the show, every seating chart I found on the Omaha Music Hall had row AA, where our seats were, as the front row. So, needless to say, I was rather shocked to see two rows in front of us. Now, I'm not complaining about being in the (now) third row, but to put the first two rows on a riser that's high enough to block the view of the row behind was absolutely ridiculous. I'm guessing that section must have been an extension for the stage that can be set up lower to accommodate extra seating and somebody decided last-minute to add seats. The reason I say this is because I went online when we got to our hotel to check tickets for the show (just out of curiosity) and I was offered 3 seats in a row 1 main floor center. Of course, I now know where those were and wish I had pulled the trigger and snatched them and tried to resell the ones we had. A bit of a pain though when you've driven 6 hours to the venue and you have friends you're trying to meet up all you want to do is relax and have a good time.
Because of our blocked view, taking video was for the most part futile. I did catch most of "Slow Train" unobstructed and Renee got almost all of "Blues Deluxe" unobstructed, I believe. I started shooting a couple other songs, when the "obstructions" were getting more drinks or using the facilities, but had to stop when it became frustrating to continue. BTW, as a side note, why people buy (or maybe receive) seats in the first two rows of a show and spend that much time NOT in their seat is beyond me. There was a number of songs when the "obstructions" were gone for at least part of, if not most of, the song.
Another thing that just drove me crazy; There was - thankfully - a walkway between our seats and the riser in front of us, so when we stood up for the grand finale, "Just Got Paid", we moved as far forward as we could to get that much closer to the stage. Only natural, right? Well, the usher working that side came over and motioned to us to move back to the area right next to our seats. I mean, what difference did it make? We were not creating any kind of issue at all, because of the riser there was only so far we could go. If the four people sitting in our section to the right of us wanted to leave early they could have just went up the center aisle. As Patty eluded to, customer service from the staff at this place (and not just this guy, but other situations we noticed) left a lot to be desired.
And I cannot believe after all this time that there are still issues with the photo passes. When the passes first became a requirement, back in 2008, the first 4 or 5 times I tried to get one I had no luck. I had all but given up on taking any photos at Joe's shows. But for last year's Spring tour I tried again and the process worked and the passes were there waiting for me. So now, thinking there would be no problems, I was surprised when there wasn't one waiting for me in Omaha. As it turned out, it didn't really matter because of the situation with the blocked views, but still extremely frustrating to say the least!
As to the show itself, I think I'll keep most of my comments to myself. Both Renee and I agreed it was far from the best performance from the Joe and the band we've seen, and after 45 (or so) shows we've seen enough to know when we've seen a great one. I will say that the highlights for me were "Look Over Yonder's Wall", which I didn't expect because I hadn't seen the Denver set list from two nights prior, and "Blues Deluxe", which was fabulous! I thought the reception from the audience for the new songs, especially "DTTD", was very lukewarm, but it didn't surprise me because both Renee and I agreed they weren't our favorites. Sorry, just being honest. I also really missed a guitar intro to "Sloe Gin", which had been a highlight for years. Anyway, I think I'll stop there. It sounds like most everyone enjoyed the show more than we did and I don't want to make it sound like the show was bad, because it wasn't. Remember, even Joe on a bad night is way better than almost anyone else at their best!

I feel your pain Lee, my seats in Reno weren't where they were advertised. This is just more fallout from Joe's growth. Really makes one miss the small club gigs when seating wasn't an issue.

                                                                                                                Hey! Down In Front!!!

                                                                                                                J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint