First time for me was in 2000 or 2001 at the Rathskellar in Indianapolis where he played for free. I had no idea what he looked like, and when the 'roadie' picked up a guitar and played a riff, I turned to my wife and said 'wow, that roadie is pretty good' 10 minutes later I found out the 'roadie' was Joe himself. Now the venue he plays is virtually across the street (the Murat Theatre) and tickets start at 80 bucks.
A year or 2 after that, he played at the Broad Ripple Blues Festival in Indy, and that night at the Patio in Broad Ripple. Caught both shows that day!
I have seen him at the House of Blues in Chicago, Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival in Chicago, Rib Fests (!) in Indy and Ft Wayne. 5 or 6 different venues in Indy, and twice in Cleveland. Looking forward to seeing him in Indy in November. Bought the tickets through local PBS and they include admission to the sound check, so I am pumped for that!
“If I remember how this worked, you’d put a side on, and then you’d go and have something to eat, and then you’d put another side on.” … Mick Jagger