Wow, I thought I was a negative guy. The simple fact is that a player like Joe has simple needs, his rider needs to be respected, so that he can stay on the road.
I think what many people forget is what Joe does on stage is like running a marathon or something like that. He is not sitting at a computer typing all day.
Just think about the amount of strength and concentration it takes to move your fingers that fast, that accurately, for that long. I do not play guitar, but I have thought about it like this...I soder a lot. I do a ton of fine electrical work....and my eyes get tired, my hands are wrecked, and my vision shot after a few hours.
Now imagine what Joe does...the vocal stress alone is massive. The guy sings his heart out 200 shows a year. And its not easy singing. I respect the fact that Joe takes it as seriously as he does.
I did not always respect Joe, but after spending time with him...there is no doubt this cat is a stud. I think Joe Bonamassa is an athlete. Bringing the highest performance to the stage every night.
As far as the unprofessional promoter dude...I can say first hand Joe is a hard man. In Wausau he pounded the sound guys a bit, but the fact is these guys look at blues fests like cake walk, so they need to be shook up a bit. He did not cross the line, he just pushed them to where he needed them to be. But honestly it was scary to see, and if I was watching from a distance and not hearing what he was saying I might have thought he looked like a dick. But he was not a dick.
Joe is a good guy. His expectations are high. He meets them on his end, we as promoters or agents or street teamers...should rise to his level.
Someday soon we will see the man on Conan O'Brien