Jacksonville Florida 5-2-08 (Page 1 of 2)

Once again the Bonamassa Band has demonstrated their mastery of blues rock musical presentation. 

From the opening strains of Bridge To Better Days, as tension builds, and we begin our transition into this music, this phenomonon called Joe, to the crash of Bogie's cymbals, Carmine's thundering bass, Rick's soaring keys and the hammer between the eyes of a wide open LesPaul that only Joe can make sound like that...we submit. 

Wait back up a day...

When I entered the hall in Cocoa on Thursday I knew we were in trouble.  I looked at Joe doing a sound check.  I looked at the room we were in...60' wide and 300' long with a low ceiling and I thought in terms of unprintable language.  I waved at Joe, he spoke and I spoke with the guys for a minute and then got out of the way.

Oh me of little faith.  The sound crew pulled it off.  They came, they listened (saw), they conquered.  By the second third of the set, they had done the impossible.  The instruments had become defined.  The vocals were front and center and the volumes had equalized.  A testament to the professionalism of each and every person involved.  Many a naddering nabob would have said "It's the room!" and went out for a cigarette.

These guys are spectacular.  They not only work hard, they get it done.  There is a difference.

Now we're in J-ville and the light's are flashing and the musical onslaught has all the hair on my old punkin head standing at a 45 degree angle backwards.  MsTia is all aglow and my 3 kids are sitting there with their mouths open.  From the opening notes the transformation is complete.  We are in the most beautiful old school theater in this end of the state and the Bonamassa Band has us in the palm of their hand. 

With the exception of some illegitimate offspring that were obviously the result of a drunken merger between homeless alkies and junkie street walkers, as a crowd we behaved appropriately.  Loud and enthusiastic, but quiet when Joe shushed us. 

As the last strains of Bridge faded, the minor tones of So Many Roads swelled and Otis Rush somewhere...smiled.  The Sig LP cried and sparkled and Joe sang his a$$ off again.

Mountain Time saw the Giglioti Red Tobacco Sunburst and my guitar playing, joe college son's eyes got rather large.  I grinned to myself and Joe took us to another time and place.  Nice modality on the opening to that one. 

The quilt top Custom came out for the next two.  The old shouting, stomping, hard rocking, marching in my seat, Another Kind of Love slid effortlessly into Sloe Gin, with Rick Melick, the consummate professional, transforming the atmosphere with flawless keyboard work, as the mood went dark and the crowd cried with Joe: "I'm so damn lonely, I ain't even high...".  What a tone Joe squeezes outa that Custom guitar.

When we couldn't cheer anymore, the (Tak?) came out of Dave's hands and around Joe's neck and the flood waters rose.  I was floating over the levee in Nawlehns and there was High Water everywhere.  When I finally got ahold of my woman I begged her to come home but with a warning.."cause if you can't treat me no better, it'll be Your Funeral, My Trial.

The blues wore me out by then.  Tia liked the sound of that acoustic.  Yes I said, young Joey B makes that old $5 garage sale throwaway sound purty good.  I got the elbow for that one.

I will finish this up in a later post, y'all.  I"VE BEEN SUMMONED!

MuchLove
BigJeff

EDITZ: spellin

It sure sounds like a grand time was had by all! I'm so pleased for you big guy, and big thanks and 'nuff respect for this fine report!

You have my vote too Jeff. You´re Da Master of Haiku and of excessive Show-reviewing !
Great work!

Eva

Jeff reviews da Blues
Everyone listens in awe
"Blues deluxe" indeed.

Thanks for the kind words Eva.  You're a BavarianBabyDoll...make an old man smile.

Now Hammer and all, to continue:

Woke Up Dreaming was where the knotheads made their alcoholic presense felt, but the crowd around them shushamed (fugawi word) them into compliance, veteran Bonamaniacs that we are.  The master plays and we are stunned by his skill, and I for one, at his mastery of DYNAMICS. 

It does an old funky doctor good to experience a scorched earth performance that does not rely solely on a full blast frontal assault; something that those who were overserved missed until we (the crowd & Joe) captured their full attention.  heh heh...

When the crowd finally got quiet during Joe's solo in If I Ever Get to Heaven, you know the part where he holds the never ending note waiting for that sublime feedback rocket launch, you could have popped popcorn in that microwave silence.  The tension was ELECTRIC.

When he stepped off mic and sang from center stage, we white knuckled the seats and held our breath.  This band is so tight and so in tune with the boss, they never miss a cue.  So they ended that tune and brought the house down on our ears.  We COULD NOT stay in our seats.

I lost track of the ensuing musical madness.  Joe did a coupla encores.  I can't give an exact set list.  One of These Day's I'll remember it all...or not.  They went through all the medley tunes and my poor son was bug eyed trying to piece together all the songs and riffs that he heard in one ten minute tribute to head-banging & butt-kicking; the best of the rest.

At one point Something caught caught my eye (ear) and I was instantly carried back to the insanity of life on the road.  I won't go into it here, but I will say that I'm glad that I'm not the equipment rental guy who has to figure out how to make a couple of those rigs fit for duty for the next customer.

And NO the band didn't trash the equipment.  Don't even think it.  The fact is however that the Bonamassa Band takes no prisoners.  They play hard.  They play loud.  They give no quarter.  They are not a bar band.  They are here to convert the unwashed heathens, the uninitiated.

Joe was thin and fit and wearing a suit (actually a blue velvet blazer and grey slacks.)  We can be proud.  In a moment's conversation after the Cocoa show he stated quite plainly that even if there were 600 committed fans at a show and one new fan made, that fan is important and that show was a success.  Hope you don't mind me sharing that Joe.  I think it's important.

As a matter of fact I might just offer my services to you, Joe, when you are doing your "meet and greet."  I, for one, have thought that people in a state of excitement might need a friendly reminder to keep things short and sweet and simple. 

"Thank you for the experience, Joe."
"Thank you for coming to see me."
"Will you sign this?  Sure...  NEXT!" 

Oh well, it's not a perfect world.  A pretty female (with a bat) would probably serve you better than a 6'6" ugly in that regard.  JUST KIDDING!

My drummer son said Bogie was one of the most amazing drummers he had ever seen.  When I asked him why he grinned and said "He can count to four!"  (Inside joke)  I allowed that we could probably set our heartbeat to Brother Bowles. 

Rick stopped briefly what he was doing to speak to my family.  Thank you mate.  Love You!  My old buddy Carmine wouldn't hardly speak to me because he couldn't take his eyes off my wife. hmmmm come to think of it, she didn't talk to me either. hmmmm

My daughter said Wow they rock hard!  My guitar playing son (the Stoic) was amazed beyond description and spent most of the morning asking me questions about theory and what makes it Rock?  and what makes it Blues?  What about this or that scale?  I've created a monster.

I saw Ken and Susan there and many others.  I saw an old friend from the old neighborhood and she couldn't believe that I was alive, sane, and a father.  Seeing her and her husband was an unexpected thrill.  Ah the world of Joe.

With the exception of the hesitancy of the new LP to feedback on cue through that two head stack he was using for the Fla mini-tour, I really couldn't tell a BIG difference in Joe's sound last night and that $40 million stack he was using last time.  The tube screamer was working fine.

Joe made a very nice reference to being real glad he interrupted his schedule to come to Florida and we are all extremely grateful he did.  So Thanks for that Joe.  AND...

Thanks for being the dedicated musician, performer & businessman that you are.  I ain't kidding.

Much Love
TFDoL

EDITZ: punctuation and the handsome preppy look...

Being the dedicated fans we are, if he wants us to be quiet, we white knuckle it tell he breaks it loose.  Then we do the same.  Whooping during the quiet parts takes attention away from the star.

Fair question George.  We're not at odds here at all.  Time and a place for everything.  We did plenty of jumping, cheering and shouting.  BELIEVE THAT>I'm hoarse. 

Good answer?

We just got back home after the Cocoa and Jax show. This was only our 2nd and 3rd time seeing Joe and each time it gets better. I see more, hear more and appreciate him and the band more.

As stated Cocoa was just a ballroom and the sound was ok given the shape of the room, but I thought the volume on Joe's mic was a bit low. It didn't matter too much, because with 2nd row center seats next to Ken and Susan, we deserve to be flamed for complaining about anything. Joe looked great and it was a good place to be up close and personal.

Last night in Jax was perfect. The Florida Theatre is sort of like a smaller version of the Fox in Atlanta. It was built in 1927 and has the styling of that era. The seats were comfy and the sound was sooo goooood. We were 10 rows back on the center aisle and from a listening standpoint it was hard to beat. There was the requisite over zealous yell by a few, but overall the crowd was great and Joe and band responded. Did I say the sound was good??

With the help of Susan and Ken, it was great to meet the other band members plus Roy. Ken has some great shots from Cocoa and at both concerts, Joe happily obliged our requests for photo's and autographs. Joe and those around him are as nice as anyone could be to their fans and it makes the whole experience a pleasure. 

One other thing about the Florida Theatre that was a plus was having a lobby bar in an area outside the doors of the hall. This way there was no noise from those who were just there to drink and talk. At Cocoa there was a constant buzz from the bar located in the back of the room and it made the quiet parts...less quiet.

I will leave it to Jeff, Susan and Ken for more specifics but we had a blast and enjoy the company of those we have met from this board and at the shows.

Tim

Jeff, Your post was perfect description of the show.  I'm so glad you post on this forum and go to the same shows I do because you post what we all felt.  It was great seeing you and meeting Ms. Tia and your children.  They are beautiful by the way. 

I met so many forum buddies at these two shows I don't even remember everyone.  Nice to finally meet you David A. It was great hooking up with Tim(UPSETME) and his wife Julianna again.  And I have to mention our friends Frank and Dorinda that we met at a Joe show in Tampa.  We've been to a lot of music events with them and they have become very good friends of ours.  We did get a a chance to talk to the band after the show and they all signed a photo I had taken of them the night before. 

Joe, we are so happy you agreed to do this mini-tour in Florida.  Come down as often as you like and the audience will get bigger and bigger.  And, we will always be there!!! 

BTW, I actually do have the setlist if anyone is interested:

Bridge to Better Days
So Many Roads
Mountain Time
Another Kind of Love
Sloe Gin
Your Funeral, My Trial
Don't Burn Down That Bridge
Woke Up Dreaming
Just Got Paid (with "I Ain't Superstitous" intro)
Encores
One Of These Days
Asking Around For You
Ball Peen Hammer
A New Day Yesterday
Starship Trooper

I talked to so many enthusiastic fans that went on and on about Joe.  Many of them were first timers. I could tell you so many stories I heard but this post would go on for days, So, I won't.  I wish I knew how many people were at these shows.  I can tell you the attendance at the Floirida Theater appeared to have doubled since the last time I saw Joe play there 1 1/2 years ago.  The show was great and everyone had a great time.

I'll get pics to this show up soon.

Susan

Hey Ken,

Putting Joe in a Cocoa style room is kind of like drinking a really superior California Meritage wine out of a plastic cup...it's fun and daring, but you know there's some nuance that you are missing. Now put Joe in the Florida Theatre and it's like drinking the same terrific wine out a big Riedel glass. It allows the wine (Joe), room to interact with the air and releases every bit of the quality and flavor.

I think we just had a cup of Joe...in Plastic and Crystal....and were satisfied with both.

Tim