• From: Baltimore, Maryland
  • Registered: 2007-08-31
  • Posts: 181

Topic: Birchmere 6-8-8

WOW!!  For the kickoff of Joe's summer tour, he really gave a monster show.  He looks fantastic, having lost approximately 30 lbs by switching from Domino's Flat Crust Chicken Pizza to apples, or so he said.  He was full of energy and gave a great performance, with a notable "Woke Up Dreaming."  Of course we saw a few new guitars as well.

In typical Joe fashion, he apologized for keeping the autograph-seekers waiting.  He walked up to the new people, extended his hand and said "Hi, I'm Joe"  as if they didn't know.  He then proceeded to tell a story about hanging with Eric Clapton and a Crown Prince of Bahrain.  To be as talented as Joe, and still completely down-to-earth is something really special.  I have a feeling he'll still be the same guy when he's selling out 20,000 seat arenas.  And we'll be able to say we knew him way back when...

Plenty of forum regulars were in attendance as well.  Cathy and Amsterhammer, Daisy and her hubby Larry, Tiedyevicky, CarljMD and a bunch of others I am forgetting as it has been quite a long day.

Can't wait to do it again tomorrow, or later today as the case may be.

-Rob

Bonamania is a disease with no cure.  Give it to all your friends.
  • Libby
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  • Registered: 2008-02-14
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Yippeeeeeee!!!  Sounds like FUN!!!!  And, I do mean SOUNDS like FUN - since my phone rang this evening as I was bbq-ing, and, after my brain adjusted to the LOUD sounds coming out of the receiver, I realized, to my delight - THAT'S NOT JUST LOUD STUFF - THAT'S JOE!!!!  "HIGH WATER EVERYWHERE"   .............  with the occasional whoop or 'oh yeah' in the background.  Very nice indeed.  A WHOLE SONG!!!  That's my preferred way of spending an evening, I must tell you - listenin' to Joe - from ONE coast to ANOTHER!!!  Thank you Cathy.  LOVE YOU!!!



smile  Libby  smile

I know that Joe could play one of those kid's guitars with the plastic strings and make it sound good-
Bill S.
  • From: Indianola, IA
  • Registered: 2006-07-26
  • Posts: 4,429

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Sounds fabulous!!!  That Joe is simply the best!!!

I posted under woofy's thread what a sweet thrill it was to get the call during Another Kind of Love........still reelin' this morning...it was some kind of wonderful......thanks a million again to the East coast patrol, Cathy & George, will make today seem like floating on a breeze wink

                                                                          pattyluvsjoe

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

JBLP CHILD #184
  • From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Thanks for the review. Anybody got the setlist and more importantly any of the new material in the set yet?????

                                                                                           
                                                                                                             Can't Wait For 6/28,

                                                                                                             J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • Registered: 2006-11-02
  • Posts: 164

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Joe, Rick, Bogie and Carmine were on fire last night! We got there early but it was well worth 3 hours of sweating in temperatures nearing 100 to get front row seats. I met many of the folks off the forum, what great people you all are! We also brought my daughter for her 1st Joe experience and yes, it was priceless. She understands now.

Young Matt Wigler, who opened for Joe, was outstanding. He was accompanied by the drummer for Deanna Bogart and they did several numbers. He was amazing, I see good things in his future! He did a fantastic job of warming up the crowd for Joe and he received a well deserved standing ovation.

Joe took the stage looking so very fine! He had a glow to him I haven't seen before and he had a blast! This was the 1st time I've seen Joe interact with the audience as much as he did last night. He told us several stories, very enjoyable.  Joe's new guitars not only look sweet, they sound sweet too!  Joe is definitely on top of his game,  he's poised to take over the world! 

Like I said, Joe was on fire last night. This was beyond a doubt the BEST show I've ever seen. Joe was confident, funny, all over the stage and as always, a gracious gentleman.  Thank you Joe, Rick, Carmine and Bogie for an awesome night!  In a few hours, I'll be doing it again....I can't wait!!

Bridge to Better Days
So Many Roads
Mountain Time
Another Kind of Love
Sloe Gin
Highwater Everywhere
Your Funeral, My Trail
Don't Burn Down That Bridge
Heartaches Were Nickels
Woke Up Dreaming
Just Got Paid

One of These Days
Asking Around for You

Ballpeen Hammer
New Day Yesterday

  • eva
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Hey - there´s "heartaches were nickels" back again! I just listened to the ANDY Live version of that one yesterday and thought how great it would be to hear it again that way or in a different version smile.
How did the song sound like?! Did they change the original version much - and what guitar did Joe play for that one?! Sorry for the whole lotta questions ... lol

I hope you´re having as much fun tonight as you had yesterday, dazee!! smile

Eva

  • Registered: 2007-11-17
  • Posts: 23

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Gotta run to get to tonights show, but quick answer
Heartaches - was acoustic guitar - awesone new take on a great tune

Dave

"The bus came by and I got on
That's when it all began."
  • suhl
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  • From: Springfield, IL
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

not trying to be a jerk but it isnt exactly a new take.  he has been playing that for a long time now.  in fact that setlist is the about the same as when i saw him over a year ago and several times in between except your funeral my trial and new day yesterday.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fCdNsm7gvu8

If wine and pills were hundred dollar bills
I might keep you satisfied

suhl's Website

  • eva
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  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2007-03-15
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

suhl wrote:

not trying to be a jerk but it isnt exactly a new take.  he has been playing that for a long time now.  in fact that setlist is the about the same as when i saw him over a year ago and several times in between except your funeral my trial and new day yesterday.

Nope, "heartaches were nickels" wasn´t in the European setlist last year and this year - maybe a different setlist in the US?!

Eva

  • suhl
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

i think he took it out for awhile.  i saw him in november, and i believe july?  whenever he played indy last year it was played both times and it was played when i saw him in iowa last year too.  i think that was probably september or october.  he must  have taken it out for something else in europe but im not sure what.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fCdNsm7gvu8

If wine and pills were hundred dollar bills
I might keep you satisfied

suhl's Website

11 Reply by eva

  • eva
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Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

"Miss you, hate you" was at the end of the set last year ... I can´t really remember if "heartaches were nickels" was in at the beginning of 2007, but I haven´t heard it for a while and hope Joe will keep it until July smile.

Eva

  • From: Central PA, USA
  • Registered: 2007-11-18
  • Posts: 1,037

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Oh man, what an AWESOME show!  This was my 3rd time seeing Joe, and the closest I've ever sat (first row of tables)... what a great experience!  Joe was of course on fire musically, physically he's looking trim and healthy, and emotionally he seems very happy and grateful... I'm so thrilled that things are progressing so well for him.  smile

I love every song he played, not a dud in the bunch... but I was especially glad to hear So Many Roads, Your Funeral My Trial, If Heartaches Were Nickels, Woke Up Dreaming, Just Got Paid, Asking Around For You (I remember that one gave me chills), and I was ESPECIALLY happy to get A New Day Yesterday and Starship Trooper (the latter of which was missing from their setlist) because I'd never seen either of them live before... very cool indeed!  smile

I somehow got to my seat late and missed Bridge To Better Days, which I'm pissed at myself for, because I love that song.  I can envision that one making it onto the playlists of classic rock radio stations, easily.

Don't Burn Down That Bridge was given a new treatment, to the point that none of us recognized the song!  We thought maybe it was something from the new studio album that's in the works and were surprised when he didn't comment about it.  We figured it out when we looked at the setlist after the show.  Joe gave an explanation for the change, but I forget what it was.

I would've loved to have heard Tea For One, because I'm basically addicted to Joe's rendition of that song (I told Joe that too), but I wasn't really expecting it since I haven't seen it on any recent setlists.  I do hope it goes back into the rotation someday though.

There was one funny moment late in the show when Joe was kinda shushing the crowd while he played a real quiet part of a song (now I forget which song), and right then some guy in the crowd says out loud "hey you're pretty good", and Joe just raises his eyebrow and looks out over his glasses at him, and the crowd laughs, and Joe smiles and keeps strumming til we all quiet down again.  Too funny!  big_smile

The Birchmere is a nice venue.  They handled the general admission crowd very well with their number system, the sound was good, and it was nice to be able to leisurely dine and socialize at our table while waiting for the show.  The food and drinks were priced slightly on the high side ($10 for a cheeseburger that you couldn't even special order, served with just potato chips, and $7.50 for an Absolut & cranberry), but everything was good.

And last but not least, it was great meeting so many people from the forum!  Everyone was so nice, welcoming me to one of their tables... I felt like I fit right in, like I've known you all forever.  Let's see... I met dazee and her husband and daughter, Kathy and George, taurus52, Rob... I feel like I'm forgetting somebody... apparently woofy777 was there but I'm not sure if we met, maybe by another name?  I want to give Jane a BIG THANK YOU for the ticket... but I'm so bummed we couldn't meet.  And it's a shame Melissa didn't make it... I would've liked to meet her too.  I'm sure I'll meet you both at some point though.

Rumor has it someone made a stealth audience recording of the show?  And just how might I get my hands on that?  wink

Note to dazee: Tell your husband that my check engine light went off after I gassed up, but 3 miles down the road it came back on again, and stayed on.  I made it home fine though... sorry I didn't post like I said I would.  I got so sleepy driving home, I was about half loopy and couldn't see straight, so just after entering PA I stopped at a rest area, reclined my seat, and closed my eyes "just to rest them a while"... and I woke up 3 hours later!  I was so surprised, because no matter how tired I am I can never relax enough at those places to sleep, and I figured even if I did fall asleep, some loud truck or something would wake me before long.  But I actually slept very well, dead to the world.  So I never made it home til 5:00am, and I didn't feel like getting on the computer... pretty much just went straight to bed, and slept til almost 3:00 this afternoon!  I can't believe it, I never sleep this much... but these roadtrips to shows really seem to take it out of me these days!  I did just turn 40 a few weeks ago... an old lady now.  roll  tongue

--Vik cool

13 Reply by RickZ (edited by RickZ 2008-06-09 19:35:08)

  • RickZ
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  • Registered: 2007-10-21
  • Posts: 2

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

We got there kinda late (Latino festival delayed us a bit) and so we got stuck to the back towards the side where Joe's mike was. Mix was awesome for guitar, brutal for the vocals--half the songs I knew the words to I couldn't decipher!  It was my girlfriend's first Joe B concert (my 5th), and she was in AWE of his prowess (and since we just saw Warren Haynes last month she'd seen some good guitar lately), especially his acoustic numbers.

Vikki, thanks SO much for these two words:  "Starship Trooper".  What New Day segued into was driving me crazy.  I knew it was a song that I'd heard a thousand times...but couldn't place.

One amplification to the "you're pretty good story".  After Joe looks over his glasses, he took his hands and spread them away from his head like he was getting a swelled one.

And to add to the "fight" last year's tour we had the acoustic "MY, HY" in Rockville, MD, not "Nickels".

We REALLY enjoyed Matt Wigler.  We both like piano, and his was really good, plus we were in the perfect position to watch his hands.  Was kinda cool seeing one prodigy open for another one.

  • From: Frederick County, MD
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 857

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Once again....another amazing show by Joe & Company.

I brought a couple of BonaVirgins, including a drummer who I am jamming with quite a bit who I introduced to Joe's music several months ago, he now warms up to the recording of the Joe live on Paul Jones, and was totally blown away by the show, and had the pleasure (after a VERY long wait in the hot humid night) to meet Joe and Bogie briefly.

I would echo most of the earlier comments, Joe looked healthly and vibrant, and seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.

I was actually a tad disappointed with the sound reinforcement at the Birchmere, who are a world-class venue with a large investment in house sound equipment who have had most of the greats there before they were big or on the way back down the hill, and the guitar sound wasn't as crisp as I've frequently heard it during Joe shows at other venues, also agree with Rick that the vocals (at least competing with the louder guitar songs) were hard to discern at times.  Still, thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the band, they were hot!

Highlights for me....Mountain Time, Gigliotti-style, intro made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  High Water....Joe using the guitar as a percussion intstrument.  Your Funeral/My Trial....my first time ever....wow.  Wish I'd had remembered to suggest that Joe ask Mark Wenner, the harmonica whiz of The Nighthawks who lives and plays in and around DC to come by and sit on on harp.  Joe, if you're reading this....you and Jason Ricci are playing at Blues from the Top at the end of the month....it would be in-freakin'-credible if you asked him to sit in with you on a tune or two and someone videotaped it.  He can play ANYthing.

The cherry on the Sunday(e) for me....One Of These Days, album-style version, switching to the Gibson Skylark prototype for an extended *sweet* slide outro.

Got to chat very briefly with George and Cathy and Bob (Tarus52); said hello to Dazee and TieDyedVicky and hung out waiting for Joe outside with B'more Bonamaniac Rob.  Always a pleasure to see the forum peeps.   Sorry I can't swing another night of $10 cheesburgers, $4/gallon gas and no sleep before work, but y'all that are going have fun.

CarljMD

RickZ....I was at Rockville last year and I am pretty sure he played Nickels acoustic as well as MY/HY and WUD.  I may eventually have access to a recording of it to check.

Takers get the honey, givers sing the blues
  • From: Central PA, USA
  • Registered: 2007-11-18
  • Posts: 1,037

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Oh yes, and I met Carl briefly!  Knew I forgot somebody, might even be more too.

I also meant to give a shout-out to the nice couple who were sitting next to me, who just happen to live local to me... they're not forum members, but the wife is a lurker (who should join!).  Sorry, I forget your names... but I meant to exchange email addresses with you incase you'd ever want to meet up at a future Joe or Machine show.  My email address is vikki515@comcast.net.

I did hear some talk after the show of some sound/mixing problems, which apparently I'm not enough of a true audiophile to detect, because everything sounded great to me.  The problems and circumstances were explained, but I couldn't repeat what was said, since I don't understand these things... maybe somebody else who was there for that conversation can post about that.

I also failed to give Carmine, Bogie, and Rick the credit they deserve... they are each very gifted at what they do, I really dig watching them play.  These four guys make for one great band!  It was also nice to meet each of them and introduce myself, and I got my setlist signed by all four guys.

And I totally forgot to acknowledge the opening act... yes, the young Matt Wigler was quite remarkable on the keys... I thoroughly enjoyed his performance... keep your eye on that one!  Speaking of which, I'm sure the girls are gonna have their eyes on him, because he's a cutie!  And a real good attitude too, it seems.

Let's see... what else did I forget?  Seems like there was more, but I've forgotten again already.  Short term memory... it's a b!tch sometimes.  roll

--Vik cool

  • From: Indianola, IA
  • Registered: 2006-07-26
  • Posts: 4,429

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

After a long drawn out day it sure is sweet to read all your great reviews of the greatest vocalist & guitarist and yes, all around great guy, Joe Bonamassa.  Wish I could have been there with you all....one of these days ?                  Patty

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

JBLP CHILD #184
  • Registered: 2007-11-17
  • Posts: 23

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Just back from tonights show (6-9).  Awesome again. 
Same set list as yesterday.  Just as hot a performance, and they were a little more relaxed today.   Took three bonavirgin friends who all have good ears and years of concert experience.  You know the result - such fun to watch. 

to follow up earlier post  - eve you seemed to catch my quick answer was to your question of which guitar.  suhl - the acoustic sound struck me as new for "Heartaches".  I have heard him play it at least twice before - indeed, it seems to me like a signature concert piece, but I recall he used a LP.  Could be I'm confused with the recorded version?

Now I gotta wait a while to see him again - but two night is a hell of a fix.

Dave

"The bus came by and I got on
That's when it all began."
  • From: Deep in the forest
  • Registered: 2007-02-11
  • Posts: 5,296

Re: Birchmere 6-8-8

Where am I? What day is it? Who turned on the heat?..Yikes!! As you can see, I'm still dazed and confused!!! I think the band brought the record heat with them. I took a trailer park a/c (polysterene cooler with ice) and we dipped in often while waiting for the doors to open. That's what Bonamaniacs do!! And, many of us had our "real" shirts in our bags so as not to foul them with pre-show sweat!

What a show!!! My friend, Matt Wigler, started us off with his amazing skills at the keyboard. Such a nice youngster (Oops, better call him a young man as his maturing was blatantly obvious)..Yes, he is becoming a fine looking teenager and will have his girl groupies I'm sure.

Then..out comes this trim, dapper MAN, in a fancy suit..OMG it's Joe....He has now become GQ all the way and it suits him well. I won't go into the set list as it's been covered. I did hear that new equipment had not yet arrived and so they had to use the Birchmere's...but my ears didn't detect any problems. The new Gibson is a beauty. I think it is special for us to see it after hearing all about it from Joe. Also loved the Gibson "steel"? that he did some slide work on....I remember him telling us when he bought that "new" toy. So much for his declaration that he was done buying guitars. Buy as many as you want Joe..You deserve it!!!

As always, part of the joy of a Joe show is meeting forum friends..Love you all!! A single Bonamaniac doesn't have the power that a group of them does. And all the Bonavirgins!! Such fun to watch their faces!!

All the band seemed to have a blast. They were tight as always and I don't remember seeing Rick as animated before. They all play off each other in that unspoken language only players know.

We were lucky enough to get to see all the band after the show inside the venue. I am always amazed at how they remember fan's names. It is proof that they cherish us like we do them.

THANK YOU JOE & COMPANY!!! Like everybody else has said. It's impossible to put into words how your music touches us and fills our musical souls!! We are blessed to "know" you all.