• Registered: 2008-06-30
  • Posts: 14

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

No kidding!  Unfortunately, they don't start selling 1-day tickets until the first day of the festival, and since we didn't buy until that morning (weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it out there at all) our choices were slim.  O well... live and learn... Here are some pics...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure008.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure017.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure016.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure015.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure014.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure021.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure020.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure019.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure018.jpg

  • Registered: 2008-06-30
  • Posts: 14

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Here's So Many Roads:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=31XBDXgph-w

I should have mentioned before, but the quality on these recordings isn't very good.  It was done using a Kodak Z712 from a spot toward the back of the arena.  But it's something!

Brandon

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  • From: Lake Mary, FL/USA
  • Registered: 2006-11-08
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Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

From the sounds of this article, Joe pratically stole the show.  Very nice review of him.

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_9 … ck_check=1

Glad you all had such a good time.  I can't wait until I get to hear him again in September. 

Susan smile

"Listen to the melody cause my love is in there hiding"
  • Registered: 2008-07-01
  • Posts: 3

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Just thought I'd stop in and say "thanks" to Joe for the great set at the Monterey festival this weekend. I first saw Joe some years ago when he came to Northern Cal as part of BB King's Festival tour. He rocked then ... and has gotten even better. Saturday's set was fan-freaking-tastic.

If I can figure out how to post pics in here, I'll submit a few (PS ... to Joe's 'street team' ... I was sitting a few chairs to your left - the big dude with the cameras running up to the stage at the beginning of the set. Kudos to you for stirring up interest in Joe's set).

  • Bill
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  • From: New Jersey
  • Registered: 2006-04-24
  • Posts: 958

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

AxisOfBeagles wrote:

Just thought I'd stop in and say "thanks" to Joe for the great set at the Monterey festival this weekend. I first saw Joe some years ago when he came to Northern Cal as part of BB King's Festival tour. He rocked then ... and has gotten even better. Saturday's set was fan-freaking-tastic.

If I can figure out how to post pics in here, I'll submit a few (PS ... to Joe's 'street team' ... I was sitting a few chairs to your left - the big dude with the cameras running up to the stage at the beginning of the set. Kudos to you for stirring up interest in Joe's set).

Hi AxisOfBeagles,

Welcome to the forum! To post images, upload them to a free site like http://photobucket.com/ or http://imageshack.us/ and paste the direct links in your post.

-Bill

Official Joe Bonamassa Fan Website | Facebook | Twitter
bill@bonamassalive.com

Bill's Website

  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

I was on the Robben Ford forum and was linked to a thread on the Gear Page that was about Robben's melt down at the festival but contained some very kind words about Joe's performance! Here's what the original poster had to say about Joe:

Joe Bonamassa comes on around 2:30 Saturday afternoon and Sunday it is still the buzz of the festival BTW. Amazing. Newspaper coverage and all the chatter indicates that the performance by Joe will go down as one of the best in 23 years or however long the fest has been around. I laughed my **** off as I never expected him to blow me away like he did but he was absolutely incredible from every aspect. Haven't been that impressed since Shawn Lane in '92. Joe brought it on every level. GREAT!!!!


After Joe B's set I was in a place for performers to get food and drinks and saw Robben Ford . He probably had heard the set JB did as well. He later did a closing song with Keb Mo on the main stage and around 9:30 took a small stage and performed a horrible set that was something I had a hard time believing...

That's not all of the original post, but I did include a little bit about Robben for those interested...

Here's a link to the thread.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth … p?t=410887

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

That's too bad how things worked out. I read an article from the Monterey Herald that discussed how the promoters wanted to balance out the level of talent for festival goers with fairgrounds only tickets. There was music going on simultaneously on three stages all day Sat. & Sun. Robben was the headliner on one stage and Charlie Musselwhite was the other. You would think this shouldn't have come as a surprise to Robben unless his people didn't make him aware of the situation till he showed up, he has been working a pretty busy tour schedule of late. The Volker Strifler Band earned a spot as the opening act for the Sat. AM arena show by winning a battle of the bands recently in Monterey. I just saw Robben two weeks ago in Vallejo. It was an outdoor show on a very breezy chilly evening. Robben put on a great performance considering the weather. I think the crowd spurred him on by turning the gig into a dance party from the outset. He did apologize for not doing an encore stating his hands were numb, which I couldn't blame him as I was dying to get in the truck and crank up the heater.

                                                                                                        Think Green,

                                                                                                        J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Someone posted a couple pages in on the Gear Page saying that there was a bit of miscommunication between Robben's people and the festival people. So he was peaved that he was on this tiny stage, was having issues with the soundmen, and in the end he was cussing people out while singing for taking pictures. Just not a good situation...I mean I can see how he's got the right to request that people don't take pictures, but at a festival it's going to be damn near impossible to prevent. And while reading about how he was sore about the tiny stage, I kept thinking back to 2 years ago at the Doheny Blues Festival when Joe blew people away on the Backporch Stage with an all acoustic set....of course I'm just passing word of what I've heard happened, but still.

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

I had a hunch there must have been some miscommunication. Robben's blood pressure probably started to rise when he got there and found out where he was performing. Too bad I had to jam after Joe's set and missed Robben sittin' in with Keb Mo', but I had bigger fish to fry, I had front row tix for Mark Knopfler up in Berkeley. I think it's safe to say, if you want to enjoy Robben live, do it indoors.

                                                                                                      Think Green,

                                                                                                      J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • Registered: 2008-07-01
  • Posts: 3

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

I sat in on Robben's set Saturday night at the MBF. And yea, he seemed ticked off - but I wouldn't say he was "cussing people out", at least not while I was there. He did ask, a couple times, that people not use flashes. It was a small stage, at night, with the people in close. And those flashes are bright and can disorient someone caught unawares.

I photograph at many festivals and concerts, and there are some hard rules for respectful photography. The "first three numbers" rule, and the "no flash rule" are at the top of the list - and both were being ignored by some in the audience.

"Boo" to the fans who were discourteous enough to use flash photography even after Robben asked them not to.

29 Reply by Danny! (edited by Musicinmysoul 2008-07-02 23:33:14)

  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Yeah, not to make this thread about Robben, but I miss his old tone...not even talking like Talk To Your Daughter, that ship has long since sailed, but even like Keep On Running...when I saw Robben (speaking of Robben, apparently they misspelled his name at the Monterey Festival...had a big sign up that said "Robbin Ford") touring Keep On Running, he sounded great! He had his old Tele, and a 58 Gold Top that Larry Carlton lent to him. But when I saw Robben play with Joe at the Galaxy in the beginning of the year, his tone hurt my ears! Maybe it's just where I was standing but it was sooo shrill! There were a few golden moments when he gave the bridge pickup a rest, but other than that I thought it was waaay too trebly...

AxisOfBeagles, I can't say I was there, but apparently he (over the mic) asked a nearby lady to please not take pictures, and when she did anyway, he stepped up to the front of the stage like he was going to take it away. Incredibly unprofessional, and apparently you could hear him cussing people out when he stepped away from the mic....I don't know how much is true, but I know Robben isn't afraid to single people out in the middle of a set over the mic. During the Coach House show that I first saw him at (when he was touring Keep On Running) he stopped and asked a man that was dead center "Hey, what's that little red light? Can somebody take this guy outside or something? *walking away from the mic* Or call the cops..." It was really a damper on the mood of the show...it's just like...come on.....

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: San Leandro, CA
  • Registered: 2007-08-24
  • Posts: 136

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

brandoncatz wrote:

No kidding!  Unfortunately, they don't start selling 1-day tickets until the first day of the festival, and since we didn't buy until that morning (weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it out there at all) our choices were slim.  O well... live and learn... Here are some pics...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure008.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure017.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure016.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure015.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure014.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure021.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure020.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure019.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/ … ure018.jpg

It wasn't just day of pictures.  We bought tickets back in May and still had far away seats.  I think the close seats are reserved for return visitors or something. 

I'm glad we were at least in the place.

I'm sorry to hear Robben Ford did such a poor set.  I saw him do the song with Keb Mo, and that was fine.  I saw Robben Ford last year at a jazz club in Oakland (Yoshi's).  He was great then, and I really like him.  But I was confused as to why he was on a side stage as well.  All in all, I'm glad we didn't hang around to see him.  I missed Susan Tedeschi as well, but will see her later in July with Derek Trucks in San Francisco.

Great article in the Monterey Herald about Joe and the band.  I guess Joe was the talk of the festival!  I'm glad I got to see it.

  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

LisaG wrote:

Great article in the Monterey Herald about Joe and the band.  I guess Joe was the talk of the festival!  I'm glad I got to see it.

Great articles tend to follow Joe where ever he plays.....(Joe wont be cocky, so I'll be cocky for him!)

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • Rocket
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  • Registered: 2006-04-26
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Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Sounds pretty damn good to me!

brandoncatz wrote:

Here's So Many Roads:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=31XBDXgph-w

I should have mentioned before, but the quality on these recordings isn't very good.  It was done using a Kodak Z712 from a spot toward the back of the arena.  But it's something!

Brandon

"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.”

33 Reply by Rocket (edited by Rocket 2008-07-05 15:23:38)

  • Rocket
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  • Registered: 2006-04-26
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Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Speaking of killer...a killer of a show review here folks! Thanks Lisa, Dawg, and especially Brandon & Axis (Welcome). The Street Team Experience is akin to Joe Bonamassa's-it just keeps getting better & better!cool It's great to feel other people's initial excitement, but have a hard time handling their exuberance!
Cathy, the way things are going, it may come to the point where Joe IS the Top Ten Blues and the Kids Who Are Alright will say "That's not blues, it doesn't sound like Joe Bonamassa at all" ...

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.”
  • Registered: 2008-06-29
  • Posts: 7

Re: Monterey Bay Blues Festival, 6-28-08

Another reporter in today's Monterey Herald newspaper said that Joe B was the only performer to give her chills over the whole 3 day  fest.