On Saturday night, Joe Bonamassa brought his trademark brand of blues-rock to the restored Landmark Theater in the heart of downtown Richmond, VA. The show was sold out, and the crowd seemed thrilled to be visited by talent as vast as Joe's.
The show started out with an almost country-sounding rendition of ACDC's classic 'Highway to Hell' blasting through the PA system as the house lights darkened, beckoning the waiting fans to scuttle to their seats and wait for what would come next. In the darkness, Joe made his way to a stool in the center of a rug bearing his initials, and sat under a spotlight and strumming away on an acoustic guitar with the speed and talent that has brought him recognition from fellow guitar greats B.B. King and Eric Clapton. After the fast-paced intro, the other four members of his acoustic ensemble joined him for 8 other songs. Joe doesn't just awe with his playing however, he also sings along with each track, and is very well backed by an assortment of "worldly instruments," as he called them, expertly played by his 4 companions, the aforementioned Sherinian, Lenny Castro on percussion, Irishman Gerry O'Connor on banjo & fiddle, and Mats Wester from Sweden on the exotic nyckelharpa and other rare instruments.
Joe's wit and quirky personality shone throughout the set, as he teased about being honored to open for Joe Bonamassa, as well as jokingly scolding the crowd for clapping when he mentioned his keyboardist Derek Sherinian working with him on Black Country Communion ("None of you bought that album! It sold 17 copies.") and again when they all cheered for his mention of joy to play in Richmond ("Only 35 of you came to my last show here!"). The crowd cheered on, hoping to undo their previous wrongdoings, and ensuring Joe would remember Richmond on yet another stop - and perhaps get another chance to play his song named after the city, which earned the biggest applause of the night.
After a brief intermission, the set returned plugged in, for 9 more songs and an encore of 2 more, fully electric. It was truly An Evening with Joe Bonamassa, as the delighted crowd got to experience the full spectrum of his talent and catalog. As amazing as Joe is acoustic opening for himself, he fully comes alive electric, and he can make his Les Paul guitar sing with passion. Joe was backed up during the acoustic set by Tal Bergman on drums, Carmine Rojas on bass, and again Derek Sherinian on keyboards and Lenny Castro on percussion.
While the blues rock of Joe Bonamassa is not usually my style, I (and many others in Richmond) left a convert, amazed by the sounds of Joe's guitar crying out in his arms. I look forward to my next opportunity to spend an evening with Joe Bonamassa.
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If they play, I will come.
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