Joe Bonamassa

Snapping Twig

Snapping Twig

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Perhaps one of the finest guitarists today.

I was treated to a 60th birthday set of tickets to his performance last night at Shoreline in Mountain View, California.

My wife bought a set of 4 box seats, Vip parking and access. Took our daughter and her boyfriend.

Amazing!

Neil Shoen (sp) from Journey joined for Pretty Woman. OMG! Guitar battle.

His keyboard man was from Stevie Ray Vaughn's Double Trouble band.

I'll admit I got onto Joe Bonamassa from his YouTube clips, Who Killed John Henry and Just got Paid and I'm totally given to that genre, but this tour was the Three Kings, so it was B.B. King, etc and southern blues.

All in all it was jaw dropping to observe such talent live.

Joe broke a string, the small one, while he was burning it up and simply switched up and continued without a hitch. You couldn't tell except for a string hanging. Seamless swap of guitar moments later during the song and carry on.

I set my phone to record and stuck it on the ledge of the box seats and I'm watching Going Down right now as I type this.

That guy knows his way around a guitar!
 
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Delightful!

Here's the link if anybody is interested.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJaCUriaHCY[/ame]

Downloaded and on my phone for later reference....
 
Fine gift snapping twig. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". I hope to see him live someday.

Joe B has been bending those strings in public,(nation-wide) since he was thirteen or so. Search around a bit on the web, and you will find him in an appearance on one of the network morning shows at that age.

His mastery of the guitar is legend among other guitarist, but his fame in the U.S. is almost non-existent. Due largely I suppose because of his seeming preference for European tours.

His acoustic rendition of "Slow Train coming" at the Vienna Opera House about two years ago is the strongest, fastest, flat picking I have ever seen, and I have been watching guitarist for a long time !
 
I am aware that he opened for B.B. King when he was 12.

Flat out talented man taking full advantage of his gifts.
 
While I really like his guitar work and also think it is amount the best, I wish he didn't think he had to sing. Leave that to someone that can sing better than him. JMHO....................
 
I only discovered Bonamassa in the last year or so, and consider him one of the very best I've heard in years. He can burn down a venue in any genre, but his blues work is brilliant. The term "chops"' was coined for guys like him.
 
I've seen him on tv a few times and he is an amazing talent. In an
interview on Guitar Center Sessions he explained how he was taught
to play by his father at a young age. He isn't all that well known in
the US and I got the impression from the interview that he grew up
in England. True?
 
I've been a Bonamassa fan for years.

Congratulations on the great birthday gifts, the concert and being introduced to one of today's truly gifted guitarist.
 
I already declared how much I like his guitar skills, and his voice is certainly NOT "cringe-worthy", but I do have to look away from his facial, shall I say, "gyrations" sometimes.

Whole lotta Joe Cocker and Stevie Wonder looking face calisthenics. But, I have noticed most all strong players get a little "contorted" when they are hitting those strong string licks.
 
Snapping Twig said:
Delightful!

Here's the link if anybody is interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJaCUriaHCY

Downloaded and on my phone for later reference....
Click to expand...


I was at this show!!! One of the things I still love about living here-I don't like crowds but do go to the rare concert at Red Rocks or a baseball game at Coors Field (not to see the Rockies but the other teams like my Mets this past Saturday LOL).

It was only the second concert I'd been to since 2009 haha.
 
rog8732 said:
I already declared how much I like his guitar skills, and his voice is certainly NOT "cringe-worthy", but I do have to look away from his facial, shall I say, "gyrations" sometimes.

Whole lotta Joe Cocker and Stevie Wonder looking face calisthenics. But, I have noticed most all strong players get a little "contorted" when they are hitting those strong string licks.
Click to expand...

My late wife and I had fourth-row seats to hear Yo-Yo Ma in concert. The music was magnificent, but we were practically looking up his nose and the mugging was awful.

Simple solution: we closed our eyes and listened to him work magic. I can do that with the rockers, the jazz men, and the multi-genre guys like Bonamassa, just as well. I love hearing Keith Jarrett play, but it drives me nuts to watch him.

So I don't. :)
 
Smokin' Joe is an upstate NY product (out Hillbilly77's way). I saw him play when he was a youngster, maybe preteen. He played at local fairs and town events for free back then. He also did the local radio station interviews. You knew back then he was destined for greatness. His timing and chops were wayyyy beyond his young years.

I've seen him a few times since (not for free anymore). He's an incredible talent and always surrounds himself with great musicians.

As a side note, he has a ridiculous guitar collection, in the hundreds I believe with some seriously expensive vintage and important pieces.

Twig, your bride hooked you up big time. That's a great birthday treat.

Happy belated BTW!
 
He is amazing, and you got the red carpet treatment seeing him, sounds like. You Tube has great videos of him, even as a kid. He's a modern fave to me. The others? Alvin Lee, Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Rory Gallagher, SRV, Billy Gibbons (see a trend yet?), in no specific order. But I never saw J.B. Rory Gallagher's brother let him play R,G.'s guitar on stage and that's on video too. Happy grrat b'day. I'm 2 yrs. younger. Grew up in the Bay area.
 
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