Dude every single person on stage with Joe is an absolute animal. The horns, drums, keyboards, back up vocals. you name it and they kill it. These are true musicians.
I’ve had the good fortune to see Joe Bonamassa live on numerous occasions. He put on an absolutely fantastic show. He earns every penny that he gets. I don’t begrudge his success or collection in any way. I am happy that someone who actually records and performs as this equipment so that I get a chance to listen to it played by a master.
After seeing him in April last year I can definitely agree that that man is working for every dollar people pay for that ticket. Holy smokes, what a high energy, high level show he puts on!
Same here. Superb professional and gives each show and every minute 100%. There is some stupid legacy righteous perception that you shouldn't be that successful if you are a guitar player, especially a blues player. Jokes on them. Couldn't be happier for his success.
Joe is a complete gear nerd. He was super shy when I met him, but such a friendly dude. Do see him live!! It is quite a production and well worth seeing.
one of my biggest complaints about modern blues is there aren't many real songs anymore. They seem to be just frames for peoples parts. Joe's latest album he seems to be trying to make songs more than parts.
Gotta disagree. His chops were never an issue. Saw him live a few weeks back and the songs are just stale and very boring. Never mind the fact that he butchered a cover of Double Trouble.
Eh? improved over the past couple of years? You got to be kidding. Do you have any of his early cds? Damn, look at the perfromance at Royal Albert Hall with Eric Claption in 2009. He seemed to be ummm doin' ok
Saw him live first part of March. Band is tight, vocals are tight. Joe doesn't miss a note, ever. Plus, Josh Smith is playing with him right now. I was very impressed.
There’s a video from a year or two back with Joe, Josh Smith, and Tommy Emmanuel playing a very nice tele on this same song. It’s just awesome to watch and listen to.
When I saw Joe a couple years ago I was almost as excited to see Reese as I was Joe. Reese is well into his 70s and can still play circles around cats half his age.
One of the best performances I’ve seen of his. Not too many living, hard-ripping blues players that can hold your attention like that. Not to mention, play SO tight with the band, for a solid 8 minutes long. World class playing…
Mike im so impressed with your heart felt reviews and the personal you that you share with us…. Im impressed with you as a human being and so glad i found your utube channel…. What an inspirational soul you are my brother….i wish the best life has to give for your family and you… keep doin what your doing because you are a man with a message and above many who are claming to be guitar teachers you got it man and im privileged to have been fortunate enough to find you on this so devided planet. God Speed my brother❤
I call it ferocious guitar playing. Gary Moore was the king. Joe understands its power. Michael Schenker makes me drop whatever I'm doing to listen to his version of it.
JB has discussed that he's eliminated the middle men that essentially suck the life out of artists' potential earnings by doing it himself... playing must certainly be a joy, and why he wants even more as he reaches the top of each song... Play on man!
I had the pleasure of seeing Joe a few years ago here in Spokane, it was an out of body experience, not only did he do an electric set, also a face melting acoustic set, Joe could play a brick and make a person faint…Mr Bonamassa has been my favorite guitarist, along with SRV, the two greatest!!!
Go and see Joe and his band, its incredible. I'm from New Zealand a long way away and am fortunate enough to have been able to seen him from the the front row. I'm a guitar player and he's such a pro that I just smiled through his entire show. It's like guitar church watching him live.
With Joe, it's not just about the lead guitar. It's the whole production on stage hitting you from all directions. Assemble a group of musicians who are at the top of their game, get them on the same page and just drive the bus. Horns, vocals, keys, bass, funky quack on the middle pickup keeping the groove moving and you are cookin'!
I was fortunate enough to see Joe on this tour. It was the night before this recording. He is a monster in concert. I’ve seen him 9 times and I am planning on seeing him this August. He plays the guitar the way I wish I could. Great review and lesson.
JO BO is the complete musician. I dont know why some people say he plays with no soul, to me his playing is the right mixture technical ability and melodicness. Great band. Emphazing the 9 and 6 is good thing to remember in this solo.
I love Joe! All time most favourite living guitarist!!!!! His ability to make that instrument sing is just too amazing. I wish I could see him live up front and personal.
Michael thanks really enjoyed this one. You mentioned Michael Rhodes the amazing bass player who we sadly lost a few weeks back. It would be nice to see a segment on him.
Sad to hear about Michael Rhodes. What a monster bass player. I know JB gonna surely miss having him laying down the bottom end. He was the best ….R.I.P. Michael
I've been lucky enough to see Joe 4 times before he made the leap to theatres. I saw him in small clubs and at the last show I saw him, I remember watching him and thinking at about 4 points during the show that he was doing things no one else could do. Or, innovations that no else had done before. So special.
People that hate on Joe secretly listen to everything he does and wish they had his tool set. Gear collection aside, the dude has a cooler job than any of us. I've seen him live. You get your $$ worth for real.
That story about the winner of the 500K celebration gave me good chills!!! Sounds like a seriously good guy and I wish him all the best. A lot of people don't believe in a higher power, but it's stories like this that prove to my mind that there is!
Joe is very down to earth. I hung with him and he signed an acoustic of mine. Fast forward I am backstage meeting Eric Johnson to have him sign same guitar. He sees Joe's signature and says "not bad kid" :) hahah Was awesome. I also was holding his 53 strat while he signed it and noodled some COD :) Never seen that fav spot flat 5 trick, thats awesome!
Seen him in Manchester pre-covid and he was amazing then but he seems to be getting even better. Absolute world class player and I need to see him again. SRV, BOJO, GARY MOORE…
Joe played the Blues Fest in Hagerstown, Md years ago when he was just making his presence known. I am originally from Frederick and now live in Smithsburg which less than 10 minutes away from Hagerstown. He was that close and I missed him. I can still kick myself for not being there. A guy I worked with was there and he said Joe blew the crowd away. Just like you Michael I have yet to see him live.
I saw Joe play at Bluesfest a few weeks ago - it blew my mind, loved every single second of his set. When he let rip with large chords, it was best sounding guitar I've ever heard, and his playing was a joy to hear & watch. Plus, he had Josh Smith as his side-man - just amazing.
I gravitated to this channel, not because I play an instrument, but because I like music that snags me, puts my jaw on the floor and holds me there until the very end. I find this channel very relevant to me achieving this bliss. Started following Joe long time ago, he is insane when he gets going. Gotta go look at band he is playing with, here. Thanks for the great video, one problem with it, I gotta go find more. Yep I'm a music junkie!!!!!! And to Mike thanks for all the great music you post. Love it
Great analysis of the playing by JB and as always great attention to the band and vocals! I’ve been playing about 65 years now and can hear where the music is going but never learned all the theory. Have seen JB several times with my son at Red Rocks and we enjoy every note . Thanks for all the great sounds you share !
I love how Joe is one of those guys who very clearly and blatantly pays homage to his influences. Those 3 or 4 Albert King motifs in the beginning were done with genuine AKing feel. Good stuff.
Saw Joe live here in Sydney at the State Theatre in 2019. Was a night I will never forget. Even at one of the smaller shows in his Australia run of that year, he had that signature thing you spoke about. I could feel in the audience from 20 metres back that he just needed more. Like the gear he brought with him didn't have what it took to keep up... Awesome!
Joe is just fantastic. Going to see him live in Bournemouth UK on May 9th (the day after his birthday). Never been to a concert before and am so excited about it. I just started to learn playing the guitar after hearing Joe play, I'm a bit of a fan x
Michael, I am impressed!! U r amazing at describing everything!! Most people that r amazing players and know their theory r complete theory snobs!! They think they r better than u and do everything to show u that! Not only r u not a snob, u make theory easy to understand and explain it so everyone can understand it!! And at the same time your exuberance is contagious!! U make me want to play guitar even more and I didn't know that was possible!! I was the guy that was all about feel and looked down on the theory nerds but actually help me incorporate theory while still playing with feel!! Keep it up brother!!
saw him last week for the first time after missing so many shows in the uk or being too far but wow he delivered. i actually spent the whole show smiling and amazed and at times tears in my eyes from when he started soloing. awesome musician and will try my best to always see him now. this is a great review video!
I bought Joe's first album over 20 years ago.. when I would tell people about him, they'd respond with - Joe who? Sadly, there are still some who say that - but for people who KNOW - well, they KNOW! Joe's a Monster.. one of the things that I have always loved about Joe is that he knows how/when to lock on a vamp for a bit, and then unleash the Monster! Like I said, that's One of the things that I Love about JB! Carry On with your Bad Self, Joe! Thanks Michael, Love What You Do! P.S. Must add.. and when you have Kirk Fletcher or Josh Smith as your second guitarist.. what more can be said? The Whole band - Kicks It!
Being originally an 80s hard rock fan, Bonamassa's music is what was the gateway drug to contemporary blues for me a few years back. Nowadays it's a steady diet of music by Eric Gales, Samantha Fish, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Kingfish as well as Joe's stuff for me these days.
@bozeeke Joe did a good interview with Samantha Fish. Also I saw Samantha 5 times so far! I got 2 pictures taken with her and 2 autographed CDs! You gotta see her live! 😎✌️
@@robertkroberjr.157 yeah I saw the live from Nerdville interview with her and a bunch of others too. Bonamassa's got a good second career path doing interviews after he retires from the road if he wants it.
@@robertkroberjr.157 And as far as seeing Fish live I agree with what you're saying. The RU-vid vids of her live performances sound better than the recorded tracks. Definitely a 'better sounding live' type of artist.
I saw Joe and his band in Milwaukee at the Riverside Theater back in 2015. Incredible show, and loud! Reese was with the band then as well. So incredible to see him, too. He was really great. An interesting side note. The show was scheduled to begin at 8pm. Joe walked out onstage a couple of minutes before 8, and struck the first note at 8pm on the dot. I was looking at my watch, because it's so rare for an act to be so on time starting their show. He and the band hung out at the bus after to talk with fans. Too sad that Michael Rhodes recently passed away.
I have never listened to Joe's music before, but he's a badass just from hearing this video. Guy has some serious chops and this big band vibe is really fun.
At the 10:45 mark, that decending lick that’s “just a silly little thing” is a classic Guthrie Trapp lick. I’ve heard him use it a lot. Sounds super cool.
Michael, been watching your videos since the beginning bro (well mostly). Wish I had time to join the site, with kids and such, a little tough. But just wanted to say thanks for posting this stuff. I’ve learned an absolute ton over the years.
He does get so much crap when we all know he's a monster player now got that head voice for days but he has proven how to make it in the music industry without a major label. He's now producing on their label for other people who wouldn't get a contract. Just recently he's started management but so the artist can do what he's done with that vertical business model. Music cannot be just about radio anymore. He is fantastic live. It's an experience not a concert. I've had the best time when seeing him live more than anyone else. You hit a very key point that band (even when new members join) respect each other no one is trying to shine over anyone else. It's just fantastic. Lastly, thank you for the excitement, appreciation and respect you have for Joe. 😊
Michael - In my opinion, you, Tom Bukovac, and Paul Davids have given me some of the most useful guitar information to take away and use in my playing. Thank you for continuing to explain things in a way that we can use. I've heard "the 2 is the fifth of your 5" many times, but keep saying it so it sinks in for us all.
I love your enthusiasm for music. I’ve only been playing a couple of years and most of what you’re saying is above my head. But I still am able to learn from your vids. Love it. And I really love how much you praise band members. Not just the guitar players.
❤ RESPECT for your reactions to Joe byy the way Joe has the largest collection in the world of Vintage Guitars and amps.. also that is Albert Kings Flying V .. thanks again
I believe on his cruise show with Kenny Wayne Sheppard he was playing on a Gibson Les Paul Traditional through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and he still sounded great.
I've seen Joe a couple of times in the UK now and he's just phenomenal one of the only real pure blues players out there now, id love to see you break down my favourite with is "woke up dreaming" his acoustic playing is just baffling 👌
Am always glad to receive positive comments from my lovely fans🤍🖤it’s absolutely my pleasure bringing sweet melody to you. ❤❤ have you been to any of my concerts?
Joe Bonamassa is an absolute monster guitarist who loves to perform and give the audience everything he has. Who the heck out there has the right to criticize him for his collection and love of the musician instruments that fill his sole. He has worked so hard all his life on perfecting his craft and then bring that amazing talent out to the world for the rest of us to enjoy. Thank You Joe Bonamassa!
This minor root chord blues I like playing Dorian on because it works great over the IV chord too. I hear Joe playing an E bending half step to the F giving it that Dorian sound.
Wowza! I’ve seen him live and am a big fan, but this one was truly incendiary all around - full band included. Every note is shear perfection in his solos. And, contrary to naysayers that his playing is emotionless, i feel that you couldn’t exude more passion in your playing than JB. As to your comment about critics who will say he is gear obsessed, the flip side is he is a shining example of playing and enjoying your vintage gear, not just having sit as a museum piece. AND he knows his gear better than the back of his hand. But like you stated, he can play a cigar box and blow minds.
@Michael hey man.. every time I feel stuck at a dead end I pull up one or two of your videos. I've only been playing a few months, and still a lot of this goes over my head, BUT.. if nothing else pentatonic my way around the key while watching and listening. And I'll be damned if I don't find SOME little thing I can grab on to and take away with me to work on. Thanks Michael.
Thank you the older i get the harder it is to find artists i,ve missed out on this is one. Now researching found he played on all sorts of stuff but didn't know him
I think a LOT of people have given Joe s#*t since he was Little Joey Bonamassa with the killer chops, but "what a poseur, what does that kid know about the blues???" Now he's Big Joe Bonammassa, he's got The Ladies, ("Ooh!") and besides knowing his blues inside out, he's a ROCK MONSTER, and it comes through in all of his playing. That's a hard reality for other guitar players to admit to envying! 🙏
