duhvoodooman
March 2nd, 2009, 12:47 PM
I had the pleasure of attending my first Joe Bonamassa show at the old Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse, NY on this past Saturday evening, Feb. 28. A friend from work went along (same guy who bought a Squier Strat from me a few months back), and we had great seats--14th row, righthand side of the main orchestra section.
Following a very fortuitous restaurant selection (http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=10708), we arrived about 7:40 for an 8 PM show. This is a big old theatre, built in 1928, with a seating capacity of about 2800. During the show, it was announced that attendance was about 1400. Not a bad turnout for town not exactly known as a hotbed of blues! While not a huge crowd, it was a very enthusiastic one!
While waiting for the show to begin, I had ample opportunity to check out Joe's stage rig through a small pair of binoculars I brought along. The rig was exactly the one shown/described in the cover article about Joe in the April '09 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Four 100W heads stacked two each on two 4x12 cabs; a Van Weelden and a Carol Ann head on the left, and a Category 5 and Marshall Silver Jubilee on the right. The cabs were also Category 5's.
Joe hit the stage right on time at 8 PM and opened with the titular cut from his new CD, The Ballad of John Henry. This number was played on an Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Baritone guitar, which gave the powerful, driving bottom end that characterizes this song. He used a slide during the solo break and also got some interesting sonic effects with a theremin that was set up on the right side of the stage. From that point on, it was a mix of established JB favorites mixed with tunes from the new CD. In total, Joe & the band performed 16 numbers--13 in the main set, plus a 3-song encore. Here's the set list:
MAIN SET:
Ballad of John Henry
Last Kiss
So Many Roads
India/Mountain Time
Another Kind of Love
Sloe Gin
The Great Flood
Lonesome Road Blues
Happier Times
Your Funeral, My Trial
Blues Deluxe
Woke Up Dreaming
Just Got Paid
ENCORE:
Ball Peen Hammer
Story of a Quarryman
Asking Around for You
Though I'd only had brief exposure to 5 of the 6 new tunes included in the set (I'd downloaded the new CD from Amazon on Friday night and listened to it on the drive to Syracuse), I enjoyed them all, as did the appreciative crowd. Lonesome Blues and Happier Times, along with John Henry, were my favorites of the new songs. The rest of the set was basically the nucleus of the performance chronicled on his last 2-CD live set, Live From Nowhere in Particular. The quality of the performances and the sound quality in general was outstanding. About the only minor issue was that the keyboards could have been mixed in a bit louder, particularly during Rick Melnick's solo breaks. Highlights for me were So Many Roads, Mountain Time, Sloe Gin, Blues Deluxe and Just Got Paid. And his acoustic work on Woke Up Dreaming (6-string) and Ball Peen Hammer (12-string) was nothing short of spectacular. I think Joe probably put a bit extra into this performance, seeing as how Syracuse is only 50 miles from his birthplace in Utica, NY and his mom & dad were in the audience!! And, as I've come to expect, his tone throughout the night was to die for!!
As far as the electric guitars go, he played a variety of Les Paul's (I think I counted 5 different ones) and a Gibson Flying V on Just Got Paid. No Fenders or single-coils of any kind. The Petrucci Baritone was the only non-Gibson electric. The two acoustics were both Yamaha's, though I couldn't tell you the models. He used the theremin on a couple of tunes, but didn't overdo it. Fine by me, because a little of that goes a long way with me. Because of the song selection, he didn't play very much slide. I would have liked to have heard a number on one of those cool Chandler LectraSlides he plays, but I guess that will have to wait until another time.
So, bottom line, just a great concert by a great guitarist in his prime. If you ever have a chance to see Joe, JUST FREAKIN' DO IT!! You won't be disappointed, I guarantee! :AOK: :dude: :bravo: :rockon:
Following a very fortuitous restaurant selection (http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=10708), we arrived about 7:40 for an 8 PM show. This is a big old theatre, built in 1928, with a seating capacity of about 2800. During the show, it was announced that attendance was about 1400. Not a bad turnout for town not exactly known as a hotbed of blues! While not a huge crowd, it was a very enthusiastic one!
While waiting for the show to begin, I had ample opportunity to check out Joe's stage rig through a small pair of binoculars I brought along. The rig was exactly the one shown/described in the cover article about Joe in the April '09 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Four 100W heads stacked two each on two 4x12 cabs; a Van Weelden and a Carol Ann head on the left, and a Category 5 and Marshall Silver Jubilee on the right. The cabs were also Category 5's.
Joe hit the stage right on time at 8 PM and opened with the titular cut from his new CD, The Ballad of John Henry. This number was played on an Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Baritone guitar, which gave the powerful, driving bottom end that characterizes this song. He used a slide during the solo break and also got some interesting sonic effects with a theremin that was set up on the right side of the stage. From that point on, it was a mix of established JB favorites mixed with tunes from the new CD. In total, Joe & the band performed 16 numbers--13 in the main set, plus a 3-song encore. Here's the set list:
MAIN SET:
Ballad of John Henry
Last Kiss
So Many Roads
India/Mountain Time
Another Kind of Love
Sloe Gin
The Great Flood
Lonesome Road Blues
Happier Times
Your Funeral, My Trial
Blues Deluxe
Woke Up Dreaming
Just Got Paid
ENCORE:
Ball Peen Hammer
Story of a Quarryman
Asking Around for You
Though I'd only had brief exposure to 5 of the 6 new tunes included in the set (I'd downloaded the new CD from Amazon on Friday night and listened to it on the drive to Syracuse), I enjoyed them all, as did the appreciative crowd. Lonesome Blues and Happier Times, along with John Henry, were my favorites of the new songs. The rest of the set was basically the nucleus of the performance chronicled on his last 2-CD live set, Live From Nowhere in Particular. The quality of the performances and the sound quality in general was outstanding. About the only minor issue was that the keyboards could have been mixed in a bit louder, particularly during Rick Melnick's solo breaks. Highlights for me were So Many Roads, Mountain Time, Sloe Gin, Blues Deluxe and Just Got Paid. And his acoustic work on Woke Up Dreaming (6-string) and Ball Peen Hammer (12-string) was nothing short of spectacular. I think Joe probably put a bit extra into this performance, seeing as how Syracuse is only 50 miles from his birthplace in Utica, NY and his mom & dad were in the audience!! And, as I've come to expect, his tone throughout the night was to die for!!
As far as the electric guitars go, he played a variety of Les Paul's (I think I counted 5 different ones) and a Gibson Flying V on Just Got Paid. No Fenders or single-coils of any kind. The Petrucci Baritone was the only non-Gibson electric. The two acoustics were both Yamaha's, though I couldn't tell you the models. He used the theremin on a couple of tunes, but didn't overdo it. Fine by me, because a little of that goes a long way with me. Because of the song selection, he didn't play very much slide. I would have liked to have heard a number on one of those cool Chandler LectraSlides he plays, but I guess that will have to wait until another time.
So, bottom line, just a great concert by a great guitarist in his prime. If you ever have a chance to see Joe, JUST FREAKIN' DO IT!! You won't be disappointed, I guarantee! :AOK: :dude: :bravo: :rockon: