RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average D = yawn F = puke

Joe Bonamassa - An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House
J&R Adventures
https://www.facebook.com/JRAdventures

Rating: A

Joe Bonamassa continues to prove just how artistically special he is.  His talents as a musician know no boundaries.  He can blast out ‘70’s hard rock with Black Country Communion, play the blues on his solo albums, collaborate on funk and soul with Beth Hart and play acoustically with the same passion he shows on all of his other forms of music. 

Recorded in July of 2012 at the prestigious Vienna Opera House, Bonamassa showed no fear as he unplugged and left himself artistically bare.  With no power of electricity to hide behind, his was a most honest approach that dripped of emotion.  Fans will go nuts over this, as they have hoped for just this type of concert to be recorded and released since falling in love with the music of the unique minded muse.  

Bonamassa, once again, turned to his producer of choice, Kevin Shirley, to make sure everything sounded correct and Shirley, once again, excelled surpassing what one would think would be sonically possible.  

Joe was joined on stage by some of the best musicians in the world including Gerry O’Connor, on Irish fiddle, mandolin, and Irish banjo; Swedish multi-instrumentalist Mats Wester on Nyckelharpa, a Swedish keyed-fiddle; Los Angeles keyboardist Arlan Schierbaum, and legendary Puerto Rican percussionist, Lenny Castro.  The result is an audio and visual treat that, once again, shows how special Joe Bonamassa is.  

Released as a 2-disc CD/DVD/Blu-ray, this is must-own for any Joe Bonamassa fan, and for anyone who loves real music performed by real musicians.  One look at the set list below will have Joe’s fans chomping at the bit to snatch this one and crank it up loud and often.

Disc: 1
1. Arrival
2. Palm Trees, Helicopters and Gasoline
3. Jelly Roll
4. Dust Bowl
5. Around The Bend
6. Slow Train
7. Athens To Athens
8. From The Valley
9. The Ballad Of John Henry
10. Dislocated Boy
11. Driving Towards the Daylight

Disc: 2
1. High Water Everywhere
2. Jockey Full Of Bourbon
3. Richmond US
4. Stones In My Passway
5. Ball Peen Hammer
6. Black Lung Heartache
7. Mountain Time
8. Woke Up Dreaming
9. Sloe Gin
10. Seagull

By Jeb Wright