RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average D = yawn F = puke
Joe Bonamassa – Beacon Theater: Live From New York
J&R Adventures
www.joebonamassa.com
Rating: A
There is simply no one pumping out classic blues rock with more passion and talent than Joe Bonamassa in 2012. The man is obsessed with his passion and music effortlessly flies from his fingertips. He has his own band, plus the hard rocking Black Country Communion, but he only gets stronger from the massive work load he places upon himself. Want proof? Check out this DVD, as Joe is on fire from the opening note to the final encore.
Filmed at the legendary Beacon Theater in New York City, Bonamassa turns in what some may consider his career best performance, but truth be told, this is just another day at the office for Bonamassa. Add special guests Tom Waits, Beth Hart and Paul Rodgers and you have another Bonamassa masterpiece.
Beth Hart may be a graduate from The School of Janis, but she puts her own twist on things and brings her performance to dizzing heights. Joe and Beth perform “Don’t Explain,” the song they collaborated on from Bonamassa’s best selling album to date titled Dust Bowl. She, then, kicks things up a notch with a simply breathtaking performance of “I’ll Take Care of You.” The two also perform an amazing version of Ray Charles “Sinner Prayer.”
Not to be outdone, John Hiatt joins Bonamassa on “Down Around My Place” and “I Know a Place,” the latter being one of the high points of the concert. Saving the best for last, the mighty Paul Rodgers, joins Joe and Bonamassa actually seems a bit nervous sharing the stage with one of his heroes. He takes that nervous energy and pumps it into the performance as “Walk in My Shadow” and “All Right Now” literally have the crowd in a frenzy.
All of this and then you get all of Joe’s songs and also an entire second bonus disc that features a few more tracks, as well as Joe talking with David Crosby about chord changes!
The bottom line here is that any fan of true guitar oriented classic rock and blues should not only by this DVD, they should by ANYTHING with Joe Bonamassa’s name on it. Joe is gaining momentum and getting stronger with each outing. There is something special about this young man. He may just be The Great White Hope to bridge the generational gap and bring back real music to the forefront.
By Jeb Wright
