Review: Joe Bonamassa, Royal Concert Hall

Tuesday, December 01, 2009, 14:30

There is one word that was repeated time and again after Joe Bonamassa's quite remarkable performance at the Royal Concert Hall last night – "awesome".
And some more.
Just five years ago, the charismatic New York guitarist was playing to a few people at Nottingham's now defunct blues venue, the Running Horse, followed later with a gig at the Rescue Rooms and then at a jam-packed Rock City last year.
On that occasion, he explained what a dream it was to play there after walking past it on his way to its little sister venue.
And it's still onwards and upwards for the "new king of the blues" as he is now tagged.
But that really doesn't do justice to one of the world's greatest blues-rock, singer-song-writer guitarists, who started playing Stevie Ray Vaughan licks when he was just seven.
Now 32 and determined to keep blues to the forefront of the international music scene, Joe plays more than 200 shows worldwide every year – incorporating his Blues in Schools programme -- and last May he packed the Royal Albert Hall where he played with some of his heroes including Clapton and Paul Jones.
He is simply a master of his craft and he had the RCH audience – some of whom had paid three times the ticket price -- enthralled from start to finish of a staggering set that simply flew by.
Joe cannot be simply pigeon-holed as a 'blues guitarist', though, despite the influences of all the great American and, in particular, British legends.
His amazing finger work on his ten-minute acoustic solo Woke Up Dreaming had the crowd whooping with delight.
From the sweet, gentle sounds and subtlety of BB King, to the rock riffs reminiscent of Gary Moore and Jimmy Page, as well as the late lamented Rory Gallagher, showed he can grind out the dirty, raunchy stuff, too.
And the arrival of the 'flying v' for his encore brought roars of delight from the audience as they rose to their feet to salute a true master of his trade.
It was a memorable night and perhaps next time we might see him at the Arena. Just make sure you get a ticket.
A word also for support act Sandi Thom, the Scottish blues singer and multi-instrumentalist, who became famous for her 2006 hit, I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)". Take the opportunity to listen to some of her stuff on YouTube. Great band, great voice . . . and not bad to look at either!
Mick Holland
Nottingham Evening Post