Blues guitar god gifts us with a concert
I have been writing about music on and off for well over two decades now; I’ve written several hundred articles just for The Pulse alone. There are more than a few common elements that run through that body of work but I suspect the most readily apparent would be that I’m not stingy with praise.
Recognizing that, I worry at times it may seem more like ad-copy than review. Let me assure you, I have never written a word that wasn’t heartfelt. Whatever the limitations of my writing, and they are undoubtedly many, let it never be said that I am insincere.
It is necessary to preface today’s article with that bit of explanation/disclaimer because of what I am going to say next. It is an impression I have wrestled with for days now and yet, now that it’s time to write, it is an impression I am compelled to share. Anything less would be insincere.
Joe Bonamassa may be the greatest blues guitarist living today.
I think he is, and I am extremely hesitant to label anything “the best”, but after two weeks of total immersion in his enormous catalog of music, I cannot think of a better way to say it.
Like every kid who ever picked up a guitar, I was introduced to the litany of “guitar gods” we are all supposed to worship. For a while, I did but I could never shake the nagging suspicion that I and my peers, along with generations of musicians who came before and after us, repeated those names with reverence because we were supposed to, not because of any genuine impact they made on us personally.
Bonamassa makes an impression. His early influences, legends I DON’T think are overrated, were all known for their expressive ability with the guitar—as opposed, say, to flashy tricks, blinding speed, and other techniques that are impressive, but not necessarily expressive. He has surpassed them all. Inspired by them, he has built upon the trails they blazed, elevating the guitar in to a seemingly living thing with a voice to rival Bocelli.
Speaking of voices, Bonamassa is a gifted vocalist. His band is a well-oiled machine comprised of phenomenally talented musicians and minus the extraordinary lead work, as a whole it would still be a world-class act.
But my god, the lead work…there is an official live recording of “Midnight Blues” at the Beacon Theatre in New York on YouTube (easily found, freely available) and as far as I’m concerned, investing eight minutes in giving it a listen will confirm all I have said here.
Fresh on the heels of recording a new album, his fourteenth to date, at Abbey Road in January, Joe is currently on tour and coming to Memorial Auditorium here in Chattanooga on March 3rd.
When I spoke to Joe recently, he was enthusiastic about returning to the Scenic City, one of his favorite stops in the state he calls his second home (“Or first home, really, since that’s where my driver’s license is…”). Several “never before heard” tracks from the latest album will be debuted here in addition to selections from his 80+ plus song traveling repertoire, a rare, one-of-a-kind treat.
The greatest impression I took away from our all-too-brief interview is that this man, who has played guitar since the age of four, who opened for B.B. King at the age of twelve, and who has gone on to play shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest and most beloved guitarists in the world, is definitively cool, utterly professional, and about as nice and ego-free a man as you’re ever likely to meet. The truly great ones almost always are.
Make no mistake, folks. The concert is a gift to music lovers here and a clear indication that Chattanooga, not even a pit stop thirty years ago, has blossomed into a destination city for the best and brightest the music world has to offer.
When we think of the blues, we tend to think of the last century when there were giants in those days, but I tell you now, there are giants in these days and Joe Bonamassa stands tall amongst them.