Joe Bonamassa Hammersmith Odeon 17-03-15
Photo Credit Marty Moffatt
Joe Bonamassa returned to Hamersmith Odeon for the first time since 2013 last night for the first of 4 nights in support of his latest studio album Different Shades Of Blue.
For most bands a mere 6 months since the release of their latest album would be enough to keep your mind fresh but not the hardest working man in rock n roll.
These shows as well as showcasing his first full album of original material they also pointed the way forward to not only next week's release of the Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks cd/dvd (available at the show for a very respectable £10 or £15!!) but also to his next project which is the 3 Kings show due to take place in the summer in the US.
For a little over 2 hours we were treated to musical extravaganza that few can match with a backing band who were simply fantastic.
For this tour we had the rock of rhythm Tal Bergman on drums and Carmine Rojas on bass who lay down the beat to let Joe go to work over with added percussion from Daniel Sadownick.A 3 piece horn section of on trumpet Lee Thornburg ,Nick Lane on trombone and Pauly Cerra on saxaphone gave the music a real depth.
Last and by no means least we had the legend Reese Wynans formerly a member of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble on keys and hammond organ.His playing was a joy to watch at close quarters and his interplay with Joe at times bordered on telepathic. After seeing him on the Muddy Wolf dvd to see him in the flesh was an honour.
The main man says very little apart from band introductions and he also had a little dig at the venues name.Saying that this was the 4th time he had played Hammersmith and every time the name had changed with corporation names added to it and to a huge cheer proclaimed it will always be Hammersmith Fucking Odeon to him.And to us Joe!!
His playing was as wonderful as ever with some long bluesy work outs that showed the man's flair and passion in every note and in my opinion is also singing better than ever.From his new cd we had the the opener Hey Baby that leads into Oh Beautiful with its light and shade opening and Joe's passionate vocal before all of the band crash in showing off the excellent sound and also the lighting rig which filled in the dark with shafts of coloured light.
I absolutely adore the main riff with the band adding depth before the first of many fast fingered solo's that shows he can play with passion and melody but also show a clean heel to many of today's young bucks!!
Never Give All Your Heart flows and dips on a cool riff that builds to the main chorus and Living On The Moon has plenty of Reece's hammond and the horn section over Tal's driving drum rhythm.Love Ain't A Love Song and Trouble Town both have a funky edge to them with plenty of the horn section adding depth to either song.
A brand new song that was added to the setlist for the recent NYC shows was an excellent addition .One Less Cross To Bear has a real groove to it with an extended hammond solo as well as a drum and percussion interlude too.
Mid set and a special guest.And for those lucky enough to see Joe's Hampton Court show with Beth Hart a real treat as the lady herself bared her soul and produced a trademark vocal on I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know that they covered so spectacularly on their Seesaw album.
Their is a real love for each other evident in the delivery of the song and after Beth had sang her part she then stood back in awe as Joe smashed the solo.Simply fantastic.
2 classics ended the show with simply mind blowing versions of Sloe Gin and Ballad Of John Henry. What I love is their are slight chord and rhythm changes on every tour which keeps the song fresh and the band on their toes!!
On Saturday we had seen the guitarist of Tax The Heat play a solo and take it down to a whisper except the crowd ended up talking over him.When Joe does you could hear a pin drop as the crowd watch in awe before the band build the song back up to be greeted by a huge cheer.
Only one encore with Muddy Waters's All Aboard giving everyone a chance to shine. We get a trombone solo then trumpet then saxophone before Reese does a lengthy hammond solo and then Joe gets his turn. This is followed by Reese and Joe trading solo's and leaving many a jaw on the floor at the stunning showmanship on display.A quick bow and they were gone and any one with a ticket over the next 3 nights is in for a treat .
Joe Bonamassa is successfully reinventing himself time and time again but with no compromise to his beliefs and for that we should all be thankful.
A few tickets are still available for the Friday 20th and Saturday 21st shows from the 24 hour box office: 0844 249 4300, or book online: www.eventimapollo.com
