Review & Photos by Junkman
For the fifth year in a row and the first of two nights, guitarist Joe Bonamassa and his outstanding band took to the stage of the gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, and slayed a sold-out crowd with his brand of rockin’ blues and more. Billed as “The Guitar Event of the Summer,” it was just that. Bonamassa and his guitar were the focus, but with the addition of his crack band, gave the audience a full-on lesson in contemporary blues performance.
Opening with the Muddy Waters classic “Tiger in your Tank,” Bonamassa, looking resplendent in a blue suit and tie and his ever-so-cool shades, gave that number a tune-up, with a revved-up tempo that got the evening off to a bang, and did not stop throughout the 15-song set. Many styles were represented, such as the funky “Evil Mama” and “King Bee Shakedown” early in the set. Bassist Michael Rhodes, who has played with a who’s who of some of the best musicians in the genre, laid it down all night, and even came out front a few times to get close to Bonamassa, who mainly focused on stage right for the bulk of the show.
Traditional blues were well represented, with such diverse material as the almost bossa nova tempo of the Willie Dixon classic “I Get Evil,” which spotlighted his horn section of former Tower of Power trumpet player Lee Thornberg and saxophonist Paulie Cerra, along with the soaring, pleading “Sloe Gin,” which built up to a roaring crescendo that put the audience on its feet.
Keyboardist Reece Wynans, known to many as the long-time member of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band, was the driving force behind much of the material. All night, he blasted out Hammond B-3 organ solos that complimented Bonamassa’s outstanding guitar playing like the cream to his coffee. A wonderful cover of Delaney and Bonnie’s “Well Well” was one of my favorite moments of the evening, and was punctuated even further by the backing vocals of Mahalia Barnes and Jade MacRae, which made the song that much thicker and tastier, with their gospel-tinged singing.
Rock guitar enthusiasts as well as blues fans alike were treated to a great fusion of the Led Zeppelin number “Tea for One” and Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby” that brought out the best in Bonamassa’s seamless mix of styles. His chops brought out the “air guitarists” in the audience en masse. His Fender Telecaster was virtually on fire — it was like a wolf howling to the huge moon that had settled over the picturesque boulders making up the legendary venue.
The driving beat of drummer Greg Morrow, filling in for tour drummer Anton Fig, set the tone for a cover of John Mayall’s “Little Girl,” which was followed by the title track to his 2009 release The Ballad Of John Henry and closed the set. As the crowd cheered when the band left the stage, Joe Bonamassa soon re-appeared with an acoustic guitar and once again slayed his fans with yet another style in his repertoire as he rolled out an absolutely screaming version of “Woke Up Dreaming.”
Again it was time to don the electric guitar as our hero wrapped up a wonderful night with the appropriate “Mountain Time” from 2002’s So It’s Like That release. Again, showing off the licks of so many styles from blues to bluegrass, rock, to jazz, with even a bit of Middle Eastern flair in his playing, all of us in attendance sat there, mouths agape at the amount of talent that this man possesses in his hands. His coarse, at times, sweet vocals are almost an afterthought, but add so much to his versatility as a performer. Throw in an outstanding band, in a breathtaking venue, and it was a truly memorable evening for all.
