Joe Bonamassa Live In Hong Kong

Date: 12 May 2011

Time: 20:30

Venue: Rotunda Hall 3

Prices: HK$799 / $699 / $599

Hotline: 3128 8288

http://www.hkticketing.com/


Check Out The Flyer Here

http://www.kitec.com.hk/upload/event/JoeBonamassa2011.jpg


http://www.jbonamassa.com

Joe Bonamassa blew into town last week for a show at HITEK in Kowloon Bay on Thurs 12 May. As he informed us partway through a scorching set, he arrived on Saturday the 7th, and celebrated his 34th birthday here the next day.


He was smokin' for the entire set. The set list was as follows:

1, Cradle Rock

2. So Many Roads

3. When The Fire Hits the Sea

4. So It's Like That

5. Heartaches Were Like Nickels

6. Slow Train

7. Dust Bowl

8. Sloe Gin

9. Ballad of John Henry

10. Steal Your Heart Away

11. Midnight Blues

12. Young Man Blues

13. Woke Up Dreaming

14. Mountain Time

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** encore

15. Just Got Paid


The encore was thrilling - it didn't seem possible to play anything with more energy than had already been displayed, but partway through Just Got Paid he breaks into Led Zep. Jaw-droppingly delicious!


As can be seen, this comprises material from most of his catalogue, and surely covered the bases from slow blues ballads to rip-roaring hard rock a la BCC. His 3-piece touring band - introduced near the end but I didn't note their names - were also clearly into the whole scene.


Joe has climbed the heights, having not just played with B.B. a number of friends but also calling him a friend, to EC (check out Joe's Royal Albert Hall concert DVD). This venue was small and very intimate, with less than 2,000 of us attending. I was row 2, stage centre, and the stage was only 6 inches high, so it was like having this guy in my own living room. The sound was the best of any gig I have seen at a venue like this - crystal-clear guitar, excellent drums/bass/organ-electric piano, and - importantly - the mic was set to a level to bring his voice to the fore. This is just so different from, for example, the Slash concert at the airport last year at which the sound balance was so bloody bad that his guitar was almost inaubible, and the singing not much better. Needless to say, I didn't see Slash on his return visit recently even though it was a different venue. Serious stadium rock gigs have been running from my hippy days in the 60s (they started before that, but the Beatles really brough stadium rock to the fore - which I saw!) - you'd think the roadies and local sound people would be able to get it right at *every* gig, wouldn't you?


Anyway, back to Joe. He literally didn't slow down for the whole 2 hour set, but for the brief intermission for the encore - one song almost went straight into the next. What I find amazing is that this young guy has deep soul, and totally live his music. And yet he remains so feet-on-the-ground normal about his prodigous talent.


This gig for me ranks up there among the top several I've seen in HK over my 20 years here, right up there with Roger Waters several years ago, and EC early this year - just a string of superlatives!


Rick