Sitting in my seat, eyes forward to the stage, I am once again blown away by the display of talent before me. Whenever I see a show of this magnitude, one thought rises above the noise of all others: I cannot fathom the sheer discipline necessary to learn one instrument, letalone several.
A few years ago a friend of mine introduced me to Joe Bonamassa via Youtube. I was instantly entranced - this guy didn't just play the blues, he clearly lived, breathed and ate the music. I knew if he ever came close enough to little old Maine, I had to see him live.
Last summer, another friend and I made a two and a half hour drive north to see Joe on the Three Kings tour. I was not disappointed. The caliber of musicians that accompanied him on stage to play select songs from BB, Freddie and Albert Kings' illustrious careers was impressive. This was the very definition of a class act. I didn't expect to go to another show and have quite the same experience, regardless of how much I liked the band I was seeing.
Two months after that show, tickets went on sale for yet another Bonamassa show months in advance; this time an acoustic ensemble. I didn't even blink at the price of the tickets; I had no doubts it would be worth every cent. I had no idea it would exceed my expectations, but it did.
I am still replaying clips of the night in my head this morning (as well as a few short videos I took on my phone). Having never been to a concert at this venue, I was first awed by our seats - the view was perfect. Once the music started, I was relieved that the acoustics of the room were near perfect. There is nothing worse than having a show sound distorted or tinny because of bad acoustics (particularly when you paid a decent amount to see and hear it). The band took the stage and permagrin set in.
The collective talent on stage was awe-inspiring:
Cellist Tina Guo, from Beijing is a force to be reckeoned with. She is the epitome of discliplined artist who truly becomes part of whatever instrument she plays (which, by the way were the cello and erhu). Check her out here.
Pianist Reese Wynans, from the U.S. and a Music Hall of Fame inductee has a crazy career spanning from the late 60s and playing with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble, Hank Williams Jr, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and even the Kate Moss Band (which I didn't even know existed until researching Wynans) to name a few.
Multi-instrumentalist Eric Bazillian, who is a founding member of the Hooters and wrote 'One of Us' for Joan Osborne (another of my faves), played more instruments last night than I could possible recall including the sax, guitar and mandolin. Dude was incredible!
Percussionist Hossam Ramzy, from Eqypt, has recorded with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, worked with Peter Gabriel (swoon), and his work was sampled by Jay-Z. I had no idea how familiar I was with his music until last night. Entranced for sure!
Drummer Anton Fig from Late Night with David Letterman fame was spot on! He's played with a near endless list of musicians, most recently Oz Noy and Will Lee, as well as Ace Frehley.
Vocalists from Austrailia: Mahalia Barnes, who recorded "The Betty Davis Songbook w/Bonamassa, and was a contestant on The Voice Austrailia - powerhouse! Juanita Tippins, and Gary Pinto.
Clearly, this is a show I won't soon forget!
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