Joe bonamassa

European Tour April 2022
The Armadillo, Glasgow

What better way to start off a new feature and the first big gig of 2022…

The first gig of the Joe Bonamassa European Tour at The Armadillo in Glasgow was, as we say in Glasgow…”A Belter!” (Just to be clear…This is a good thing)

Some call him “The Marmite Man”, I am firmly on the LOVE side of that particular spectrum, but wherever you lie, there is no denying that JB is a force to be reckoned with in any live situation. The switch is set to 100% “ON” from start to finish and the same can be said for the world-class talent that he surrounds himself with on stage. It’s no wonder there are so many live albums. The arrangements, playing and sound mix was superb, although I did hear a punter murmur on the way out that… “It was great, but it could have been louder!”

A different song, a different guitar

Joe is a self-proclaimed guitar addict and his guitar roadie certainly earns his coin as we see numerous different guitars getting rolled out throughout the set…

As a photographer, I’m always tuned in slightly more to the first 3 songs of any set as after that, you have to scurry off like a scolded child, closely followed by some usher to make sure you don’t sneak in another photo on your way out, as that would be a heinous crime. And then you cast a backward glance and see a sea of mobile phone screens happily recording the entire gig without so much as a scowl from the “authorities”. Such is life, rant over.

Those first 3 songs “Evil Mama”, “Dust Bowl” (a personal favourite) and “Love Ain’t A Love Song” got the gig up and running in stellar form and the band were immediately “locked in”

Joe started the 2022 European tour almost 3 years to the day after the last time he was in the UK, again, playing the Armadillo. I was at that gig as well and have to say, although it was a different vibe from the “Three Kings” tour, the show was just as razor-sharp and the time spent “not gigging” throughout lock-down does not seem to have dulled the edge of Joe’s axe playing.

Some familiar faces from the last tour were notable. Reese Wynans on keys. The legendary Hammond/Piano player has a list of accolades the length of your arm and has played with more Blues A-Listers than I care to mention. Look it up, there may be some surprises in there. Reese’s blistering Hammond and Piano solos are stunning but very tasteful, as you would expect from someone with his pedigree.

Jade McCrae on backing vocals is another constant in the touring lineup. This time she took the lead on part of a brain-melting rendition of “The Ballad of John Henry”. It’s a cliche to say that the hair stood up on the back of my neck, but it did. Spooky, powerful, tortured and primal just about half covers the vibe on that vocal solo. On the same track we see Joe play some sort of Theremin, using the neck of his guitar to coax out the alien, other-wordly solo. You don’t see that at every Blues gig!

Josh Smith on guitar was a joy to behold. JB introduced Josh as “the best guitarist on this stage…without a doubt!” and based on the solos he took on the last couple of songs of the night you may be inclined to consider that statement but Josh has a different feel and a different style and it always gets my back up when someone says that one musician is better than another so I’ll just say that they are both frickin’ awsome!

On drums was Greg Morrow who has worked almost non-stop across multiple genres since the age of 12 with credits against a diverse array of artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Primal Scream, Lynrd Skynrd to Amy Grant, Billy Gibbons to The Waterboys. Pure class!

On bass was Steve Mackey. Again another seasoned player with an astounding list of credits. Steve played bass on the JB album “Time Clocks” and is a composer, producer, lyricist and shows diversity in style and skill with the range of artists he has played with including Bit Pop band Pulp early in his career. Steve has a list of the same artists as Greg Morrow in his playing history so am assuming that this powerhouse of an engine room duo have been practicing their particular brand of telepathy for some time.

Danni DeAndrea completes the band lineup and is another Australian singer that oozes quality and musicality. In perfect harmony, both in movement and voice, she and Jade McCrae provide a stunning and powerful vocal backdrop which exudes style and grace.

Joe blasts through the set with not a word to the audience and then suddenly stops and engages with the crowd. There is a genuine warmth and appreciation of the Glasgow punters that have come out and filled the venue to capacity. Joe speaks of his appreciation of the continuing support throughout his career from when he played venues like “The Ferry” and “King Tuts”. Before the gig, Joe popped out to meet some of his fans and have a cigar. A nice touch, which goes against the opinion of some that he has a degree of arrogance. Joe then relays his struggle with trying to sleep as he adjusts to the different time zones and in a pretty decent Glasgow accent announces that he is..

“Jet-lagged as ****!!” To which the crowd cheer heartily

The encore is of course “Sloe Gin” and it is majestic.

The crowd shuffle off to the pub/home and Joe and the band carry on to the next gig in Cardiff.

A fantastic night of Blues and yes, the tickets are expensive and yes, I would go see him again, without a shadow of a doubt!!