Joe Bonamassa - Live At The Greek Theatre (Album Review)
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Written by Simon Ramsay
Photo: Christie Goodwin
Following 2014’s highly acclaimed Muddy Wolf tribute shows, Joe Bonamassa again set out to honour his heroes when, earlier this year, he staged a number of shows devoted to the groundbreaking music of Freddie, Albert and BB King. Recorded at Los Angeles’ famous Greek Theatre on the final night of that tour, this is a dazzling testament to those legendary bluesmen, highlighting the immortal power of their music as it continues to find new life beyond any one artist or generation.
There’s something special about this concert recording that becomes increasingly apparent every time Bonamassa and his exceptional 10-piece band - featuring most of the Muddy Wolf gang plus a trio of backing singers - launch into another ‘Three Kings’ classic. A nice mix of standards and cuts for the connoisseur, these songs may be decades old but Bonamassa reinterprets them for a modern audience while preserving their essential musical, emotional and spiritual heartbeats.
This conveys a magical, and rather profound, sense of blues as a timeless artistic form, reborn through the unique individual and collective experiences, abilities and interactions of the musicians identifying with them in the here and now.
From Freddie’s Lonesome Whistle Blues to BB’s gospel-inclined Ole Time Religion, arrangements are tastefully tweaked and new colours sourced, enhancing the songs’ essences by locking into the passion and purpose that gave birth to them.
As a guitarist, Bonamassa is light years ahead of his idols, so playing their licks verbatim would feel counter intuitive and mechanical. When his solos scorch the sky he’s completely absorbed in the music, infusing his own character into the material with spectacular results on Nobody Loves Me But My Mother and Angel of Mercy.
The same can be said for the rest of the band, as exhibited to staggering effect on Breaking Up Somebody’s Home. Maintaining the brassy voicings of Albert’s version, its verses are gifted sweatier, street-smart funk grooves and its chorus a sexier melodic aura courtesy of seductive backing vocals. Add to that prolonged, fierce fretboard action and the result is - whisper it - better than the original.
Perhaps what’s most impressive about this release, though, is that it doesn’t contain a single Bonamassa original and you never pine to hear one. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the strutting swagger of Going Down or sheer resplendence of Hummingbird, they’re played with so much ebullience and clarity you’ll be entranced from first beat to last.
In many ways these timeless songs are the stars of the show, with the performers acting as dutiful vessels who lovingly carry them forwards to preserve their enduring, cyclical appeal. They sucked in Bonamassa as a kid, making such an impact he’s now introducing them to future generations who’ll doubtless do the same. The DVD cleverly enhances this subtext, framing the musical content inside a subtle narrative arc that highlights how the guitarist’s own journey has taken shape since the Kings’ magic first struck.
Beginning with an NBC documentary clip of a young Bonamassa at school, it culminates with an on-stage confession to the crowd that, as an Los Angeles native for last 13 years, this concert marks the realisation of a long held dream. The bonus disc, meanwhile, boasts a fascinating documentary which features his parents talking in depth about his childhood inspirations and development as a guitarist.
From evocative lighting to superb camera work and the joy of every musician on stage, this is a treat that further propagates the feeling you’re witnessing history in the making. Somewhere, the next Joe Bonamassa might obsessively digest this release and use it as a catalyst in the same way the ‘Three Kings’ roused this modern day blues great.
Joe Bonamassa Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu April 20 2017 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Fri April 21 2017 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
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