Joe Bonamassa is a regular visitor to these shores. Having wrapped up a short tour last Spring, he was back with his band for another five UK dates playing venues he skipped last time. Indeed this was his first gig in Birmingham for four years.

So I was a little surprised that this cavernous arena was not more full. The stage had been moved forward a couple of blocks and the upper tiers were shrouded behind black curtains.

The band had seen a couple of personnel changes since those UK shows in 2022. Lemar Carter stepped up to the drum stool and Calvin Turner picked up the bass. They were immediately in the thick of the action with Carter’s furious drum intro to ‘Evil Mama’ paving the way for Turner’s heavy, rolling bass groove.

Bonamassa’s choppy licks caught the ear, but so did the multi-tasking stabs and swirls of veteran keyboard maestro, Reese Wynans who brought the organ fill as well as simultaneously covering the horn samples (in the absence of real brass) and taking an early keyboard solo following Bonamassa’s first instrumental foray.

The contrasting ‘Dust Bowl’ followed immediately, bringing a change of pace and mood. Turner continued to shine on the track’s bubbling bass signature and the almost haunting guitar lines seem to echo around the hard surfaces and open spaces of the venue.

‘Love Ain’t A Love Song’ pushed and pulled the mood around. The track might not be one of Bonamassa’s strongest studio cuts, but it is transformed live, with extended instrumental sections, amped-up funk rhythms. And a prominent role for both backing singers, where Jade MacRae and Dani De Andrea excel.

Photo by Pete Kay

This rendition had a song-within-a-song passage as JB took the solo right down and hovered stage-right to build up the layering and explode into a dramatic climax. Josh Smith on second guitar helped himself to his own solo at the end of the track and it felt like we were cooking on gas for the first time tonight.

‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’ marked the first departure from last year’s setlist running order and again Turner demonstrated his formidable wares on the track’s bass intro. The crowd responded appreciatively. Bonamassa found a seductive guitar tone full of poise and pace, but in some ways his plaintive vocal stood out here, augmented by a beautiful solo spot from MacRae. A very rounded track which seemed to slip into the set perfectly.

Bonamassa has a knack of taking studio tracks that might pass under the radar and turning them into something else on stage. ‘Just Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should’ is another example. It has become a staple of the live set and when JB unleashes an absolute screamer of a solo mid-track, it was clear why. The passage is like a musical googly – you think you know what’s coming and then the flight, dip, pace and swerve of the notes take you by complete surprise.

‘I Want to Shout About It’ is a Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters original also recorded by Coco Montoya and retained its joyous, Latin-infused rythmn; and again saw Turner and Carter combining well. Josh Smith took a starring role on an extended solo, bringing a lighter, melodic tone in comparison with JB. During a slow guitar/keyboard segment, Smith encouraged the audience into some clap-along/sing-a-long moments, but it’s a bit half-hearted and the venue in that set up gives limited scope for enthusiastic engagement.

The pace dropped for some slow blues in the shape of the Otis Rush standard, ‘Double Trouble’. Bonamassa indulged in a slow solo and walked across to the corner of the stage. He took his shades off, nodded to the audience and said, ‘How you doin’?’ before popping the eyewear back on and instantaneously changing gear to unleash burning fire and hot lead from his red semi-acoustic Gibson. Thrilling moments. Even though Bonamassa changes his guitar every other track, this is the gorgeous beast I associate most closely with him.

We get a snatch of a Hendrix-influenced ‘Django’ before the track morphs into ‘I Didn’t Think She Would Do It’ where some excellent harmonizing between guitar and keyboards provide a standout set-piece.

The logistics of a Bonamassa show are pretty much battened down these days. He has the same look each tour: blue suit, black shades, white shirt. Though I did notice the brown brogues have gone and he’s bought himself a nice comfy pair of black loafers since last May. It was time for the regulation mid-set chat around the band introductions. This was the final gig of a lengthy European tour and I thought I detected just a smidge of impatience in his humour. Or maybe a hint of awkwardness.

No matter. On the with the fine music. ‘A Conversation with Alice’ kicked in on its smooth, bowling riff and big, catchy chorus. One of the best tracks from 2020’s ‘Royal Tea’. Like many others, the song is extended and reworked in the live arena, with Smith stretching out on a lovely solo before Bonamassa and Wynans exchange pulsating vibes.

The band felt cohesive tonight and Bonamassa seemed happy to hand over the spotlight to both Wynans and Smith in particular for more starring roles than I’d seen previously. But on ‘The Heart That Never Waits’, it was the sensational drumming of Carter that stood out, powering a funky, rocky, swinging track. There was another immersive solo from the main man and when he took the picking down quiet and slow, stood at the front of the stage, he garnered the strongest response from the audience all night. The Birmingham crowd were clearly up for a little nurdling.

The thumping rockabilly of ‘Lonely Boy’ has suddenly become a live epic. Weinans looked done in after his supersonic piano break and we saw the best work all night from Smith on a stunning lead spot. Bonamassa followed this with a low-down dirty solo that finally had the crowd on its feet.

JB strapped on a Flying V for the last bars of ‘Lonely Boy’ which gave the closing moments extra grit and then straight in to ZZ Top’s ‘Just Got Paid’. Chunky riffs abounded in the heaviest track on view. Monster drumming from Carter and in the long instrumental section, the track became unrecognisable from the original. Bonamassa pulled out his trick with the theremin over in the corner to produce some unearthly sounds. There was even a drum solo, during which the band stepped back and then rejoined with a few blistering, spine-tingling bars of Zep’s ‘Dazed and Confused’. The number clocks in at over 10 minutes of neat adrenaline.

The encore was a classy rendition of ‘Sloe Gin’ and the evening was very complete. Punters went home happy.

Even though nine of the 13 tracks played tonight were in the set at the Royal Albert Hall last year, nothing was really the same here. All the tracks were reworked, re-arranged and buffed up. A couple of personnel changes also freshened the approach and ensured another masterclass from this blues rock talisman. We are lucky to have him around.

Review by Dave Atkinson
Photos by Haluk Gurer (except where noted)

Feature (GRTR!@20: The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness)

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 14 April

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 28 April 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 30 April 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 29 April 2024

BRIGITTE PURDY Sugar Fried Candy (Dirtshack Records)
ATTIC THEORY The Legacy (indie)
THE HOWLERS I Need Your Love (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Bad Reputation (indie)
WILLS AND THE WILLING Scuffed Knees (Smash & Grab Music Ltd)
READY THE PRINCE Still Believe (indie)
CICADASTONE Last In Line (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 29 April 2024

09:00-12:00 PRAYING MANTIS Defiance (Frontiers)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023

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