British Blues Explosion Live is the latest in Joe Bonamassa‘s series of concert recordings from the world’s most prestigious venues.
This time around, we find Joe Bonamassa performing an outdoor concert in the majestic surroundings of The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. Subsequently, the recording took place during Joe’s headline set at the Greenwich Music Time event on 7th July 2016.
Much like the recent Live at the Greek Theatre recording whereby the guitar virtuoso paid tribute to the Three Kings, with Joe’s latest offering he switches his attention to the music crafted and cultivated by three of the UK’s finest blues guitarists – Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page respectively. The connection shared by this trio of iconic artists is that they all performed in The Yardbirds at some point in their careers. Of course, the explosion of British Blues that occurred in the 1960s acted as a bridge between the blues and rock music.
Having been inspired by each of these artists growing up, throughout this musical marathon, Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the three incredibly gifted axe men in question. Once again joined onstage by a world class band featuring Michael Rhodes (Bass), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Reese Wynans (Keyboards), Anton Fig (Drums) and Russ Irwin (Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals), the talented five-piece bring to life a set of fourteen timeless blues cuts.
With this live album, there is very little room for Joe’s original compositions, with the focus of the recording being on the British blues masters themselves. The opening three tracks of the recording, Jeff Beck’s instrumental tour de force “Beck’s Bolero / Rice Pudding”, Eric Clapton’s groove-heavy “Mainline Florida” and Led Zeppelin’s honky-tonk rock n’ roll number “Boogie With Stu” sets the tone for the rest of the presentation.
Armed with a plethora of vintage guitars, Bonamassa lights up the stage with his blistering fretwork, exquisite tone and phenomenal control. This is particularly the case during his take on the Jeff Beck Group’s “Let Me Love You Baby”, during which Bonamassa delivers a display of guitar mastery against the backdrop of a beautiful Greenwich sunset. Furthermore, “Spanish Boots” has often featured in Joe’s live set in recent times, and subsequently, a crowd-pleasing rendition is included here once again.
Joe Bonamassa makes his Gibson Les Paul sing like a bird during slow blues number “Double Crossing Time”, which also features some spellbinding piano playing from Reese Wynans. Bonamassa really lets loose and ups the pace during an emphatic cover of Cream’s psychedelic rock classic “SWLABR”.
One of the many highlights of the performance is Joe’s passionate and somewhat epic instrumental piece “Black Winter / Django”. The latter of which being a variation on Zeppelin’s “Black Mountain Side / White Summer”, before an electrifying airing of “How Many More Times” brings the main feature to a fitting and explosive conclusion.
The beauty of Joe Bonamassa’s collection of live albums is beside the fact that they capture each concert in all of their splendour, most importantly they are completely unique. You will find little overlap between these recordings, this being a testament to Joe’s vision to deliver nothing short of ‘The Guitar Event of the Year’. Joe Bonamassa is always pushing forward and challenging himself to come up with a spectacular new show for his diehard legion of fans, and on the strength of this latest live recording, it’s fair to say that his mission has been accomplished once again.
British Blues Explosion Live is released Friday 18th May by Provogue/Mascot Label Group on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and triple coloured vinyl.
Joe Bonamassa UK Tour Dates:
Hampton Court Palace Festival
Tuesday 12th June 2018
Tickets: hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com
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Hampton Court Palace, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU
https://hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com
Plymouth, Pavilions
Thursday 11th October 2018
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
The Ticket Store Box Office: 0333 772 7727
Venue General Enquiries: 01752 936 363
Tickets: www.jbonamassa.com
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Tickets: www.theticketstore.co.uk/Online
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Millbay Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3LF
www.plymouthpavilions.com
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
Friday 12th October 2018
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Venue Box Office: 0843 373 3000
Tickets: www.jbonamassa.com
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Tickets: www.motorpointarenanottingham.com
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Bolero Square, The Lace Market, Nottingham NG1 1LA
www.motorpointarenanottingham.com
Bournemouth, International Centre
Thursday 11th October 2018
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Venue Box Office: 0844 576 3000
Tickets from venue: www.bhlivetickets.co.uk
Tickets: www.jbonamassa.com
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
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Exeter Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5BH
www.bic.co.uk
Joe Bonamassa
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Photo: Christie Goodwin