Joe Bonamassa Brought a Caliente Show to Rancho Mirage

Photos and words by Steve Rose

With his Fall tour just underway, Joe Bonamassa and his fantastic band brought their show to a sold out, enthusiastic crowd at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA. The night began with a cover of the great Muddy Waters song, “Tiger in Your Tank,” followed by “Evil Mama,” “King Bee Shake Down,” and “Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should” from his 2018 release, Redemption. The next song in the set was “Leaving and Gone” and it was a special one because it featured legendary artist, Terry Reid on vocals. It was nice to see these two share the stage and Joe played a Telecaster on this song that he bought from Reid five years previous. It was a definite highlight in the set. A handful of setlist staples followed, with “Sloe Gin” being a personal favorite. Following that rousing performance, there were some more covers — this time from artists like Delaney & Bonnie, B.B. King, and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. From this batch of songs, “Little Girl” stood out and was very well received. Another crowd favorite, “The Ballad of John Henry” ended the set and it was great seeing this dynamic band firing on all cylinders. After a brief break, Joe took the stage with an acoustic guitar and wowed the audience with “Woke Up Dreaming.” His proficiency and technical perfection on this acoustic song was truly something to marvel. The night ended with “Mountain Time,” a song that he usually uses to close out his shows and a great choice. It builds and builds as the song’s momentum grows and really got the crowd going as the farewell of the night.

Joe’s band consists of Reese Wynans on keys, Lemar Carter filling in for Anton Fig on drums, Paulie Cerra and Lee Thornburg on horns, Jade Macrae and Juanita Tippins on backing vocals, and Allison Prestwood on bass filling in for Michael Rhodes. This was was so so good. Allison, with only her second show with the band, was flawless - in spite of having never gotten a chance to learn all of the songs. Her musicianship was top notch. Same goes for Lemar Carter on drums; he literally and figuratively didn’t miss a beat.

As Joe stated early on in the set, “Everyone’s a winner at the Agua Caliente Casino” and he was right. This band playing these songs on this night was definitely a winning ticket! There are still many dates left on this tour, so don’t miss your chance at an amazing show by one of the best to ever strap on a guitar.