Joe Bonamassa Gives Sin City a Show to Remember

Photos and words by Steve Rose 

Joe Bonamassa is renowned for his electrifying blues guitar skills, and the city of Las Vegas served as the perfect backdrop for another one of his scintillating performances. With each passing year, Joe’s reputation has only grown, and his ability to captivate audiences in the entertainment capital of the world has reached unparalleled heights. This night was no different as he treated the sold out crowd at The Chelsea theater to a literal show stopping performance. The night began with “Evil Mama,” a song that is typically played early on in the set because it gets the crowd going. Other standouts of the night included “Love Ain’t a Love Song,” “No Good Place for the Lonely,” the ZZ Top cover, “Just Got Paid,” and “The Last Matador of Bayonne” a song that Joe has never played live before. It was during this song that Joe lost power to his guitar rig right before his solo in the song. Joe vowed to play the solo and finish the song. His friend, producing partner, and other guitarist on stage, Josh Smith, offered him his cable and Joe was able to finish the song using Josh’s amps. This ended up being the first of a few stoppages throughout the night all related to the power shutting off due to his guitar rig. Joe didn’t let this annoyance rattle him or put a damper on the performance because he kept the show going as you’d expect this seasoned, consummate professional to do.

The interplay between Joe and longstanding keyboardist, Reese Wynans, was fantastic and they kept it going all night. Bassist, Calvin Turner, would also lock in with Reese, and you could see the pure joy they were sharing on stage. Drummer, Lemar Carter, who has been in Joe’s band for a few years now, was a powerhouse behind the kit as he kept the beat driving all night. Joe was also accompanied by a pair of backup singers led by the very talented Jade MacRae. Each member of this band are stars and to have them all assembled with Joe makes for a magical night.

Something special for the fans is the fact that Joe brings out vintage guitars and amps on each tour and plays them all. This night featured a number of jaw-dropping guitars like a ‘63 Gibson 345, a ‘64 Fender Strat, a ‘59 Les Paul, and an early 50’s blackguard Tele to name a few. His amps consisted of a pair of vintage Fender tweed amps and a couple of the mythical Dumble amps. These amps sounded so good, the venue’s power couldn’t handle their sheer awesomeness.

There are still a handful of dates left on this Summer tour before Joe and the band get back out there for a longer, wide-ranging Fall tour. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see Joe play, please get out there and check out a show.