Live Review: Joe Bonamassa @ QPAC
It had been several years since blues rock extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa had visited Brisbane, with scheduling issues forcing him to skip Queensland on his last tour. So when he made his long awaited return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre he was greeted with a sold out-crowd of die-hard fans eager for a night with one of the greatest figures in contemporary rock.
It’s clear Bonamassa skirts the border of QPAC’s usual style of show, rock bands rarely play the theatre whose target is more sedate dance, classical and comedic groups. It was certainly unusual to see a crowd wearing Zeppelin T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers flooding the halls of QPAC to say the least.
The show itself lived up to the anticipation from the first note. After an entertaining opening act by Sinead Burgess to whet the audience’s appetite, the opening song by Joe Bonamassa and band kicked things into top gear. The stage setup would’ve been one of the largest to have graced QPAC, complete with a drum riser, large guitar amps, and a full lighting rig. Bonamassa launched into the opening number This Train with enthusiasm, displaying his skills on the guitar early.
Interestingly enough though Bonamassa’s music is heavily rooted in the blues, his songs often fuse with other genres such as soft rock, hard rock, and some jazz for good measure. Mountain Climbing and No Good Place For The Lonely changed the tone of the show from rocking to a more toned down and sentimental feeling. Bonamassa didn’t shy away from showcasing his talent either as every song had at least one blitzing guitar solo showing everything from speedy licks to sweet tones that were like sugar for the ears.
Though he may have been the main focus of the show, it would be unjust to detract from the performance of his backing band, a wealth of talent that included Anton Fig (former David Letterman Show house drummer) and Reese Wyans (former keyboardist for Stevie Ray Vaughan in the 1980s). Bonamassa acknowledged this accordingly and allowed them good space to show off their own skills.
Bonamassa’s best live songs seemed to be his heavier rock numbers, providing a great energy for the crowd to groove to. Blues of Desperation demonstrated his clear appreciation for the riffwork of Jimmy Page, whereas Love Ain’t A Love Song sounded like a dance-rock hybrid (perhaps reminiscent of something by The Doobie Brothers).
It wasn’t unnoticed either that at the start of each song Bonamassa was presented with a different guitar, at least half a dozen in total. As a performer who wears his influences on his sleeve, it was fitting that almost half of Bonamassa’s set comprised covers, including classic songs by Eric Clapton, B.B. King, and Albert King.
Perhaps the highlight of the night was the cover of Zeppelin’s classic How Many More Times, during which Joe left no stone unturned in showing off his mastery of the guitar – with the use of tricks, tones, and dynamics (while also requesting the crowd get up on their feet which added energy to the song). When Bonamassa was 12-years-old he opened for B.B. King. It was as such fittingly his encore was B.B. King’s Hummingbird, leaving a satisfied audience in its wake.
While Joe Bonamassa’s music has attracted a compact but avid fan base, people who have never heard a Joe Bonamassa song in their lives would still enjoy his concerts. In a modern world where good rock music is unfortunately getting increasingly less exposure, the universal appeal of Bonamassa’s upbeat style of blues rock and his virtuoso guitar playing are sure to win him the hearts of fans for many years to come.
