The Moshville Times - Joe Bonamassa – Edinburgh Usher Hall, 18th April 2017

Tonight sees the arrival in Edinburgh of the hardest working man in Blues as Joe Bonamassa brings his amazing guitar skills to town.

The crowd is buzzing as, wearing his traditional suit and shades, Joe strides onto the stage to his backing band, a larger ensemble than usual with the addition of a sax player, trumpet player and two female backing singers (including Jimmy Barnes’ daughter Mahalia). The cheapest ticket in the venue is £65 so expectations are high to deliver, something Joe does with ease.

Despite being here to promote his newest album Blues of Desperation, there are songs throughout his back catalogue to keep even his biggest fan happy. There is no let up in the show from the start. From the opener “This Train” to the encore of “Hummingbird” we are treated to sixteen songs of polished, top drawer music that the crowd laps up.

Joe has a massive collection of guitars and tonight, with a key change in each song, he shows us quite a few of them. My particular favourite of the set is the title track of his Dustbowl album but to be honest there could have been many many more “favourites”! It’s easy to see why Joe is revered in many musical circles. The guy is a machine, flawless in his playing, always the showman and always delivering.

At the end of the night the crowd walk away happy and fulfilled, and looking forward to Joe’s next musical adventure.

Setlist