Lots of guitar virtuosos can play at the speed of sound. What sets apart blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa is his appreciation for the instrument's subtleties.
Deep into his 100-minute concert, Bonamassa shut his eyes, dug his left hand into his fretboard and generated a barely audible vibrato sound that resonated softly, growing as the room dropped silent.
"We love you, Joe!" someone hollered.
Frowning slightly behind his tinted glasses, Bonamassa shushed the fan. A couple of other voices followed suit, and Bonamassa shushed them, too.
Maybe a dozen seconds later, the ringing tone finally reached a climactic beauty. Bonamassa stepped back, nodded to the crowd and smiled.
It was OK to applaud now.
Bonamassa is capable of blinding note flurries and jaw-dropping technical perfection — both of which he delivered in spades. But the 30-year-old seemed more fascinated by the nuances of his guitar's volume knob. Or when grinding on a single, face-melting note until it transcended the room.
The result was one of the best concerts The Big Easy has hosted in recent memory — an awesome show for blues fans, guitar freaks or just live-music aficionados. Wearing the aforementioned shades, a stylish sport jacket and rolled-up jeans, Bonamassa's borderline cockiness was never a turn-off, possibly because he's such an amazing entertainer. Bonamassa has honed his skills since he was 12 years old opening for blues legend B.B. King.
Bonamassa's gritty singing voice was made for blues, and he didn't shy away from using it during tunes such as the funky stomp, "Bridge to Better Days." Often, he'd pull back slightly from the mike to compensate for his husky roar.
But it was Bonamassa's ax prowess that stole the night. Picking, fingerpicking — hell, Bonamassa's guitar seemed to play itself sometimes. Half an hour into the set, he broke out a slide guitar and did things that would make Derek Trucks proud. It jump-started the seated crowd, too. Within seconds, dozens of fans walked up to the stage and danced to Bonamassa's sultry licks for the rest of the show.
As Bonamassa's three-piece backing band grooved and grinned — they were holy-crap talented, too, by the way — he sang diverse tunes such as Tim Curry's soulful "Sloe Gin" (the title to Bonamassa's next CD) and ZZ Top's classic "Just Got Paid." Riding the tune's Texas strut, Bonamassa embarked on a sweltering, 15-minute journey. Even the drum solo was exciting. In some ways, Bonamassa's concert was so good that you had to be there to grasp it. One thing is certain: The 275 fans lucky enough to enjoy his first visit to Boise will be there again if he returns.
