After a beautiful sunny Saturday in Antwerp, on to the Lotto Arena, where Joe Bonamassa the only concert in the Benelux.
This announcement was only partly true because it was about this tour and he will visit the Netherlands three times later in the year in different capacities, but more about that later.
Before the concert it was already enjoyable. What a wonderful playlist was played. They really took the audience into account. No hard beat, but a beautiful blues mix with Mike Zito and Larry McCray among others.
When the lights went out, the buzz of the audience quickly diminished and the band came on with the sounds of Soul Finger. The tone was immediately set with “Hope You Realize It” with a leading role for the 77-year-old Reese Wynans.
I hope I still have that much energy at my age. Crowd favorite “Dust Bowl” started mysteriously but quickly reached its well-known peak.
In “Twenty-Four Hour Blues” Bonamassa could really let herself go, a wonderful solo with the well-known powerful support of the backing singers Jade MacRae and Danni de Andrea.
After all the guitar violence it was time for a ballad, “Driving Towards the Daylight”. What a pleasure to be among enthusiasts. Despite the size of the hall, this still came across as intimate.
With “I Want to Shout About It” the cheerfulness was immediately brought back into the hall and Josh Smith was allowed to show what he can do. Josh is a fantastic guitarist, definitely go see him if he is in the area with his own band.
The “The Last Matador of Bayonne” is a concert within a concert. What a build-up this song has, From a ballet it really goes wild at the end.
9 minutes of enjoyment in which the rhythm section consisting of Lemar C on drums and Calvin Turner on bass also excel. The entire setlist tonight is very well constructed.
With the uptempo “Pack It Up” by Freddie King, Reese Wynans was once again allowed to show why he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A solo of three and a half minutes.
The audience went wild. After another solo of 3 minutes by Josh Smith, the song ultimately lasted 15 minutes. I was not bored for a moment.
“The Heart That Never Waits” is perhaps the only song that is a bit out of tune. It is a bit poppy but has been a permanent fixture in the setlist since its release. The silent audience during the soft passages was striking.
Unfortunately, we are not used to that in the Netherlands. Towards the end of the show, the gas was turned up a bit with “It’s Hard But It’s Fair” and the ultimate highlight of the evening in my opinion, the Led Zeppelin cover “How Many More Times”.
Bonamassa at his best: 13 minutes of pure, compelling blues rock. The song incorporated “The Hunter” by Albert King and how well it fits.
There was quite a bit of commotion about the encore at the beginning of this European tour. Originally, the beautiful Mountain Time was in the setlist. After negative reactions at the beginning of the tour (to which Joe himself referred, give the people what they want), “Sloe Gin” was mainly played as an encore.
And honestly, Mountain Time is fantastic but I was very happy that Sloe Gin was chosen in Antwerp. What a wonderful song this remains. Despite the fact that Bonamassa probably can’t hear the song himself anymore, he still threw all his passion into it.
Conclusion: Joe Bonamassa proved once again why he is considered one of the greatest blues guitarists of his generation. With a carefully constructed set, he effortlessly managed to keep the audience in his grip for two hours.
