Much respect for Joe B

[Doc Sausage]

And furthermore...I've heard this notion about him being polarizing. That's something I hear more of with a Trump or Biden. I don't recall any other guitar player being saddled with that one. Yeah, I know, Richie Blackmore was an ass and EVH could be aloof. I just don't see Bonamassa bringing any of that kind of baggage. Just plain weird, imo.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

The place has a different vibe several are gone I still enjoy participating and reading many posts- I still learn a lot here !

I suspect there may be a particular reason why several have gone.

 

[AA00475Bassman]

I suspect there may be a particular reason why several have gone.

I would be very interested in your opinion - could it be people became tired of beating one's head against wall trying to enlighten the ignorant ?

 

[Xpensive Wino]

I would be very interested in your opinion - could it be people became tired of beating one's head against wall trying to enlighten the ignorant ?

I cannot speak for others. I think it may be the negativity that some people project. It kept me away for a long time, and may do again. I was taught not to say anything if I had nothing positive to say.

 

[MattD1960]

And furthermore...I've heard this notion about him being polarizing. That's something I hear more of with a Trump or Biden. I don't recall any other guitar player being saddled with that one. Yeah, I know, Richie Blackmore was an ass and EVH could be aloof. I just don't see Bonamassa bringing any of that kind of baggage. Just plain weird, imo.

i think the "polorization" of JB has to do with the collection he has amassed, a lot of people think its wrong for one to have so much power ( hahahahah comic book laugh)

many view him as a great historian and preservationist for some of the greatest instruments ever constructed others think hes a rich D*** head with to many flame top sunburst les pauls. its not his playing that is making him a lightning rod its the collection. I for one think hes doing "gods work" and keeping these guitars for the sake of history each day that goes by less and less of these things are out there in the kinda condition he seeks and preserves so for me he gets two gold stars and blue ribbon for his collection but as i said others find it almost offensive someone has all that stuff

 

[Doc Sausage]

i think the "polorization" of JB has to do with the collection he has amassed, a lot of people think its wrong for one to have so much power ( hahahahah comic book laugh)

many view him as a great historian and preservationist for some of the greatest instruments ever constructed others think hes a rich D*** head with to many flame top sunburst les pauls. its not his playing that is making him a lightning rod its the collection. I for one think hes doing "gods work" and keeping these guitars for the sake of history each day that goes by less and less of these things are out there in the kinda condition he seeks and preserves so for me he gets two gold stars and blue ribbon for his collection but as i said others find it almost offensive someone has all that stuff

I'm going to have to go with something else. Who lost their sh-t when Elvis bought Graceland and a few jet planes? Or Elton John's minks and Rolls Royces? And I could go down a LONG list of rock stars and opulent lifestyles that amassed crazy piles of material possessions. Even guitars. *GASP!*

I think it's the world we live in now. Everyone is butthurt about something. And then gets on the internet to bitch. Joe and his people figured out how to parlay the internet into bolstering streams and album sales while others may have floundered under an old, outmoded system.

Like too many things now, where we find ourselves is a sad state of affairs. But if he's happy, I'm happy. Buy a Burst for me, Joe!

 

[PixelBurst]

Joe is a successful, truly independent musical artists playing what he loves. You’d don’t have to like it, but I think respect is due.

 

[Amp360]

I love Joe B.
We would all love to be him and have what he has...
(He has great talent as a guitarist and a collector of vintage instruments and amps... Is what I meant..)

I think most people are probably happy being themselves. I have my health and my hair. At my age, that's good enough.

I don't care for the type of music he plays, but he's good at it. I like songs more than guitar playing, but all the power to him. I'm glad what he does makes people happy. I think it's good he quit the internet. Hopefully, he's happier now.

 

[tdarian]

Joe plays so clean…..the only time I saw him make a mistake was NYE with Rock Candy Funk Party when he handed me his burst to rush off and kiss his girlfriend. Just like that, and before I could throw the strap over my shoulder and make some mistakes of my own Mike Hickey was on me, grinning ear to ear. So add “trusts strangers” to Joe’s attributes.

I really like seeing him in smaller places jamming with other musicians. Skilled operator!

 

[Dave P]

Joe found the formula to make money when so many artists are not these days.

 

[Triplet]

I like him a lot. Needs to ditch the act, though. Just needs to simply walk on stage like Jimmy Vaughn and kick some a$$.

 

[K_L]

He plays with a sense of arrogance that is off-putting. Shredding 50 notes a measure while looking bored at the office. This is my opinion, but maybe if he looked like he enjoyed any part of it, the audience would to.

Otherwise he just reminds me of a typical BMW driving corporate shill looking to sell another Chinese Epiphone for a buck.

Typical comment by you & it's comments like this one of yours that has caused so many of the great LPF contributors, including Joe B, to no longer participate here. The ones who should be here no longer are because of 'contributors' like you that cause them to leave--and you're confused why there aren't any 'quality posts' here?! Your post above explains why that is--there is no confusion about that. Oh yeah--and thanks for running Xpensive Wino out of here--another job well done by you.

 

[graybeard65]

My wife surprised me with Bonamassa tickets for my birthday - obviously she's aware of my appreciation of his music. So on Tuesday we went to the show here in Rochester, Minnesota. All I can say is wow - he put on a show that lasted nearly two and a half hours, and it was as tight as it was entertaining. He started at exactly 8PM, like it said on the ticket, and the band was impressive from the very first note. Joe didn't really talk much - in fact, I don't think he said anything besides "thank you!" for the first 45 minutes - something that I really appreciated! I get tired of tools that have to ask inane questions ("who came here to party/rock/have a good time tonight?") or that feel a need to bloviate about politics or whatever...we paid for a guitar show, and we freaking GOT a guitar show without lectures! (ever been to a Nugent show?)

Yep - as a guitar nerd, I was ogling the amazing instruments - several LP's, a strat, a couple of tele's, a 335 and an explorer - and the sound was flawless in a venue that can be boomy - they must have spent some time getting it dialed in really well. Joe's skills as a player were absolutely on display - but the whole band was working hard, and it was a cohesive and entertaining show from start to finish.

When Joe did talk, he talked about his last time in Rochester, remembering a venue that's been gone for several years, and talking about the band and how blessed he was to have them. He gave a lot of love to the other guitarist, calling him the best guitarist on the stage tonight, and he pointed out that the keyboard player, Reese Wynans, was a grammy winner, HOF inductee, and former member of Double Trouble.

The encore/finale was a 25 minute medley of familiar classics, and they took a bow as a group before a final thank you before they left the stage.

I go to a lot of live shows, and have been blessed to see all of my heroes and favorites - and this was up there with some of the best shows I've ever seen.

 

[graybeard65]

trower. never heard anyone play so loud and not create any ear fatigue.

IMHO, you're absolutely correct - Trower plays so loud that you can feel it in your gut, but it's not deafening or painful, and man, does he put it all out there - I've only seen him twice, but it was worth it both times!

 

[bursty]

My wife surprised me with Bonamassa tickets for my birthday - obviously she's aware of my appreciation of his music. So on Tuesday we went to the show here in Rochester, Minnesota. All I can say is wow - he put on a show that lasted nearly two and a half hours, and it was as tight as it was entertaining. He started at exactly 8PM, like it said on the ticket, and the band was impressive from the very first note. Joe didn't really talk much - in fact, I don't think he said anything besides "thank you!" for the first 45 minutes - something that I really appreciated! I get tired of tools that have to ask inane questions ("who came here to party/rock/have a good time tonight?") or that feel a need to bloviate about politics or whatever...we paid for a guitar show, and we freaking GOT a guitar show without lectures! (ever been to a Nugent show?)

Yep - as a guitar nerd, I was ogling the amazing instruments - several LP's, a strat, a couple of tele's, a 335 and an explorer - and the sound was flawless in a venue that can be boomy - they must have spent some time getting it dialed in really well. Joe's skills as a player were absolutely on display - but the whole band was working hard, and it was a cohesive and entertaining show from start to finish.

When Joe did talk, he talked about his last time in Rochester, remembering a venue that's been gone for several years, and talking about the band and how blessed he was to have them. He gave a lot of love to the other guitarist, calling him the best guitarist on the stage tonight, and he pointed out that the keyboard player, Reese Wynans, was a grammy winner, HOF inductee, and former member of Double Trouble.

The encore/finale was a 25 minute medley of familiar classics, and they took a bow as a group before a final thank you before they left the stage.

I go to a lot of live shows, and have been blessed to see all of my heroes and favorites - and this was up there with some of the best shows I've ever seen.

I'm in St Paul so, I'm not far from the show you saw and enjoyed.
Glad to see your excellent review of a show you obviously thoroughly enjoyed.


When I saw/heard/witnessed, etc. my first 'concert' it was Blackmore's Rainbow in 1976 touring in support of Rising.
Experiencing this particular show spoiled me on multiple levels.
The one thing that really spoiled me was being able to see three bands for a $6 ticket price; no extra fees, no tax, no nothing, just a $6 ticket.
I instantly became a huge fan of cheap ticket prices.

Three years later I went to the second Texxas Jam at The Cotton Bowl. the ticket price was $15.50 and again no extra charges; just a flat $15.50 ticket.
There were seven bands at that show: Heart, Blue Oyster Cult, TKO, Boston, Nazareth, Sammy Hagar and Van Halen.
These seven bands played over a twelve plus hour time frame and for dirt cheap. Spoiled beyond rotten, once again.

I could go on and on about the number of times I have seen many excellent shows and for not a lot of scratch.

I think the most I ever paid for a concert ticket was $74 for Prince in 2004 but that included a Musicology CD and Prince played for three hours.

I've been in the Twin Cities area for nearly 22 years and I have to say that every time Joe B has come around this neck of the woods the ticket prices have been through the roof. Even the cheapest tickets are unbearable to my history of seeing shows for what I would consider to be reasonable to somewhat reasonable ticket prices. I understand that the market dictates whatever the cost of any item may be; I get all that. When a halfway decent seat/ticket to a show costs $400 plus fees and taxes then I also understand how some performers can afford an expensive vintage gear hobby such as Joe B enjoys, particularly so, when Joe is so busy nearly constantly touring. That is no slag on Joe or any other artist that can consistently tour and consistently sale tickets at a price point that I consider way too high/rich for my interests.

Yep, I'm cheap.

 

[graybeard65]

I'm in St Paul so, I'm not far from the show you saw and enjoyed.
Glad to see your excellent review of a show you obviously thoroughly enjoyed.


When I saw/heard/witnessed, etc. my first 'concert' it was Blackmore's Rainbow in 1976 touring in support of Rising.
Experiencing this particular show spoiled me on multiple levels.
The one thing that really spoiled me was being able to see three bands for a $6 ticket price; no extra fees, no tax, no nothing, just a $6 ticket.
I instantly became a huge fan of cheap ticket prices.

Three years later I went to the second Texxas Jam at The Cotton Bowl. the ticket price was $15.50 and again no extra charges; just a flat $15.50 ticket.
There were seven bands at that show: Heart, Blue Oyster Cult, TKO, Boston, Nazareth, Sammy Hagar and Van Halen.
These seven bands played over a twelve plus hour time frame and for dirt cheap. Spoiled beyond rotten, once again.

I could go on and on about the number of times I have seen many excellent shows and for not a lot of scratch.

I think the most I ever paid for a concert ticket was $74 for Prince in 2004 but that included a Musicology CD and Prince played for three hours.

I've been in the Twin Cities area for nearly 22 years and I have to say that every time Joe B has come around this neck of the woods the ticket prices have been through the roof. Even the cheapest tickets are unbearable to my history of seeing shows for what I would consider to be reasonable to somewhat reasonable ticket prices. I understand that the market dictates whatever the cost of any item may be; I get all that. When a halfway decent seat/ticket to a show costs $400 plus fees and taxes then I also understand how some performers can afford an expensive vintage gear hobby such as Joe B enjoys, particularly so, when Joe is so busy nearly constantly touring. That is no slag on Joe or any other artist that can consistently tour and consistently sale tickets at a price point that I consider way too high/rich for my interests.

Yep, I'm cheap.

Texxas Jam...wow, I went to a few of those! Hot, sweaty days at the Cotton Bowl, and they were cooling the crowd with fire hoses...but I didn't have the...um..."assets" that the fire hose guys were looking for. I was lucky enough to work in the radio business for nearly 20 years as my day gig - so concert tickets were a perk that we never took for granted. I left the business 10 years ago, and pay full price these days, so I only see acts I am really interested in...and for $105 a seat plus "convenience fees", "Venue Surcharge Fees", "Electronic Processing Fees" and whatever else they can tack on (usually after you've waited for your turn, chosen your seats, and put in all of your info...) we all pay a ton to see our favorites. I completely empathize with you - it's expensive to see a major tour these days. And let's not even talk about Vikings tix...

 

[bursty]

Texxas Jam...wow, I went to a few of those! Hot, sweaty days at the Cotton Bowl, and they were cooling the crowd with fire hoses...but I didn't have the...um..."assets" that the fire hose guys were looking for. I was lucky enough to work in the radio business for nearly 20 years as my day gig - so concert tickets were a perk that we never took for granted. I left the business 10 years ago, and pay full price these days, so I only see acts I am really interested in...and for $105 a seat plus "convenience fees", "Venue Surcharge Fees", "Electronic Processing Fees" and whatever else they can tack on (usually after you've waited for your turn, chosen your seats, and put in all of your info...) we all pay a ton to see our favorites. I completely empathize with you - it's expensive to see a major tour these days. And let's not even talk about Vikings tix...

yeah, the wet T shirt babes at the Texxas Jam were a great between set entertainment value experience. LOL

working in the radio business could have been a fun experience back in the day; maybe even now.
I recall seeing SRV in my home town in 1984, a show sponsored by our first and (at that time) only FM rock station. FM station personality/promoter Ken Shepherd was the MC for the show. His (at the time) seven year old kid was sitting on a stage monitor during the entire SRV set. Come to find out years later that seven year old kid was Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Just goes to prove you never know where radio is gonna go.

So, can you offer us a ballpark $$$ for the ticket price for the JB show in Rochester?

 

[graybeard65]

yeah, the wet T shirt babes at the Texxas Jam were a great between set entertainment value experience. LOL

working in the radio business could have been a fun experience back in the day; maybe even now.
I recall seeing SRV in my home town in 1984, a show sponsored by our first and (at that time) only FM rock station. FM station personality/promoter Ken Shepherd was the MC for the show. His (at the time) seven year old kid was sitting on a stage monitor during the entire SRV set. Come to find out years later that seven year old kid was Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Just goes to prove you never know where radio is gonna go.

So, can you offer us a ballpark $$$ for the ticket price for the JB show in Rochester?

Our seats were on the floor, center aisle, row 24…reasonably close to the center of the floor area. With fees and surcharges, we paid $124 per ticket.

I am certain that there were seats in the $60 range -

One thing I’ll share? JB’s merch team was tightly organized and über-efficient. Shirts were individually wrapped, sorted by size, and stored in road case merchandisers. Cashiers had iPads, saw inventory in real time, went right where the product was, and presented the merch along with a card reader - the line flew by, and I believe that a tour manager could see sales in real-time, and probably could account for every stitch of inventory. Impressive to say the least

 

[garywright]

$119-$429 Baltimore …gotta fund those vintage guitars

 

[E.M.]

There are few other modern guitar players that have done more to promote guitar playing than Joe B. I get those folks who don’t connect with his music - but those on this forum who attack him personally or find character flaws in his stage presence or personality - grow up. Few artists in 2023 can attract both young and old to the instrument. And for that, we should salute him!