Guitar Extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa Delivers Two Hour Plus Clinic at Rockland Trust Bank Pavillion (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

On Friday, July 26, blues music icon, Joe Bonamassa and his band delivered a two-plus hour clinic at the Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion. After the house music came to a hard stop, promptly at the scheduled start time of 8 o’clock, Joe Bonamassa made his way to the stage and after a quick wave to the crowd – he dove right into a beefed-up version of Muddy Waters’ “Tiger in Your Tank” followed by several originals that included “Evil Mama”, the epic “No Good Place for the Lonely” and the moving “Self-Inflicted Wounds”.

The first half-dozen songs were surely great with Bonamassa’s fretboard prowess and uncanny vocal talents. But, it was the blistering and raucous barnburner, “This Train” – that was truly the match that started the fire for the night’s set. It was the first song to get the mostly-sitting middle-aged crowd to stand up in their seats and to show a little life and appreciation for the music.

Bonamassa, unintentional or not, gave a nod to the sound of Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and even a little hit of Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do” during his dramatic “Blues of Depression”. Bonamassa let loose with several bars of tasty slide-work that surely made the guitarists in the audience take additional notice. The audience was also treated to a whimsical keyboard solo during the cover of “Sloe Gin”. 

Bonamassa took his first break from playing to greet the crowd and to break character a bit and switch from the consummate bluesman to a humble, regular guy with a sense of humor. After explaining that he is originally from upstate New York, he reminisced about playing local Boston music clubs such as Scullers when he was much younger and that being in Boston felt a little like home to him. He also joked about the regional cuisine and how he opted to eat clam strips, surprisingly enough, at a local Friendly’s. He mentioned that he was, in short, enlightened by the waitstaff that there’s never been a real clam in that roll ever – which drew a hardy amount of laughter. Bonamassa continued to engage with the crowd by making note that he was aware that the Red Sox had just brow-beaten the Yankees for a second straight game. Bonamassa then took the time to introduce the exceptionally talented band before getting back to business with a cover of “Well, Well” – which brought some soul music into the mix.

Other highlights included a captivating medley of “Tea for One”, ”I Can’t Quit You Baby” and ”How Many More Times” – all of which Bonamassa and company made their own. And of course, it wouldn’t be a complete show without the crushing “Ballad of John Henry”. Expectedly, Bonamassa got nasty and tore it up with his arsenal of Gibson, Epiphone and Fender guitars.

His ability to switch gears between different tempos and styles, all while with near-pitch perfect singing – is mindboggling at times. For an encore, the audience was treated to an acoustic “Woke Up Dreaming” and an almost-spiritual journey with “Mountain Time”. And, for a beautiful summer night alongside Boston Harbor – all the pieces just seemed to fit together with the cool breeze and magical music emanating from the stage. Bonamassa and Co., just flat outplayed their hearts out and it made the night special for all parties.