A Good Start

     A couple of years ago, there was a PBS show about a guitarist named Joe Bonamassa. The show began by describing him as a child prodigy who performed with blues guitarist B.B. King at age 12. The show was followed by a performance from Royal Albert Hall in London, with special guest Eric Clapton. I was immediately captured by Bonamassa’s amazing stage presence and unfathomable talent with playing a guitar.

Bonamassa Live

     On November 24, 2012, my family and I went to see him at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. We were in the fourth row, right in the middle. The show began with a few slow songs, mostly from his latest album, Driving Towards the Daylight. Soon enough, the band broke out into a loud rock n’ roll sound. It was truly breathtaking. There was a keyboardist, drummer, and bass guitarist on stage. Bonamassa was the lead vocalist and the lead guitarist. The concert itself was about two hours and Bonamassa only took one short break. The best part of the concert was just yet to come. Bonamassa’s signature style is wearing sunglasses whenever he performs and I did not think it was anything out of the ordinary when he came on for an encore wearing a different pair of sunglasses. To my surprise, Joe Bonamassa threw his sunglasses out into the audience and I caught them! It was one of the best days of my life! I just remember screaming, “I GOT ‘EM! I GOT ‘EM!” over and over again.

Highly Recommended

     If you like blues/ rock music, I highly recommend listening to Joe Bonamassa. As my dad said, “He is probably the greatest guitarist you’ll see in your lifetime,” and I truly believe it. His new album Driving towards the Daylight is remarkable, with the best song in my mind being the same as the album title.