Joe Bonamassa 8.23.24 The Capitol Theatre

Words & Photos by Marco Denzer

On August 23, acclaimed virtuoso blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa brought his Blues Deluxe Tour for the first of a two-night set of performances at The Capitol Theater, the legendary venue located in Port Chester, New York. 

Accompanied by a ten-piece band of world class and extremely talented musicians, including a horn section , backup singers, rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer, and Rock And Roll Hall of Fame keyboardist Reese Waynans, the incomparable Bonamassa delivered a superb show that clearly demonstrated his extraordinary and undeniable talent as band leader, singer and guitarist.  

Elegantly dressed in a light blue suit, polka dot shirt, and wearing dark shades, Joe led his band on stage at eight PM and promptly began playing “Hope You Realize It” from his 2023 release, Blues Deluxe Vol.2. He followed with “You Upset Me”, the B.B.King cover from his 2003 album “Blues Deluxe”, and continued with “Twenty-Four Hour Blues” also from Blues Deluxe Vol. 2. 

Bonamassa and his incredibly talented musicians performed eight songs in a row, including “I Done Got Over It” and “Last Matador of Bayonne” before pausing to greet the crowd, introducing band members and expressing joy for returning to The Capitol Theater in his home state of New York. 

In addition to Joe’s commanding skills on guitar, his selection of songs for the night’s repertoire clearly demonstrated an exceptional innate ability to straddle a wide range of influences and periods. And the noticeable shades of styles he bridges during the show, while still remaining firmly grounded in his musical roots, make it abundantly clear that he’s not simply an awesome blues guitar player, but a well-rounded and constantly evolving student and master musician of the genre.

On stage Bonamassa was extremely focused and passionate during the performance. He exemplified the qualities of a great band leader who conducts finesse, but is clearly in command and guiding the overall vibe and performance of the band. He was also very charming, witty and engaging in his interaction with the audience. 

Bonamassa played approximately six or seven different vintage guitars during the show, a very small sampling from the vast collection he owns and makes guitar geeks weak in the knees, including some Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Strats, a Gibson SG, and a beautiful red Gibson ES-335, to name a few. He’s an absolute master at using the tone and harmonic accents of each one of these instruments and wove a brilliant thread of blues, talent and showmanship into every moment of the concert, and the audience loved him for it.

The night’s lengthy fourteen song setlist, selected primarily from his Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 release, included titles like “Self-inflicted Wounds”, “Heart That Never Waits”, and “It’s Hard But It’s Fair” in addition to several others that had the crowd on their feet by the end of the night.

Joe Bonamassa and his band will bring the Blues Deluxe Tour to a conclusion on September 15, 2024 and they will return to the road with his U.S. Fall Tour 2024 on October 26, 2024. 

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