Three Kings tour is off and running!

Well, after two months off, I'm back out with the Bonamassa crew! We had 5 days of rehearsals in Nashville and popped the top off of this Three Kings tour.

Rehearsals went pretty good, but it never quite feels like enough so we have to be on high awareness onstage the first few shows. The first show was in Camden, NJ. It was a really good show right out of the gate. But we could tell we had some things to tighten up. The crowd was very much behind us as we tried to do our best to honor these three giants of the blues.

Freddie King is, in my opinion, one of the most stylistically hard singers to cop. A great range and a very relaxed feel. He always had interesting tunes to me. Not your average blues tunes. That always attracted me to his music. And the fact that he had success with instrumental tunes was always a plus as well. Joe is singing his ass off on these tunes.

Albert's tunes are really a change-up. They are stylistically very different vocally and sung in a much lower register and understated. The tunes are brilliantly crafted and funkier than Freddie or B.B.'s tunes. They pose a completely different challenge for Joe. He of course is handling the change and navigating the tunes with ease and each show is getting better and better!

B.B.'s tunes are simple blues tunes for the most part. What set B.B. apart was his powerful voice and straight in your face blues. There is one surprise tune that, I feel, will be the highlight of the show.....I'm gonna keep that secret as to not be a spoiler for all you folks anxiously awaiting the show to come to your town.

At one point, Joe announces the band and states, "this is the best blues band in the world." And I have to agree. The band is just kickin' ass! And we're three shows in and hitting our stride. So it's gonna be a fun few weeks!!

Please come out and experience this incredible night of music if you can! Hope to see you.

Bonamassa Euro Tour Spring 2015

Hi good peoples,

I have been trying to get around to writing this blog for some time now....and dammit, that time has come!

We started our tour by doing a relaxing 5day cruise to Key West and Nassau, Bahamas. I have been very fortunate to play with some of my favorite guitarist in the world, and there was a BOATLOAD of them that I dig right on this boat! Kirk Fletcher, Josh Smith, Robben Ford and of course, Joe Bonamassa. It was fun to be able to stroll around and run into some of my other favorite musicians and friends, too. Travis Carlton, Brian Allen, Lemar Carter, Jimmy Cox and so many others were cruisin' along. The weather was not cooperating at all, but the folks didn't seem to mind. The music was smokin' and the atmosphere was quite festive. This was Joe's first cruise and it was such an overwhelming success that he is already booked for next year! If you are fans of GREAT blues/rock guitar, this is where you wanna be! Also lots of other types of music to be heard....but the gun slingers on board are what the people really come to see and hear.

After the cruise, we spent no time at all getting down to business. We headed straight for Germany where we spent the following two weeks. We performed in Munich, Bremerhaven, Oberhausen, Stuttgart, Nurnberg, Hannover and Hamburg. The shows were incredibly well received and rocking! Joe is really burning the stage up. He's singing his ass off and of course delivering the guitar playing that is his trademark. The band is really supportive and more than capable of laying down the grooves for Joe. The show has a lot of energy and the slower songs serve as great moments for the crowd to catch their breath, so to speak.

Following the two week run in Germany, we headed directly to Amsterdam for a week of shows at the beautiful Carre Theatre. This lovely theatre seats about 2000 people and every show was sold out. The city was as beautiful as I've ever seen it. We stayed at a wonderful, small hotel right along one of the canals. The week was full of great music, food and new and old friends. The horn section were asked to do a recording session on our day off. It was a really nice project we were referred on by Terry Wilson. The people involved were some of our good friends back home in LA, who Lee Thornberg and I know from working with Terry and his wife, the great soulful singer, Teresa James. After the session we were treated to dinner at a fabulous restaurant. The company, the food and the laughs...TONS of laughs were the highlight of my trip. Geertjan Hoek was an incredible host. We will hopefully be doing more work for this project as the year progresses.

For me, I could have finished the tour after Amsterdam and been completely fulfilled, but we had a week-long engagement in London at the beautiful Hammersmith Apollo Theatre! This remarkable venue had a facelift that restored it faithfully to it’s beauty of days long gone. Seating 3500+, the crowds were again served some fantastic shows in a great sounding theatre. Beth Hart, Bernie Marsden and Randy Bachman were guests who joined us onstage during the week. Joe continued to show what a remarkable talent he is, burning down the house every night!

The tour was a real treat to be a part of, the band is ripping and the music is great. I hope to see some of you when we roll into your town later this year!

ENJOY LIFE!!