Guitar great Joe Bonamassa humbly says his bandmates are 'better than me' on the latest Behind the Setlist podcast.
But the upstate New York native — a former child prodigy who opened for blues great B.B. King when he was just 12 years old — speaks with humility and admiration about his bandmates.‘s Behind the Setlist podcast. Keyboard player Reese Winans “gets a standing ovation every night,” says Bonamassa before a recent concert in Charlotte, N.C. “He gets the biggest ovation of the night. He’s a living legend [who has] played with Stevie Ray [Vaughan] and Delbert McClinton.
Guitarist Josh Smith is a “better player than I am,” he continues. “He’s killer.” He calls both drummer Lamar Carter and bass player Calvin Turner “amazing” musicians. Backup singers Jade MacRae and Danni D’Andrea, who have worked with Liam Gallagher and Prince, respectively, are “saints” for tolerating his singing voice, he says self-effacingly.
The great musicians tend to attract talented musicians to their touring bands. That gives Bonamassa a superb cast to help re-create his songs and transform the studio recordings for the live setting. “We have some fun with it,” he says. “Bring it up, bring it down. Like in the case of ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds,’ our great vocalist Jade MacRae takes a vocal solo at the very end and it brings the house down.
Still, Bonamassa knows he’s the reason people buy tickets to his shows. “You’re never gonna see me go, ‘Well, I don’t really feel like playing guitar, and I’m just gonna let Josh take all the solos, or I’ll we’ll just we’ll just cut all the guitar, so I’m just gonna sing and play acoustic guitar.’ There will be a revolt, you know? There will be 2,500 people revolting tonight, leaving. And that’s because I know the audience. They want to hear a big guitar solo.
Bonamassa is currently on tour in Europe and will perform in Germany on May 5-6, Luxembourg on May 7 and France on May 10. He will play five dates in the U.K. from May 9-14 before returning to the U.S. to perform at the Capitol Theatre in Yakima, Wash., on May 26 and the Backroad Blues Festival with Kenny Wayne Sheppard in Bend, Ore., on May 27.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Medina musician whose guitar was stolen gets guitar back, no questions askedLast month, News 5 told you how a community stepped up when his music went silent and because of the kindness Rick Gaudet was able to show that love right back.
Read more »
George Lucas Wants to Play Guitar as 'Star Wars' Takes a Vacation“Dare to be cute,” says the thirty-nine-year-old mastermind of the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, who’s sitting pretty with the last installment, ‘Return of the Jedi.&821…
Read more »
Behind the veil: Uncovering the stigma in “Bare Below Elbow” guidelines | OpinionA job choice should not be limited by religion or race.
Read more »
Watch Amanda Hesser Go Behind the Scenes at Food52 & More in the ‘Founder Files’Watch Amanda Hesser go behind the scenes at Food52 and more in the ‘Founder Files’
Read more »
The Science Behind Fasting Diets🍽️🚫🕰️ Want to improve your health? Try fasting! 🌟 New research shows it can boost metabolism, reduce inflammation, and even fight cancer. fasting healthylifestyle cancerprevention 💪
Read more »
Behind the Scenes With Marion Cotillard at the Met Gala 2023Marion Cotillard spoke to WWD about her relationship with Karl Lagerfeld and her Chanel Met Gala look.
Read more »