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Joe Bonamassa
Wows Sold-Out
State Theater

With Some Incredible Blues
 

February 23, 2025

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Joe Bonamassa is one of the best guitarists out there today.

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Yes, I said it and it's the truth.

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Bonamassa and his incredible four piece backing band, that includes Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Reese Wynans, along with two female backup singers, took the sold-out State Theater audience on a journey of Blues and Rock and Roll. 

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The well known guitar collector that he is, Bonamassa played a variety of his favorite axes throughout the evening.  Starting out with a red Gibson ES, he then switched to a Gibson SG, a Les Paul, a cream colored Strat and a traditional Telecaster.  No matter what he played, his tone and fretwork were flawless. 

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Playing some of his original songs like "Dust Bowl," "Driving Towards the Daylight,"  and "Is It Safe To Go Home" let the audience know that he has the chops to fit into any era of the Blues.   However, like any good Blues performer one must pay tribute to the ones that came before you.

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Bonamassa did that expertly with covers of Bobby "Blue" Bland, Guitar Slim and Freddie King to name a few.

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His set ending cover of Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times" almost blew the roof off the State Theater.

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Joe addressed the audience by saying that Ohio has always been a supporter of his music.  He noted, "I'm talking about Canton, Akron, Youngstown, Columbus, Cincinnati.  Well, maybe not Cincinnati.  Fuck Cincinnati!  They're like northern Kentucky anyway." Which got a roar from the crowd.

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He ended the show with a song that he said, "Put me on the map."  With that, a great version of Tim Curry's "Sloe Gin" brought one of the best concerts of the year to a close.

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Photos and review by Greg Drugan

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