It’s the back half of the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool that’s being used for tonight’s show which is creating a wonderful sense of intimacy for this 3000 capacity crowd. With his almost trademark suit and shades, Joe Bonamassa cooly takes to the stage with a Bigsby empowered Gibson SG to kick off the first song Hope You Realize It, and this track proves to be a great showcase for Joe’s gorgeous sustain and also for his very early recognition for Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Reese Wynans following an incredible keyboard solo. Swapping for a Gibson ES 335, the crowd hugely welcomes the next track Dust Bowl which just creates the most wonderful mood. 24 Hour Blues is the second song from 2023’s Blues Deluxe Vol 2 album and the first where we see a Les Paul, warmly greeted by the audience, and it’s a reminder that Joe’s guitars are also the stars of the show, as are each of his band mates. Joe describes second guitarist Josh Smith as being “better than me”, and it’s especially on the track Last Matador Of Bayonne that Joe proudly allow Josh the opportunity to shine. This is also the piece where the vocal harmonies of backup singers Jade MacRae and Danni D’Andrea present themselves so gorgeously and exquisitely, though it’s Self Inflicted Wounds where Jade takes the lead and shows her world class talent, presenting without question why she deserves to be here. Drummer Lamar Carter is described as ‘the best drummer in the world’ and he surely proves this to be the case when delivering his drum solo within the track How Many More Times. Joe also ensures that Reese, who he refers to as ‘Mr B3’ given his mastery of the Hammond B3 organ, is given a huge standing ovation from the audience. What we also must do is share some of those magic guitar moments we witnessed tonight. On the highly emotional Self Inflicted Wounds, Joe played the most quiet and delicately performed solo with notes so quiet you could hear a pin drop in the arena. His use of volume swells in Is It Safe To Go Home is a masterclass in demonstrating just what it’s possible to achieve with the guitar. For this 2016 Cavern Club Wall of Fame inductee, Liverpool clearly holds a special place in Joe’s heart. It’s been almost 8 years since his last show in the city but it’s wonderful to hear Joe regale the crowd with his tales of what he has seen in the last 24 hours, which surprisingly includes him having witnessed more Ed Sheeran tribute acts than The Beatles. That’s one of the wonderful things about Joe: the fact that he always takes time to walk around the city he’s playing. It feels as though he is taking the time to get to know his audience and in turn this brings a real closeness. After making reference to how a minority of fans have been complaining about the tour’s setlist, Joe responds in kind - and tongue in cheek - to announce that the last song tonight will be Sloe Gin, the title track from his 2007 album, and it just represents the perfect way to close what has been an incredible show. On the weekend that would see the announcement of a new studio album Breakthrough, it’s perhaps a surprise that the opportunity wasn’t taken to showcase some of the new music. However, this simply fills us with anticipation for what’s coming next.

The full track list was as follows:-

Hope You Realize It

Dustbowl

24 Hour Blues

Done Got Over It

Self Inflicted Wounds

Shout About It

Last Matador of Bayonne

Pack It Up

Heart That Never Waits

Is It Safe To Go Home

Hard But It’s Fair

How Many More Times

Sloe Gin

Joe’s new studio album Breakthrough is available to pre-order now. Head over to www.jbonamassa.com to find out more and in the meantime enjoy the new lyric video for the title track below.