Concert Review: Joe Bonamassa Rocks Louisville Palace With Spring 2024 Tour Kick Off

Joe Bonamassa and band on Feb. 19, 2024 at the Louisville Palace.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Spring 2024 Tour for blues/rock giant Joe Bonamassa kicked off Monday night at the Louisville Palace theater in downtown Louisville, KY. The concert was the first of 19 shows throughout the eastern U.S. region that ends in mid-March, just before the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Caribbean Cruise.

The sold-out show had folks waiting down 4th Street in Louisville on both sides of the theater entrance as patrons shoved their way to the metal detectors and ticket stalls.

The Louisville Palace is a stunning venue that gives show-goers an authentic vintage feel and a ceiling dimly lit in dark blue that feels like the sky. The 2,800 seats were full with fans paying close attention to the virtuoso and his incredible band.

Of course, with musicians of this caliber, words like "stunning," "incredible," and "amazing" are too often used but it's really difficult to truly describe the level of talent, musicanship, and straight-up entertainment that was on display Monday night in Louisville.

Bonamassa opened up the show with cuts from his latest album, "Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2," a nod to the twenty-year anniversary of his first album, "Blues Deluxe." The former was produced by Josh Smith, who is also Joe's accompanying guitarist that blistered concert attendees last night in his own right. The first tune was "Hope You Realize it (Goodbye Again)" written by Bonamassa and Tom Hambridge, and is probably my favorite on the record. It's a funk-shuffle groove with a driving rhythm and bass line. Joe wasted no time getting to the guitar work, playing his custom model '63 Epiphone SG.

Throughout the show, he would switch to a sunburst Les Paul, and ES335, his '51 Nocaster (Bludgeon), a Strat, what I first thought to be a Gibson Explorer, but was actually a Hamer, and then a wine red Tele to close out the show. Joe has said all guitars used in shows are from his world renown vintage collection that is like none other.

He didn't talk much, but his fingers sure did. Not just his fingers, but all of Bonamassa was somehow able to access every bit of life available out of his guitars and amps. He quipped about his suit and told the audience it was only $49 at Sears and Roebuck from their "Action Suit" line. He was very complimentary of his band throughout the entire night, not just by their flattering introductions, but by constantly pointing to each member after a solo and encouraging the audience to show their appreciation, which they gladly did.

His band featured Smith on guitar, Lamar Carter on drums, Calvin Turner on bass, legendary Hall of Fame keyboardist Reese Wynans, and back up singers Jade McCray and Danielle De Andrea. Unfortunately, I did not catch the third singer's name.

Joe Bonamassa and band on Feb. 19, 2024 at the Louisville Palace.

Louisville Palace Theater crowd at the Joe Bonamassa concert on Feb. 19, 2024.

Bonamassa introduced Wynans after everyone else and instructed the crowd to specifically stand up and applaud him. Wynans has played for just about every big name you can imagine and toured with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. The 76 year-old did not disappoint, playing multiple keyboards at once, on multiple songs. The spinning inside his Leslie cabinet flickered in the lights throughout the night.

In our earlier interview, I asked Joe what would he say to those that might not know his music, and he simply said, "If you know, you know." And to someone who has been touring for 35 years, it was a fairly dumb question. But to your average music fan (standard commercial radio in your vehicle) most would say something like, "I'm not into blues--it's the same thing over and over." To me, what is most impressive about Bonamassa is that although he's known as king in the world of blues, his music and shows are anything but your typical three chord, 12 bar blues. He and his band are constantly throwing unexpected things at the crowd and listener that are always right in place.

He routinely would smoke a solo with the band on level 10, then immediately pull the emergency brake and use techniques like he was caring for a baby to make soft, subtle sounds that I'm still unsure of how they were made. 

He discussed his band in our previous interview and described them as those who "speak all the languages." That they did. Each one shared blistering solos that showcased their individualism and creativity but never broke loose from the locked down band unit.

With his massive song catalogue, I was curious as to how his set list would appear but the 12 songs were as good of a mix as anyone could ask for, including his cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid," that morphed into Led Zepplin's "Dazed and Confused." I'm pretty sure the volcanic energy from the band placed stress fractures in the ceiling throughout the theater.

Their encore song was "Mountain Time," a Bonamassa original that goes back to the early days of his touring. The performance was flawless and the peak-and-valley dynamics of the song kept it true to its title. At the band's shutting of the door on the final D chord, two hours had somehow passed, and it somehow actually felt like we were on mountain time at the moment.

The staff at the Palace was great and I picked up a groovy "Bonamassa Guitars" black mesh cap on the way out.

Tickets are available here for future shows that include an upcoming performance at the Ryman during the summer tour later this year.