LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE

LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE BLUES UPDATE

Release Date : September 23, 2016
Format : CD, DVD, BLU-RAY

Joe Bonamassa King Of Blues Honors “The Three Kings” on ‘Live At The Greek Theatre’ CD/DVD/Blu-ray/LP, out Sept. 23

Over two hours of some of the greatest blues songs ever written are highlighted in a celebration of blues heritage

Los Angeles, August 2, 2016: On September 23^rd, GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa will deliver Live at the Greek Theatre, a 22-track Double CD, Double DVD, Blu-ray, and 4-LP Deluxe Edition tribute to three of the greatest bluesmen to ever live – Albert King, B.B. King, and Freddie King. Live at the Greek Theatre showcases “The Three Kings” tour of 2015; a 14-date US amphitheater tour that culminated at famed Los Angeles venue The Greek. Bonamassa celebrates the trio of blues icons with over two hours of some the greatest blues songs ever written. The release includes a collector’s edition booklet, and several bonus features containing behind-the-scenes footage and more. Public TV and MTV Live, formerly Palladia, will broadcast the epic Blues tribute performances during their August and September schedules.

Fans will instantly receive a free download of the track “Let the Good Times Roll,” as a thank you for pre-ordering the new Album. Live at the Greek Theatre can be pre-ordered here: http://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/live-at-the-greek-theatre

Watch “Let The Good Times Roll” here: https://youtu.be/WOqvzacf9qg

Playing on a warm summer night to a nearly sold-out crowd, Bonamassa’s handpicked set list of songs was called “spectacular” by Premier Guitar; Los Angeles Times said the show “had swing and polish” and that “Bonamassa evoked the signature licks of all three icons while managing to put his own stamp on things.”

Songs ranged from blues standards to deep cuts, including “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Lonesome Whistle Blues,” “Hummingbird,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” and, of course, B.B. King’s famed “The Thrill Is Gone” as the evening closer. For Bonamassa, the tour’s importance deepened significantly when B.B., his friend and mentor, passed away two months before it began. “My only regret is that B.B. was not alive to see it,” said Bonamassa.

Showcasing “magnificent guitar playing” (The Morning Call), Bonamassa introduced a steady rotation of vintage guitars, including four Gibson ES models, a Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson Flying V, two new Gibson Custom Shop models, two Fender Strats, and a 1972 Dan Erlewine custom Flying V named “Lucy,” originally owned and played by Albert King and currently in the collection of actor Steven Seagal.

The eleven-piece band included Anton Fig (drums), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), Michael Rhodes (bass), Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Paulie Cerra (saxophone), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), and a trio of backup singers including Mahalia Barnes, Jade MacRae, and Juanita Tippins.

Live at the Greek Theatre continues Bonamassa’s tradition of honoring incredible concert venues like the Royal Albert Hall, the Vienna Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the Beacon Theater. As with all Bonamassa DVD shoots, the performance at the Greek offered a unique presentation of this historical music.

This tour was a continuation of the celebration of our blues heritage, which began with the 2014 production of Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks, a tribute to the music of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Both tours gave a portion of proceeds to presenting partner Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, a non-profit Bonamassa founded in 2011 that promotes the heritage of the blues to the next generation, funds music scholarships, and supplements the loss of music education in public schools.

Bonamassa’s most recent studio album, Blues of Desperation, released March 25, marks his 16th #1 Blues album on the Billboard charts, more than any other artist, and landed at #5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales, his highest charting yet.

Track Listing:

CD 1

1. See See Baby
2. Some Other Day, Some Other Time
3. Lonesome Whistle Blues
4. Sittin’ On The Boat Dock
5. You’ve Got To Love Her With A Feeling
6. Going Down
7. I’ll Play The Blues For You
8. I Get Evil
9. Breaking Up Somebody’s Home
10. Angel Of Mercy
11. Cadillac Assembly Line

CD 2

1. Oh, Pretty Woman
2. Let The Good Times Roll
3. Never Make Your Move Too Soon
4. Ole Time Religion
5. Nobody Loves Me But My Mother
6. Boogie Woogie Woman
7. Hummingbird
8. Hide Away
9. Born Under A Bad Sign
10. The Thrill Is Gone
11. Riding With The Kings

Blues Update

Watch Joe Bonamassa Cover Jeff Beck’s “Let Me Love You Baby”

The bruising, blues-ing tune originally appeared on Jeff Beck’s debut solo album, ‘Truth.’

• Joe Bonamassa has sold well over 3 million records worldwide and has fifteen #1 Billboard Blues Albums; his previous DVDs are certified gold.

• His most recent studio album, Blues of Desperation, released in March of 2016, marks his 16th #1 Blues album on the Billboard charts, more than any other artist, and landed at #5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales, his highest charting yet in the US. In Europe it charted in 15 countries.

• Joe is touring Europe extensively in 2018.

• His latest collaborative album with vocal ”powerhouse” Beth Hart called ‘Black Coffee’ debuted at #1 in the Dutch album charts. Other chart positions include a #4 in Germany and #7 in the UK.

• Joe Bonamassa has been featured on the cover of virtually every guitar magazine multiple times. His name is notorious among guitarists not only for being a virtuoso, but also for his incredible collection of vintage guitars, gear and memorabilia.

I’ve been saying it for about a decade, and I’ll say it again: Joe Bonamassa has good taste. Just consider his gear choices, his note choices and the fact that he hangs and records with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s former bandmates (Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton and Reese Wynans).

He’s also a man who truly appreciates the “big three” of blues-based British rock—Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. In fact, on his latest live album/DVD, British Blues Explosion Live, Bonamassa breathes a bit of fire into a slew of classic tunes originally recorded by the mighty three.

For instance, check out his just-posted performance of “Let Me Love You Baby,” a bruising, blues-ing tune that originally appeared on Jeff Beck’s debut solo album, Truth,which was released in the summer of 1968. The song, not to be confused with the Buddy Guy tune of the same name, was originally sung by Rod Stewart and features a particularly catchy guitar hook—at least for a I-IV-V album track. You can hear Beck’s original version of the song (which he wrote) at the bottom of this story.

The performance was shot and recorded during Bonamassa’s July 7, 2016, show at Greenwich Music Time at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, part of his “British blues explosion” tour of the U.K.

“If it weren’t for certain British musicians of the early Sixties, the blues may very well never have exploded into rock music as we know it today, and indeed may have passed into history,” Bonamassa said in a press release.

British Blues Explosion Live will be released May 18 via J&R Adventures. For more information, head here or visit jbonamassa.com.

British Blues Explosion Live Track List (and the original guitarist): 
1. Beck’s Bolero/Rice Pudding (Beck)
2. Mainline Florida (Clapton)
3. Boogie with Stu (Page)
4. Let Me Love You Baby (Beck)
5. Plynth (Water Down the Drain) (Beck)
6. Spanish Boots (Beck)
7. Double Crossing Time (Clapton)
8. Motherless Children (Clapton)
9. SWLABR (Clapton)
10. Tea for One/I Can’t Quit You Baby (Page)
11. Little Girl (Clapton)
12. Pretending (Clapton)
13. Black Winter/Django (Page tribute/Beck)
14. How Many More Times (Page)