Joe Bonamassa is obviously a man who loves life on the road. He seems to be either constantly on tour or in the studio recording before hitting the road again.

With this in mind it's no surprise that this is his third planned visit to Bournemouth in the last six months and with last Octobers show being cancelled due to ill health you could feel the anticipation in the sold out BIC growing the closer it got to stage time.

The evening starts when Joe strides on stage in his customary sharp suit and shades and sets the tone for the next couple of hours by launching into This Train quickly followed by Mountain Climbing and title track of his latest album Blues of Desperation.

The songs then come thick and fast until almost halfway through the gig when everyone paused to catch their breath whilst Joe thanked the crowd for coming back after a six month wait and introduced the band.

Bournemouth Echo:

And what a band it is! When you have the reputation that he has Joe can attract the best of the best to tour with him and that is exactly what he has done. It may be the name Bonamassa that sells the tickets but the five guys on stage with him play just a big a part of putting on one of the tightest shows you will ever see and their importance to the Bonamassa sound shouldn't be underestimated.

A well deserved tip of the hat to Mr Kyp and the it’s back to the Blues with Love Ain't a Love Song and Nobody Loves Me But My Mother.

Joes guitar playing is of course extraordinary and is a huge part of the show but his voice is perfect for these Bluesy songs that have seen him go from playing to fifty people in small clubs to selling out arenas around the world.

Bournemouth Echo:

All to soon the main set ended with fan favorites Sloe Gin and The Ballad of John Henry, two songs that must be automatic inclusions to the set list. Joe got the crowd on their feet and left the stage to thunderous applause.

He returned for a one song encore of Hummingbird and that was it for the night. Although with his work ethic I am sure we will be seeing him again before too long.

People come to a Bonamassa gig expecting to see one of the most gifted guitarists on the planet play a set of loud Blues Rock and he is a man who doesn't like to disappoint.

Anyone who is in a band or dreams of picking up an instrument should come and watch this show for inspiration because it doesn't get any better than this!