Guitarist Joe Bonamassa was in town Dec. 5 for a show at the Dominion Energy Center. (Photo by Tina Eshleman)
A plentifully bearded and unmistakably unmasked crowd watched and raved as acclaimed contemporary blues performer Joe Bonamassa worked his fingers at the Carpenter Theatre, inside the Dominion Energy Center, on Dec. 5.
The famed guitar picker, podcaster, record label owner and instrument collector played a different ax for every song, a veritable guitar shop inventory of vintage Les Pauls and Fender Stratocasters. He was eager to have some fun, too, stopping a virtuoso solo a few times to fool around with outer space sounds on his theremin.
But the dynamic 2 1/2-hour show may have been an infectious experience in more ways than one — Bonamassa's appearance required no COVID-19 vaccination card or masking for admittance.
The updated policy at Dominion Energy Center leaves coronavirus protocols up to the artists, not the venue. From its website, the policy reads, "We are working closely with our artists, promoters, and resident companies on their decisions around COVID requirements for patrons. Ultimately, they will decide what they think is right for their fan base and we will implement those requirements on their behalf."
Which means that it was Bonamassa's decision to require no COVID-19 safeguards for his Richmond fan base. The artist released a live album in September that raised $32,000 for his Fueling Musicians program, which has been helping financially struggling musicians during the pandemic. He clearly understands how the coronavirus has affected people, so why would the guitar god hold an unchecked concert like this? (A query to Big Hassle Media, his LA publicity arm, was unanswered at press time).
It's a good thing the 44-year-old shredder presented a show entertaining enough to distract from the danger. His chameleonic band included Nashville session bass legend Michael Rhodes and stoic but solid second guitarist Josh Smith, who ripped off a couple of solos that rivaled the front man. Keyboardist Reese Wynans, formerly of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble, added atmospheric washes of piano and organ throughout the set, which consisted mostly of highlights from Bonamassa's most recent albums, last year's "Royal Tea" and the brand-new "Time Clocks."
With background singers Jade MacRae and Dannielle De Andrea adding vocal colorations, Bonamassa presented an adventurous view of "blues" that incorporated Middle Eastern melodies ("Notches"), Funkadelic-style funk rock ("Lookout Man!") and meditative soundscapes (Gary Moore's "Midnight Blues"), all while giving us plenty of impassioned vocals and gloriously furious guitar.
It's too bad that, in order to catch his music, a patron is in danger of catching something else while stewing in an uncertain mass-crowd petri dish. And you have to wonder how many people are catching Joe Bonamassa's infectious blues right now, all over Richmond and beyond.
