Monday, January 31, 2011

Blues Rock Guitarist Joe Bonamassa Performs at Royal Albert Hall; To Air Tuesday, February 1st, on PBS at 8PM

In anticipation of his North American tour dates, PBS will be broadcasting a special performance by award-winning guitarist Joe Bonamassa at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, February 1st at 8PM. The Royal Albert Hall, opened by Queen Victoria in London, England in 1871, is one of the world’s most treasured venues.

Bonamassa and his ace touring band will be performing live in concert at Grand Rapids’ DeVos Performance Hall on March 21, 2011 at 8PM. Tickets are $39, $49, $59 and $69 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com, DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena Box Offices, ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

Headlining arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world in May 2009, Bonamassa aimed to show his showmanship all the while fulfilling a dream many artists never get to—a testament to Bonamassa’s caliber as an artist. The sold-out concert came off of his No. 1 release, “The Ballad of John Henry.” During the broadcast, fans can watch as Bonamassa was joined on stage by the legendary Eric Clapton. “The sight of two of the world’s best guitarists trading solos was more than a little thrilling,” Planet Rock declared.

Just hours after walking off the stage in Grand Rapids, Bonamassa will be releasing his twelfth album, “Dust Bowl.” The album was produced by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) making it their sixth collaboration in five years. Dust Bowl combines the gritty, blues-based tones of Bonamassa's first albums with the fluid, genre-defying sounds he's mastered in the years since and adds a dash of country from Joe's collaborations with the best of Nashville including legends Vince Gill and John Hiatt.

A child prodigy, Bonamassa opened shows at age 12 for blues legend B.B. King, who said after first seeing him play, “This kid's potential is unbelievable…He's one of a kind.” Bonamassa’s recording career began in the early ’90s with Bloodline, a rock-blues group also featuring Robby debut was in 2000 with the Tom Dowd-produced A New Day Yesterday.