I was reminded of this shot when a friend posted some pictured of a recent gig recently and I thought I would revisit the review. It turned out to be an eventful evening as the car was grumbling on the way there and he head gasket blew on the way back to Scarborough – lucky I had cover to get it collected and towed back to the garage for a very expensive repair. The gig was much better and this photo was right at the end of my three songs that I was allowed to shoot so it was perfect timing.

GIG REVIEW: Joe Bonamassa at Bridlington Spa. Review by Ian Duncan.

I HAVE to admit that I was not expecting to see the main performer at a rock gig dressed in a gold lame suit but that was the sight that greeted me when guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa walked on stage.

Three dates into a nine-date UK tour and right from the start his blues-tinged style of rock was well received by an appreciative audience which hung onto his every sustained note.

With a back catalogue of about ten studio albums we could be forgiven for not recognising a few songs on the set-list but when the opening chords of his epic track Sloe Gin kicked in there was a roar of recognition.

It was only when the band had blasted through half a dozen tracks that Bonamassa uttered the obligatory line “Good evening Bridlington”.

He added: “I’ve never been to Bridlington. But I don’t believe that anyone who is in Bridlington has been to Bridlington. But it sure beats the hell out of being in Morecambe.”

Apparently his track The Ballad Of John Henry was voted the 12th most popular riff in a recent top 50 poll and again it was another crowd pleaser.

It was surprising that for a combination of guitar, bass, keyboards and drums they could produce such a powerful sound.

To give the band a break Bonamassa changed to acoustic guitar and performed solo. But the fast and furious guitar picking – which would not be out of place in a Mariachi band – held the audience’s attention.

After an hour and 40 minutes they left the stage – only to quickly return following some serious foot stamping from the audience.

Bonamassa summed it up perfectly: “From a place where we’d never heard of before to a place we’d be disappointed if we never came back.”

The encore included a seriously souped up version of Bird On A Wire as well as a track which included a note perfect Led Zeppelin solo from Dazed And Confused.

He is still, on the whole, an undiscovered gem but it was a pleasure to see a master musician practice his art and I for one look forward to his return.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.