Normally, I prefer live audio recordings over DVDs but Bonamassa seems to pick some visually striking venues that actually add to the performance and make it worth watching. I’m sure the venue’s acoustics are taken into consideration as well, especially this time around since it was an acoustic performance, and honestly, The Vienna Opera House may be one of the most famous music venues of all time.
Joe Bonamassa’s “An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House” gives fans a chance to witness one of the legendary acoustic shows that never made it over the Atlantic Ocean. When you are done watching it, you will wish you lived in Europe. I assumed he would take a Clapton Unplugged approach. Instead he has surrounded himself with a group of fascinating players that add a whole new dimension to the songs, and that’s amazing considering how many approaches Bonamassa has taken already!
One of the fascinating things about the show is the selection of instruments, which include an interesting array of old-fashioned percussion and string styled instruments. They don’t have a bass player, and I didn’t even realize it until one of the players mentioned it right before “Sloe Gin,” which is near the end of the show. My favorite material is the newer Bonamassa songs like “Dust Bowl,” “Slow Train,” “Dislocated Boy,” and “Driving Towards Daylight.” They sound so fresh and almost as if they were originally intended for this type of setup.
The traditional Bonamassa fare sounds incredible as well. “Mountain Time” and “Ball Peen Hammer” get great makeovers. Vocally he approaches them differently, and I am not sure if it’s the acoustics, but his vocal performance is the strongest he has recorded to date. Bonamassa keeps setting the bar higher and evolving as a musician. It’s almost unfathomable to contemplate how many musical hats he has worn over the past few years and how successful he has been at it.
