Review & Photography by Manny Manson for MPM
There are few musicians left in the world who command the kind of respect that Joe Bonamassa does, and even fewer who have earned it the way he has. From a teenage prodigy opening for B.B.
King at just twelve years old, to the modern-day champion of blues rock, Bonamassa has built a formidable career almost entirely outside the traditional channels. No fleeting radio hits, no chasing trends, just relentless touring, impeccable records, and a soul-deep devotion to the music he loves.
Nottingham has been a regular stop on that remarkable journey. Back in 2018, he first brought his electrifying live show to the Rescue Rooms, a night still talked about by those who crammed into that tiny, sweaty club to see a true master up close. Not long after, he graduated to Rock City, delivering a set so ferocious it shook the old venue’s walls. And now, in 2025, he’s back again at the Motorpoint Arena, a venue he has conquered before, but somehow, this time feels different. Bigger. Deeper. More complete.
When the lights dimmed and Bonamassa strode out, dark suited, sunglasses gleaming, switching effortlessly between guitars from his legendary arsenal of vintage Gibsons and Fenders — it was clear we were about to witness something special.
The first notes of “Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again),” fresh from his 2023 album Blues Deluxe Vol 2, rang out with a slow, bruised majesty. The mid-tempo shuffle, underpinned by Reese Wynans’ warm Hammond swells, carried a sense of battered hope.
Bonamassa’s voice, seemingly, roughened slightly by time but no less expressive, leaned into every line with a heavy-lidded wisdom, while his guitar tone, deliciously thick, golden, crackling with sustain, he simply painted a portrait of quiet defiance.
The solo, deliberate and aching, seemed to squeeze every drop of emotion from the air itself. It wasn’t an opening number designed to hit fast and hard; it was an invitation to listen, the maestro was in town.
Without a word, he changed gears and guitars, capo on the 5th fret, it can only mean one song; as he deftly swung into “Dust Bowl,” the haunting title track from his 2011 album. The slow, dusty groove wrapping around the Arena like a thick swampy mist.
Wynans’ keys spread out, enveloping the venue in an atmospheric surround style sound stage, while Lamar Carter’s drums rumbled low, like a gathering storm. Bonamassa’s phrasing on the ES 335 was exquisite, slow bends that cried out like wounded spirits, bursts of fast, anxious runs that snapped the air taut. The audience, three thousand strong, swayed and nodded along in near-reverence, totally locked in as their god, lovingly stroked his guitar of choice.
Then came the churning stomp of “24 Hour Blues,” lifted from Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 (2023), a record that saw Joe returning to his gritty roots. Here, the mood turned mean and urgent, Calvin Turner’s bassline roaring underneath as Joe delivered slashing, serrated riffs. His vocals carried a snarling edge, spitting each line with the conviction of a man who knows exactly what the blues demands. When the solo exploded, it was like being caught in a whirlwind, fingers flying, strings howling, the sheer sound of it filling every inch of the Arena and leaving people visibly stunned, some so shaken that they gasped out loud in appreciation when the maelstrom finally concluded.
From there, Bonamassa slid into the swampy, funky groove of “Well, I Done Got Over It” another from Blues Deluxe Vol 2 (2023), a cover, originally by Guitar Slim. Here he changed to a battered Fender that sang with a greasy, low-end snarl. The interplay between Joe’s clipped, playful vocal lines and Wynans’ sly, bubbling keys gave the song a sly, knowing charm. By the time Joe stretched out for a solo, teasing licks and bluesy shouts from his amp, the crowd were roaring back in approval, a rolling wave of human energy responding to Joe’s every bend and squall.
Taking the atmosphere down into something a bit more reflective, Bonamassa picked up a Gibson ES guitar for the aching “Driving Towards the Daylight,” the title track from his 2012 album. Bathed in a soft golden spotlight, he sang the verses almost as a prayer, each strum of the guitar thick with longing. As the band kicked in behind him, the sound swelled into a vast, cinematic sweep, and when Joe, first looking at the floor, leaned back for the solo, a shimmering, emotional release, it felt like the entire room was holding its breath, caught in the specific gravity of the very moment, right to the last note when the room exhaled in cheers of emotive climax. heads were nodding as hands clapped, the Arena liked that one…a lot!
Ever the master of pacing, Joe switched the energy again with a cover of the Ronnie James and the Broadcasters Classic, “I Want to Shout About It” this appears on the album Blues of Desperation (2016), once again, slinging another guitar from his collection around his shoulders he leads the band into a high-octane, swaggering stomp. The beat hit like a hammer, Carter driving it with whip-crack snare fills while Bonamassa prowled the stage, stabbing his guitar forward like a weapon. It was pure, raucous fun, Joe and the band grinning, the extremely partisan Arena clapping along without needing to be asked.
A hushed, haloed reverence fell over the Arena for “The Last Matador of Bayonne” another from 2012’s Dust Bowl, here Bonamassa showed just how painterly his playing can be. His guitar wept gentle melodies over Wynans’ soft organ beds, and his voice carried a deep, sad nobility. The song’s slow build was cinematic, evoking faded streets and lost glory, the kind of storytelling only the very best players can conjure from thin air, with a nonchalant visit to the microphone, his guitar hanging he asks the crowd what they think. The resulting cheers made it clear that he was carving a groove in the sacred Mighty Oak that would be there for years to come.
But there was no lingering melancholy, because Bonamassa quickly lit a fire under the room with a cover of Freddie Kings spell binding classic, “Pack It Up” from his 2003 Blues Deluxe album, a tribute to Freddie King that crackled with funk and sass. The band swung hard, whilst Turner laid down a deliciously thick bass groove, Joe, let hat wearing Josh Smith take centre stage, allowing him to fire off rapid, stinging licks with a huge, mischievous grin plastered across his face. If there was a moment that captured the pure, effortless joy of blues at its most alive, this was it.
It was at this point in the set, Joe decided to take a moment to introduce his band, each member receiving a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. His co-guitarist, Josh Smith, Joe told us that we could hear more of his scorching guitar hooks on his solo tour staring in May, Joe encouraged us to go watch him as he comes through Nottingham; Calvin Turner, laying down groove after groove on bass; Lamar Carter, rock-solid on drums; and then as we cross over too stage left we have the haunting sounds of Joe’s backing girls, Jade McCrae and Dani De Andrea, both, he points out have solid solo careers and need we need to checking them out; and then, of course, Rock n Roll Hall of Famer, SRV & Double Troubles reverend keyboard player, Reese Wynans, whose fingers still danced across the keys with astonishing vitality. The crowd once again showed their love, his legend clearly precedes him. Bonamassa clearly relishes being surrounded by musicians of this calibre, joking warmly with them between numbers, before he left it, he added oh, I’m Joe Bonamassa, more cheers ensued naturally.
With the band back in full flow, Joe delivered “Heart That Never Waits” from 2021’s Time Clocks, a deep, soulful ballad that simmers with heartbreak. His vocal performance was stunning here, vulnerable, broken, utterly real, and when he turned to his guitar, it was almost painful to watch, each note wrung from the strings with raw emotion. This wasn’t just a solo; it was a heartfelt confession.
Picking the pace back up, Joe crashed into another cover, this time the timeless Bobby Parker track, “It’s Hard but It’s Fair” yet another from Blues Deluxe Vol 2 (2023), his love letter to British blues. This was pure, swaggering power: sharp, crunching riffs, snapping vocal delivery, and searing lead breaks that nodded to Clapton, Page, and Beck while remaining entirely, unmistakably Joe Bonamassa.
And then, the crowning epic: a monstrous take on Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times,” a nod to his British Blues Explosion Live album from 2018. Joe and the band unleashed an epic masterpiece, an odyssey of bending time, sound, and fury, taking the original’s sinuous riff and launching it into psychedelic hyperspace. His use of delay, screaming divebombs, and shifting dynamics turned the Motorpoint Arena into a swirling, heady maelstrom of sound. It was utterly, thrillingly transcendent and dare I say, mind-bending brilliance, it was so much more than a passing nod to one of the UK’s greatest blues rock bands, one I’m glad stayed in the set.
Finally, he brought it all back to earth and finished the night off with a rousing version of the Tim Curry masterpiece, and a song Joe has undoubtably made his own, the epic “Sloe Gin,” the aching centrepiece from his 2007 Sloe Gin album. But no before mentioning that Nottingham had been the best night on this four-night tour. Once again, bathed in a soft blue light, spots piercing the night, Joe let the song unfurl slowly, solemnly, each note a prayer, each line a wound opened and examined. When he launched into the closing solo, the crowd barely dared to move. It wasn’t speed or flash, it was a master musician speaking directly to the soul of each-and-every one of the fans in tonight.
Twelve songs. Two hours. A night that, for everyone inside that room, will not be soon forgotten.
As always, there were a few personal favourites some might have wished for, no “Ballad of John Henry” tonight, a song that always soars live, but with a set this rich, this deeply felt, there could be no disappointment. From the tiny Rescue Rooms, to Rock City, to standing astride the Motorpoint Arena once again, Joe Bonamassa continues to show why he is one of the greatest living musicians we have. Vintage guitars, classic songs, a voice full of grit and grace, and that guitar playing, that towering, screeching, soul-searing guitar playing. Joe Bonamassa builds cathedrals of sound, and on this Saturday night, we were fortunate enough to be worshipping inside one of them.
With just Brighton to go, if you’ve not seen the show then not to worry, there’s another album in the offing, so keeps your eyes peeled for a JB July drop.
