Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Deluxe Tour at Albany’s Palace Theater

Blues rock guitar titan Joe Bonamassa brought his 2024 "Blues Deluxe" tour to Albany's historic Palace Theatre on Tuesday night. His fourteen song setlist was heavy on classic blues covers with some of his original material thrown in for good measure. Bonamassa is widely regarded as one of the best guitar players alive. Guitar World magazine calls him "arguably the world's biggest blues guitarist." He showed why on Tuesday night. His leads were incendiary and his phrasing impeccable. Very few guitarists can cover B.B. King, Freddie King and Guitar Slim he way Joe does. He finds a way to honor the original songs while simultaneously bringing his own distinct flavor to the songs. Bonamassa has a staggering twenty-seven number one albums.

His backing band was bolstered by a three piece horn section and three backup singers. His rhythm section was locked in and in the pocket the whole night. The New Hartford, New York native hit the stage looking effortlessly cool in a tuxedo jacket and dark sunglasses.  He stalked the stage, offering up face melting solos to the rabid audience.  It seemed as if he had a different priceless guitar for each song. He has one of the largest private collections of rare guitars in the world and he is not afraid to use them. It is refreshing to see these instruments on stage, where they belong.

The Palace Theatre is the perfect venue for this type of show. The sound is phenomenal and there isn't a bad seat in the venue. The fans that made it out for this show will be talking about it for years to come. Check out the gallery from photographer Claude Sawyer below.