(Blues, Rock) Joe Bonamassa - Tour de Force - Live In London - 2013, MP3, 320 kbps

The Tour De Force - Live In London series chronicles guitarist Joe Bonamassa's atmospheric rise from the intimate club environment of The Borderline, to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Each individual evening was marked by a unique theme with different setlists, arrangements and ensembles providing the viewer with four unique performances. His journey begins in the intimate setting of the 200-capacity London Borderline with a three-piece band. The result is a jammy tribute to Bonamassa's earlier career, with songs he hasn't played live in years.

This Blues-themed night at Shepherd's Bush Empire featured a horn section to create a soulful, big-blues-band feel. It goes without saying that the challenge was daunting, but Bonamassa more than picked up the gauntlet after it was thrown down and delivers a once-in-a-lifetime performance that more than serves as an appropriate career retrospective for an artist who has already achieved so much.

On this performance from the Hammersmith Apollo, he opens with a short acoustic set before moving into a Rock-inspired evening.. It goes without saying that the challenge was daunting, but Bonamassa more than picked up the gauntlet after it was thrown down and delivers a once-in-a-lifetime performance that more than serves as an appropriate career retrospective for an artist who has already achieved so much.

Earlier this year, Bonamassa undertook the challenge of his career and elected to perform a series of four different shows, with four different band configurations, using four different setlists in four separate venues around London. The DVD package is as expansive as they come with roughly nine hours of live concert footage accompanied by an additional four hours of bonus material. The first gig was meant as homage to Bonamassa’s earlier trio years and found him playing a— gasp—Strat. The second and third shows took place at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire and the Hammersmith Apollo with the former designed as a blues night and the latter a rock showcase. The last night, Bonamassa revisited the Royal Albert Hall, the hallowed venue where he first made a name for himself in 2009. A number of highly prized “guest stars” appeared in the form of Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Strat, Bernie Marsden’s ’59 Les Paul and the fabled 1959 Peter Green/Gary Moore Burst Les Paul. Overall it’s a triumph.
This musical release from blues rock performer Joe Bonamassa captures a live performance by the musician, recorded in London at Royal Albert Hall. Joe Bonamassa: Tour de Force - Live in London, Royal Albert Hall video Some of the songs featured in the concert include "Athens to Athens", "Slow Train", and more.