Black Country Communion’s powerful and moving concert to kick off their U.S. tour left me breathless and voiceless for that matter. With my love for this group of seasoned musicians debut record ‘Black Country‘ I knew I had to see them perform these instant rock classics live.
The Civic Theater located in the heart of downtown San Diego, CA is a classy venue with excellent acoustics and superb seating (not a bad seat in the house, especially where I was seated). I wandered aloud to my guest Steve that accompanied me to the show, how many people were there to see Joe Bonamassa or Black Country Communion. With the look of the crowd (definitely an older demographic, a lot of gray hair) it might have been to see Joe. Myself, I was there to see a rock band made up of legendary blues guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, incredible rock vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, drummer Jason Bonham born of a pedigree of drumming royalty and keyboardist Derek Sherinian who brings the tradition of the Hammond/Leslie sound back into the fold, I was their to see Black Country Communion rock the house, and I was not disappointed.
Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa
With no opening band I knew we were in for a evening of nothing but sophisticated blues based hard rock music played by some serious journeymen. The house lights went down and the crowd stood up as BCC hit the stage opening the show with the sizzling track ‘Black Country‘ from their debut record, and it was on. Bonamassa, dressed in all white, attacking his Gibson Les Paul while sporting some cool shades with hair slicked back looked the part of a Cuban hit man with a six stringed gun. Bonham, perched behind his Vistalite DW drums stylishly donning a hat, scarf and jacket that he quickly disposed of after the first song. Keyboardist Derek Sherinian looking the most casual of the group could have easily been mistaken for a tourist that accidentally found his way on stage. Then there was the ever hyper Mr. Hughes, tennis shoes (rather large ones at that) slacks and tee shirt covered by a purple brocade jacket with a large chain necklace, he is quite the character and a brilliant front man.
Glenn’s voice cut through the night air with razor sharp clarity while he and Bonamassa playfully faced off on a Plant/Page like vocal/guitar duel as Hughes cried out like a preacher “I am a messenger, this is my prophecy” to the delight of the congregation of faithful followers. I immediately noticed that Bonham’s drum mix was anemic (to say the least) lacking any pop or punch that you’d expect from a heavy hitter like him at a live show. I hoped it would improve as the show continued. The setlist was a mix of songs from their 2010 debut ‘Black Country‘ and the upcoming record simply titled ‘Black Country Communion 2‘ out June 14th, 2011.
Bonamassa played like a man possessed, the tone and sound coming out of his Marshall amps enveloped the theater as he cranked out technically perfect riffs and solo’s that were rich in taste and feel. He is such a perfectionist when it comes to his playing as Hughes stated during the show “The man never makes a mistake.” Glenn was right, as far as I could tell, no matter what he was playing, the rhythm of the song, the scorching solo’s or while singing lead vocals he was machine like, but one with heart and soul.
If I ever had a thought that Jason Bonham was an average drummer living on the coat tails of his legendary father, John’s reputation, those thoughts were put to rest, Jason can flat out play. Although, as I said his drum mix was weak I could focus enough on his playing to see a drummer play with precision and fire. While either laying down a rock solid beat in the pocket or tying it all together fills and mini solos within the songs, Jason proved his metal.
Derek Sherinian, a local boy born in Laguna Beach, Ca has performed with some big names in rock that include Alice Cooper, Yngwie Malmsteen and Alice In Chains and was a member of Dream Theater. Known as “The King Of Keyboards” Sherinian has been playing since the age of five and it showed. He quietly went about his business switching from one keyboard to the next. But his main spot was behind the beautiful Hammond B3 organ encased in maple and played through a Leslie speaker giving it an old school look and sound. I love the sound of an organ played through a Leslie speaker and he played it to perfection.
Glen Hughes was the by far the most animated of the group and wore his emotions on his sleeve and face as he danced about the stage mouth opened wide, face contorted with joy. He often and emphatically thanked the appreciative crowd for their support and for coming out to the opening show of the bands U.S. tour. He played a beat up Fender bass and would often interact with Bonamassa toying with him to join in with the fun. I was blown away with the power and ease in which Hughes sang. It has been well documented that he has had his problems with drugs and alcohol which almost derailed his career, and he will celebrate his 60th birthday this August, but you would never know that from watching and hearing him perform, he is an amazing vocalist and excellent bassist.
The songs from both records came to life during the show and played even heavier and harder with an electric energy about them that could not be denied. A couple songs featured a few surprises like the nod to The Who at the end of the song ‘Sista Jane‘ or Bonamassa performing with a Theremin during a guitar solo. The highlights of the night for me was the performance of the tune ‘Song Of Yesterday‘ which is a powerful number and brought the crowd to their feet as Bonamassa completed his solo like the days of old when a musician in a big band would stand and solo and the crowd would show their appreciation with applause. The other highlight was the shows closer ‘Burn‘ from Hughes’ days with Deep Purple, it ROCKED. I can only tell you that it was an unforgettable night of masterful musicianship and high energy rock and if this tour comes anywhere near you, don’t miss it!