I wouldn't normally write about such things, but the following story is the only way to illustrate one of the reasons I consider Joe Bonamassa such a great guy and someone worthy of praise.
I would have given almost anything to see the Joe Bonamassa Band perform their entire set down at Humphrey's By The Bay Friday night. The Fates conspired against me, but I didn't let circumstances stand in the way of getting my son down to the venue to meet Joe, Bogie, and Mark. No, I did what any good mother would do: I broke every rule in my "Dealing With Bands" handbook and managed to arrange a meet and greet for my nine-year-old child, the adoring fan boy that he is.
Despite the pre-Padres game traffic, we managed to arrive before official load-in for the band and spent a few moments with the guys poolside. My son, we call him Little Dude, was eager to meet his guitar hero (sure, he also worships Roy Book Binder, but Joe Bonamassa is, in LD's words, "The Man") and didn't hesitate for a minute to rush over to get close to Joe. However, Little Dude was a bit tongue-tied and shy. Nevertheless, his hand was thrust forward for the initial handshake, the handshake that would later cause him to proclaim all Marcia-Brady-meets-Davy-Jones-like, "I'm never washing my hand again!" I begged to differ and did, of course, prevail – it's a mother's right to demand such horrible things of her child, isn't it?
I carefully led my offspring through the initial conversation and, after Joe prompted me to retrieve my boy's guitar from the car, I left him in the band's care for a couple of moments. When I returned, they were chatting like old friends. God bless these wonderful musicians for reaching out to an enthusiastic kid! Bassist Mark Epstein was the first to sign the guitar – he hesitated, but my son was insistent he sign. When it was Joe's turn, he carefully tuned the little Washburn Rover (it desperately needed it as we'd allowed the guitar to sit for many months while we pursued other activities) before signing it. Bogie Bowles (drummer) was off on an errand at the time, so we held the drumstick for later (and yes, Bogie signed it).
Joe headed off to tend to business and Mark kindly sat with us, talking about the nature of life on the road (this will be covered later in depth). Little Dude looked at Mark, first with a sort of star struck awe and then with comfortable admiration, and Mark was quite at ease talking with him. Again, I can't thank the band enough for their kindness – my son will be one fan who'll remain loyal for years to come.
Article comments
1 - Paul Roy
I'd hate to be Mick Jones having to go on after Joe. Great story Joan.
2 - Joan Hunt
I think Mick Jones enjoys the band's energy and purity of musical style as much as everyone else. How could he not? It's a thing of rare beauty.
3 - Dan
Great story! I just had the exact same experience with my 11 year old son. We went to see Joe play at the Academy of Music in North Hampton Ma. We got there early and a super nice guy who worked there named Matt started talking with my son, also named Matt, and brought us in to watch the sound check. When I explained that Matt played guitar and we were hoping that Joe might sign it for us, he went to check with Joe to see if he would mind signing it. Well he returned and said Joe would love to sign it. We went back to our car to get the guitar and when we returned, we were brought back stage to meet Joe. Joe was so gracious. He spoke with my son, admired the other signatures we had gotten (J. Geils and Chris Duarte) and then added his signature. What a super nice guy. He is a great role model for kids.