Black(ish) Friday

Thank Tessa It's Friday!

"I've been very patient, but you know it's time, right?"

The Show Must Go On

Signage outside Des Moines Civic Center last night

My hero Joe Bonamassa's current U.S. tour hit a snag recently when he had to reschedule two shows due to what he's been describing
as a sinus infection. The next show after those cancellations was Des Moines, so I was very happy he felt well enough to play last night...

The view from my seat moments before showtime

I'm not good enough with my smartphone camera to take good pictures in low-light conditions, but I had an excellent seat...

"Fourth-row center, baby! Woo!"

...Seat A53, which of course I was delighted to share with my trusty wingman...

...in a nice bit of irony, the first time I saw Joe at the Civic Center on May 3, 2012 my seat was A54...

...and despite being under the weather (which was pretty obvious to me sitting as close as I was), he put on a most satisfying show, and not long afterward posted this photo of the show's conclusion...I'm visible in this image, but you would need my help
to find me...


For reasons that aren't really blog material, I was up very late last night, and part of how I processed that turmoil was writing a review of the show, which you find here if you're interested...the time stamp on that post ought to be a hint as to how much I was struggling...

"You did have a pretty rough day that didn't end well, but today is a new day!"

And this morning things got much, much worse, so what's your point again?

Big XII Tournament

Aside from the wonderful concert, yesterday was pretty ugly for me, and this morning...well, you know what they say about "it could be worse"? That's my day today...

The only ray of sunshine was seeing that the hated Kansas Jayhawks lost to TCU in the opening round of the Big XII Men's basketball tournament, a defeat which will certainly cost them their No. 1 ranking and possibly a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

Although I no longer root for Missouri, the former fan in me can't help mentioning that Mizzou won their first game in the SEC tournament, something their old Border War
rivals couldn't accomplish.

"Hey, what about my team?"

You know I'm a jinx, so don't even try to trick  me into answering...

What Hell Will Be Like When I Get There

From the indispensable comic strip Dilbert, by Scott Adams, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Last night was my eighth time seeing my hero Joe Bonamassa perform. His set lists and band configurations have varied from show to show, but regardless of who is playing with him and what songs he performs, he always gives it everything he has.

For the most part, I enjoy hearing Joe perform his own original material rather than covers, but at the past two shows I've attended he has chosen Leon Russell's 1970 song "Hummingbird" as his encore. Joe began playing live as part of his "Three Kings" tribute tour set list.

That's because not long after Russell released the original, Joe's mentor B.B. King recorded it for his famous electric blues landmark Indianola Mississippi Seeds, which for 30 years was King's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 26. King himself has called this his best album from an artistic standpoint.

"Hummingbird" was released as the album's lead single, and made both the Billboard Hot 100 and Rhythm & Blues charts.


I really enjoyed the version I heard in Omaha last May, but last night's version added singers Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins to the mix, and they were awe-inspiring. They gave me chills, and before the song concluded their beautiful singing had brought me to tears as well. One of my peak experiences from the any of the Bonamassa shows I have attended.

The song's lyrics hit me pretty hard last night, and after the morning I've had are now are even more poignant...

Today's send-off is Joe's fiery performance of the song filmed at his Greek Theatre "Three Kings" show in 2015, from his YouTube channel. Enjoy...