New York native and blues guitar extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa continued his tour in support of Different Shades Of Blue on Wednesday at the venerated Wang Theatre in Boston. The concert was presented as an “Evening With,” split into two sets without an opening act, with one acoustic set and one electric, showcasing two very different styles in one event. 
 
For the first set, the acoustic section, Bonamassa was supported by Reese Wynans on piano, Mats Wester playing Mandolin and Nyckelharpa, Lenny Castro on percussion, and Gerry O’Connor on Fiddle, Banjo, and Mandolin. The show opened with “Dust Bowl,” a distinctively folk driven tune, and an early highlight of the night. “Trouble Town” comes up next, the first of several songs throughout the evening from Bonamassa’s latest release Different Shades Of Blue.
 
Next came the fan favorite “Slow Train” with its signature chugging train intro, violin playing the role of a whistle blowing. Joe showed off his guitar shredding skills a little bit, keeping the crowd pumped up. “Different Shades Of Blue,” the title track to the album the tour is supporting, cooled things off a bit, hitting a more traditional blues vein. It was interesting to hear without the electric guitar leads of the album cut. Live and acoustic, the song takes on even more of a sense of loss and desperation. 
 
A wonderful slide guitar solo segued into “Black Lung Heartache.” Thanks to the distinctive sound of Mats Wester’s Nyckelharpa, the tune has the feel of a sea shanty. A mellow, powerful take of “Happier Times” and a bouncy run at “Athens To Athens” which culminated in an awesome Washboard and Guitar jam between Bonamassa and Castro, who mixed washboard with other percussive tools to come up with some awesome beats. Definitely ended the set on a high note. 
 
 
The electric set saw Wynans and Castro returning, with the addition of Carmine Rojas on bass, Tal Bergman on a traditional drum kit, and a three piece horn section. To open the set, the group launched into a crushing rendition of “Never Give All Your Heart,” featuring the first of many fantastic guitar solos. “Love Ain’t A Love Song,” one of the funkier tunes of the night, featured killer key work from Reese Wynans. 
 
 
The second set continued with some classic blues covers, including Howlin’ Wolf’s “Hidden Charms,” Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” and Otis Rush’s “Double Trouble,” the last of which was an absolute show-stopper. The guitar work was outstanding and inventive, electrifying the crowd. To follow up those three classics, the band went to two of the most classic sounding blues tunes from the new album, “I Gave Up Everything For You, ‘Cept The Blues,” and “Living On The Moon.”
 
Audience favorite “Sloe Gin” came next, a Tim Curry (Yes, that Tim Curry) song from 1978 rescued from obscurity and given a whole new soul by Bonamassa. Not only did he play it, he tore it apart, busting out a monster solo and stepping out into the spotlight to wow the audience. The monster jam vehicle “The Ballad Of John Henry” came next, and featured plenty of impressive work from the whole band to round out the second set. 
 
For the encore, the band did three more off the new album. Starting with the Hendrix tune “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun),” Bonamassa segued into “Oh Beautiful!,” an intense, emotional piece. To close, the band went with “So, What Would I Do,” a soulful ballad, and also the closer on the album. The performance was phenomenal, and rich with soul and emotion. A perfect closer to the evening. 
 
All together, the show was excellent. Bonamassa may not be the cheapest ticket in town, but he absolutely works for the money, and certainly doesn’t disappoint.