Joe Bonamassa launches extensive tour >> Tour dates and concert ticket info >> LiveDaily

Joe Bonamassa launches extensive tour

Published May 15, 2008 03:05 PM

By Kym Kilgore / LiveDaily Contributor

Hard-working blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa [ tickets ] has mapped out a tour itinerary that will take him across North America and beyond through next year.

The singer/songwriter/guitarist is scheduled to play a May 18 gig at the Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point, CA, before officially launching the tour June 8 with a two-night stand in Alexandria, VA. Bonamassa will visit venues across the US, including a host of blues and jazz festivals, and cross over to Ontario, Canada, for a few shows in October. He'll also jet to the UK for a short run of dates in July and November.

The performer's North American itinerary, which stretches into March 2009, is listed below. Overseas dates can be found at Bonamassa's website.

The guitar virtuoso continues to support his seventh solo album, "Sloe Gin," which surfaced last fall, snagged the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and remains in the Top 10 after 38 weeks. The set includes several originals along with the Ten Years After classic "One of These Days," Paul Rodgers' "Seagull," the John Martin classic "Jelly Roll," Charles Brown's "Black Night," the Chris Whitley-penned "Ball Peen Hammer" and a version of the Bob Ezrin/Michael Kamen-penned "Sloe Gin" that clocks in at eight-plus minutes. The latter two songs are streaming at Bonamassa's MySpace page.

The New York native, who began playing guitar at age 4, has been showered with praise over the years for his post-modern fusion of electric British blues, traditional Delta blues and rock and roll. He started his career at age 12, touring with legendary bluesman B.B. King, and went on to work with guitar greats including Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, Robert Cray and Stephen Stills.

Now at age 31, Bonamassa is the youngest member of the Blues Foundation's Board of Directors and is the lead spokesperson for the organization's Blues in the Schools program. The musician was also recently named Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine's Reader's Choice Awards for the second year in a row.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

May 2008
18 - Dana Point, CA - Doheny State Beach/Doheny Blues Festival

June 2008
8-9 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
11 - Chattanooga, TN - Riverbend Festival
12 - Greenville, SC - The Handlebar
14 - Alexander, AL - Lake Martin Amphitheater
17 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Resort & Casino Showroom
19 - Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
20 - Canton, OH - Canton Blues Festival
21 - Rochester, NY - International Jazz Festival
22 - Kettering, OH - Fraze Pavilion at Lincoln Park Center
26 - Tempe, AZ - Tempe Center for the Arts
27 - Bakersfield, CA - Bakersfield College Outdoor Theatre
28 - Monterey, CA - Monterey County Fairgrounds/Bluesfest
29 - Winter Park, CO - Hideaway Park

July 2008
3 - Portland, OR - Tom McCall Waterfront Park

August 2008
9 - Sonora, CA - Sonora County Fairgrounds
10 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Jazz Festival
12 - Boise, ID - The Big Easy Concert House
13 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
15 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Blues Festival
16 - Apple Valley, MN - Music in the Zoo
19 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark
20 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
22 - Canfield, OH - Morley Pavilion
23 - Davenport, IA - LeClaire Park Band Shell
24 - Sterling Heights, MI - Freedom Hill
30 - Seattle, WA - Seattle Center/Bumbershoot Festival
31 - Grants Pass, OR - Rogue Theatre

September 2008
1 - Sparks, NV - John Ascuaga's Nugget
26 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
27 - Stafford, TX - Stafford Center
28 - Austin, TX - Zilker Park/Austin City Limits

October 2008
20 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
21 - Wilmington, DE - Baby Grand Theater
23 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
25 - Foxborough, MA - Showcase Live
28 - Brampton, Ontario - Rose Theatre
29 - Oakville, Ontario - Oakville Performing Arts Centre
30 - Saint Catharines, Ontario - Brock University Centre for the Arts

January 2009
31 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House

March 2009
6 - Louisville, KY - The Kentucky Center/Bomhard Theater
18 - Tucson, AZ - University of Arizona Centennial Hall
21 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts