{"id":536702,"date":"2026-06-15T19:12:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/536702\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T19:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:12:13","slug":"joe-bonamassa-the-spirit-of-rory-live-from-cork-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/536702\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Bonamassa: The Spirit Of Rory \u2013 Live From Cork Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is it just me who wonders when Joe Bonamassa finds the time to sleep? Even my sniffer dog has started to lose track of the amount of music JoBo\u2019s put out in recent times, but when you\u2019re head honcho of an entire genre, I guess you need to shed a prolific existence.<\/p>\n

If my maths is correct (which I wouldn\u2019t count on), I believe this to be Joey B\u2019s sixth album in the past four years (as long as you don\u2019t chalk off live recordings and Black Country Communion\u2019s V<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Given we\u2019re almost halfway through 2026, Bonamassa fans could be pardoned for getting a bit prickly about the absence of an album to date, but the guitar virtuoso and workaholic has come through with this corking set honoring one of his musical heroes and primary guitar influences \u2014 Rory Gallagher.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t any ordinary project. Rory\u2019s shadow (play) looms large on this 14-song LP compiled from three sold-out nights out in Cork (Gallagher\u2019s hometown). The setting adds emotional weight to The Spirit Of Rory<\/strong>, reuniting his legacy, music, place, and people. Rather than try and reinvent Rory\u2019s songs, JoBo has sidestepped the unwanted insignia of sinner boy by \u2018approaching the catalog with humility and reverence.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Irishman always came into his own on the stage, establishing a fierce reputation as a tireless performer with a gritty and raw edge. Capturing the adrenaline and excitement of his live performances (I strongly recommend giving Irish Tour \u201974 <\/strong>a listen) was never going to be easy, but it\u2019s clear Bonamassa and his band (alongside the rowdy, raucous crowd) did Cork\u2019s favorite son proud.<\/p>\n

What starts off like a violin concerto, soon bursts into an explosive rendition of \u201cTattoo\u2019d Lady.\u201d While I agree with diehard \u2018Rory-ites\u2019 that their man was a stronger\/more powerful singer, Joe can certainly walk away with his head held high.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On \u201cBullfrog Blues,\u201d there\u2019s fire to his Strat playing that this blistering rock \u2018n\u2019 roll juice demands, with the dial-down solo outstanding and the crescendo spine-tingling. If you want a masterclass in how to pay homage to your heroes, the magnificent arranged (both vocally and instrumentally) \u201cA Million Miles Away\u201d sees Bonamassa\u2019s beloved backing singer Jade MacRae bring her trademark passion to the poetic existentialist masterpiece. While it\u2019s virtually impossible to copy Rory note for note, given his inventive disposition to never play the same track the same way, Bonamassa\u2019s solo is very much true to his own inimitable style. And what\u2019s not to love about the funky bassline?<\/p>\n

Anyone who has followed Bonamassa\u2019s career will know there\u2019s not much he can\u2019t turn his famed guitar hands to. See how he lets his slide notes sing on the epic \u201cWho\u2019s That Coming?\u201d or the ferocity and flow he and his on-fire outfit spill all over \u201cBack On My Stompin\u2019 Ground.\u201d The captivating rhythm and Bonamassa\u2019s inescapable lust for the blues come through on this barrelling show closer.<\/p>\n

All of Rory\u2019s life energy was poured into his music, with his soulful blues feel and unpretentious warmth shining in every song. In many ways, he defined the working man\u2019s blues, with his heartfelt, passionate performances a large part of his DNA. Joe was cut from the same cloth \u2014 industrious and an ingenious, tasty guitarist in his own right.<\/p>\n

There will only ever be one Rory Gallagher, but when a fellow guitar great takes the time to inject their own intensity and musical voice to one of his biggest sources of inspiration, we should just enjoy it. Not forgetting, it puts Rory\u2019s name up in lights to a new generation.<\/p>\n

All in all, it\u2019s an enthralling and energetic contribution to Rory\u2019s ongoing legacy.<\/p>\n

The Review: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can\u2019t Miss Tracks<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 Who\u2019s That Coming?
\u2013 A Million Miles Away
\u2013 As The Crow Flies<\/p>\n

The<\/strong> Big<\/strong> Hit<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A Million Miles Away<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is it just me who wonders when Joe Bonamassa finds the time to sleep? Even my sniffer dog…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,19,17,183967],"class_list":["post-536702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-joe-bonamassa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116755716416680643","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}