Joe Bonamassa has wrapped three superlative tribute shows to Rory Gallagher in the late blues guitar player’s hometown, and helped bring the gigs to a close with an emotional encore of As The Crow Flies with Gallagher's own 1932 National resonator guitar.
Bonamassa’s life was changed when his father played him Gallagher’s 1972 live album, Live in Europe. Speaking of the impact of the record with Guitarist, he said, “Here's this guy with long hair, looking like he just came out of an auto factory playing some of the most gutbucket blues and rock you've ever heard.”
As such, Bonamassa called the trio of shows in Cork, Ireland, “the biggest challenge of my musical life,” but he held his own, delivering tracks lifted from Gallagher's stacked repertoire with plenty of personality, while paying tribute to Gallagher’s signature, brazen blues rock style.
There was hope that Gallagher’s legendary relic’d Strat might make an appearance following its donation to the National Museum of Ireland, but while that didn’t materialize, Gallagher’s 1932 National Triolian did play a starring role.
The guitar, which is fast approaching its 100th birthday, was used on Gallagher's famed 1974 live album, Irish Tour, adding a metallic and soulful voice to his take on Tony Joe White's As The Crow Flies. Bonamassa continued that heritage in Ireland, showing off some exemplary slide guitar work in the process.
The guitar was originally bought from a travelling guitar salesman in Denver for just £100. It was donated to a Cork museum that honors Gallagher's cultural impact in the wake of last year's epic Rory Gallagher guitar auction. The money raised from a GoFundMe campaign was used to buy the instrument, which was kindly donated to Bonamassa for the three special shows.
Speaking of the guitar, Donal Gallagher, Rory's brother and former manager, previously said, “The National is really good, though, even for a beginner to pick it up and play it, it almost plays you.
“I can tell you, it brings power to your hands, you move from that neck to the Strat, and it’s like running your hand across a jelly. Rory didn’t have a pickup on the guitar, he just played it into the mic and let it carry.”
Though with that setup came a big issue: its sounds were often drowned out by loud venues and enthusiastic crowds. As such, the guitar was eventually superseded by a pickup-loaded National Resolectric by 1991, Gallagher having jumped a year-long waiting list for the model given his star appeal. But it’s this gorgeous vintage relic that he is most associated with, and Bonamassa makes it sing.
For the shows, Bonamassa had first launched into Cradle Rock and, appropriately, stuck to Fender Stratocasters for the show as he made his way through other Gallagher classics such as Tattoo'd Lady and Calling Card.
Gallagher's long-time right-hand man, Gerry McAvoy, also featured for two takes on famed Gallagher covers, the pair teaming up on William Harris' Bullfrog Blues and Roy Head & the Traits’ Treat Her Right.
“Going all the way back to 1970, he's played more gigs than we could ever imagine, he's one of the OGs,” Bonamassa had said of McAvoy before welcoming him to the stage.
Across the three nights, Bonamassa also used Gallagher’s famed Number 1 Range Master 1 treble booster – a piece of gear that hugely shaped Brian May’s tone – which had been left out of the gear auction last year.
After the final cheers rang out, Bonamassa was left to look back on the trio of shows.
“There are so many emotions running through my head right now,” he wrote on Instagram. “The one that is on the top of my mind is gratitude. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and to have conquered my own self-doubt in accepting this incredible honor and responsibility.
“I hope we all did Rory right and played these shows in his spirit. I hope he would have been proud to see the love from his hometown carrying his legacy on. An honor of a lifetime for that I will never forget. Still processing it all, and it might take a while.”
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