Guitar Hero Joe Bonamassa releases his epic “Tour De Force – Live In London” as a 2-CD set. The unprecedented live concert event – which was released on four DVDs (or Blu-rays) last fall with all four debuting in the Top 10 on Billboard's Music DVD Chart – was captured last year when Bonamassa performed a quartet of shows at the iconic London venues he’s played throughout his career – Royal Albert Hall, Hammersmith Apollo, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and The Borderline. The venues provide the backdrop for a ferocious four-night event, each evening marked by a unique theme featuring Bonamassa with different bands, different set lists, and different arrangements and ensembles performing over 60 songs in total – some never performed live before – from Bonamassa’s extensive career.
Tour De Force – Live In London chronicles Bonamassa’s atmospheric rise from the intimate club environment of The Borderline to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Beginning in the 200-capacity London Borderline with a trio, Bonamassa pays tribute to his earlier career performing songs he hasn’t played live in years. The following evening at Shepherd’s Bush Empire is a blues-themed night featuring a horns section with a soulful, big-blues-band feel. Then on to the Hammersmith Apollo which opens with a short acoustic set before moving into a rock-inspired evening. Finally, on the fourth and final night at the Royal Albert Hall, Bonamassa treats the crowd to a half acoustic/half electric show of his most popular and well-known songs featuring the acoustic band from his #1 Billboard acoustic CD/DVD An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House.
The end result – over 9 hours of concert footage – more than lives up to its billing as “The Guitar Event of The Year” and sees Bonamassa reliving, revisiting, and redefining the many phases and pivotal moments throughout his career and delivering a once-in-a-lifetime performance that more than serves as an appropriate retrospective for an artist who has already achieved so much.