Tour de Force: Live in London

Tour de Force: Live in London is a series of videos and live albums by American blues-rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Produced by Kevin Shirley and directed by Philippe Klose, the albums document the guitarist and vocalist's four performances at four venues in London, England in March 2013. Each of the four shows were initially released as videos on October 28, 2013 in Europe by Provogue Records, and the following day in North America by J&R Adventures, with a box set featuring all four shows and a special collector's edition hardback book also issued at the same time. All four shows were issued as live albums on May 19, 2014.

Tour de Force: Live in London
Video by
Joe Bonamassa
ReleasedOctober 28, 2013 (2013-10-28) (video albums)
May 19, 2014 (2014-05-19) (live albums)
RecordedMarch 26 – 30, 2013
Venue
GenreBlues-rock
Length
Label
DirectorPhilippe Klose
ProducerKevin Shirley
Joe Bonamassa video album chronology
An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House
(2013)		 Tour de Force: Live in London
(2013)		 Live in Amsterdam
(2014)
Joe Bonamassa live album chronology
Live in Amsterdam
(2014)		 Tour de Force: Live in London
(2014)		 Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks
(2015)

During March 2013, Bonamassa performed a series of shows at four venues in London, each of which featured different personnel and themes. On March 26, a three-piece lineup performed a set featuring many of Bonamassa's early songs at The Borderline; on March 27, a larger band including a keyboardist and horn section performed a blues-themed set at Shepherd's Bush Empire; on March 28, another lineup of the group including a percussionist and backing vocalist focused on the rock genre at the Hammersmith Apollo; and on March 30, Bonamassa performed acoustic and electric "greatest hits" sets with two different bands at the Royal Albert Hall.

All four Tour de Force single-show video releases reached the top ten of the US Billboard Music Video Sales chart and the UK Music Video Chart, with the complete collection reaching number 18 in the US. The four live albums all reached the top ten of the Billboard Blues Albums chart and the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, while the Royal Albert Hall release also charted on the Billboard Independent Albums chart (at number 46) and the UK Albums Chart (at number 131). Media response to the albums was generally positive, with commentators praising the ambition of the releases, as well as the variety of set lists and performances across the shows.

Background and release

Billed as "The Guitar Event of the Year", Joe Bonamassa performed four shows in London, England in March 2013 – at The Borderline on March 26, at Shepherd's Bush Empire on March 27, at Hammersmith Apollo on March 28, and at the Royal Albert Hall on March 30.[1] The official press release for the shows explained that they were designed to "chronicle Bonamassa's atmospheric rise from the intimate club environment of The Borderline, to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall", with each date featuring a different band lineup and set list theme to match the according phase of his career – the first would feature a three-piece band performing a "jammy tribute to Bonamassa's earlier career"; the second would be a "blues-themed night" including a horn section designed to create a "soulful, big-blues-band feel"; the third would be a "rock-inspired evening" beginning with a short acoustic set; and the fourth would be a "half acoustic/half electric show" based on Bonamassa's "most popular and well-known songs".[2]

The idea for the four different shows in London was originally conceived by Bonamassa's producer Kevin Shirley and manager Roy Weisman, the latter of whom recalled that he had suggested Bonamassa use the four shows as "an opportunity for him to go back on his entire career and do a lot of songs he'd recorded but never played live",.[3] Bonamassa added that "London is like my second home. With these shows, I wanted to give the fans attending the London 2013 shows a real treat – something special to thank them for their unwavering support."[2] The initial release of Tour de Force: Live in London on October 28, 2013 included four double DVD and Blu-ray sets (one for each show), as well as a collector's edition box set containing all four videos and a hardback book packaged in a box designed to look like a Marshall amplifier.[3]

Reception

Commercial

All four single-show Tour de Force: Live in London videos debuted in the top ten of the US Billboard Music Video Sales chart, with the Royal Albert Hall release entering at the highest position, number 5.[4] They also reached the top ten of the UK Music Video Chart, with Royal Albert Hall reaching number 4.[5] Elsewhere in Europe, the albums reached the top ten in Belgium,[6][7][8][9][10] the Netherlands,[11] and Sweden.[12] The Tour de Force: Live in London box set containing all four shows charted at number 18 in the US,[4] number 2 in Austria,[13] number 3 in Switzerland,[14] and number 14 in Germany.[15]

The following year, all four Tour de Force: Live in London albums entered the top ten of the US Billboard Blues Albums chart, with the Royal Albert Hall release reaching number 4.[16] They also all reached the top ten of the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, with the Royal Albert Hall album peaking at number 3.[17] Royal Albert Hall also reached number 131 on the UK Albums Chart.[18] Three of the four releases also charted in Belgium,[19][20] two of the four charted in the Netherlands,[11] The Borderline album charted in France,[21] and the Royal Albert Hall album also charted in Austria and Switzerland.[22][23]

Critical
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
Blues[25]
Blues Matters!Favorable[26]
Classic Rock[27]
Premier Guitar[28]
Total Guitar[29]

Media response to Tour de Force: Live in London was positive. Classic Rock and its sister publication Blues each presented Tour de Force: Live in London with ratings of eight out of ten, with Hugh Fielder for the former praising the breadth of material available on the set.[27] For Blues, Henry Yates proposed that "we can't remember the last time a live blues event caught the imagination quite like Joe Bonamassa's four-night stand", praising elements of the videos' production (including "stellar camerawork and pin-sharp sound"), the extra content included on the releases (which he described as "a healthy dollop of bonus material"), and the performances themselves (he concludes his review by saying that "Tour de Force is a brilliantly executed document of a truly memorable concert run, and comes highly recommended").[25]

In a review of the set for Blues Matters!, Pete Sargeant praised the performances of various members of Bonamassa's backing bands at the shows, noting that "The players are fantastic throughout the shows, especially the drummers and percussionists", although concluded by praising the frontman's vocal performances as the main highlight.[26] Total Guitar magazine awarded the video albums four out of five stars, with reviewer Chris Vinnicombe praising the set for "showcasing an artist right at the top of his game in terms of both musical ability and business savvy".[29] Premier Guitar magazine writer Corbin Reiff outlined that "Overall it's a triumph. You really have to marvel at Bonamassa's gumption, and moreso, his sheer will and determination to pull it off."[28] AllMusic's Steve Leggett reviewed the Royal Albert Hall release of the set positively, explaining that "Bonamassa has soul, plenty of it, and he plays guitar with a reverent grace ... the guitarist and singer [is] in fine form in both settings".[24]

Track listings

The Borderline
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Albion" (intro)
2:14
2."I Know Where I Belong"Joe Bonamassa5:46
3."Spanish Boots"
4:10
4."Your Funeral My Trial" (Sonny Boy Williamson II cover)Sonny Boy Williamson II3:41
5."Blues Deluxe"
  • Beck
  • Stewart
8:38
6."Pain and Sorrow"
7:54
7."Happier Times"Bonamassa7:53
8."Steal Your Heart Away"Bobby Parker3:42
9."Miss You, Hate You"Bonamassa7:57
Total length:51:55
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The River"
  • Bonamassa
  • Bob Held
6:57
2."Burning Hell"
7:07
3."Don't Burn Down That Bridge"
10:40
4."Story of a Quarryman"Bonamassa4:53
5."Are You Experienced?" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)Jimi Hendrix7:00
Total length:36:37

Bonus features on the video release:

  • "No Man's Land: An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes – Part One"
  • "The Making of Tour de Force – Part One"
  • "All Access Pass: The Borderline – Live in London Photo Collection"

Shepherd's Bush Empire
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Albion" (intro)
  • Shirley
  • Bova
2:14
2."Slow Train"
  • Bonamassa
  • Shirley
6:45
3."So, It's Like That"
  • Bonamassa
  • Mike Himelstein
3:26
4."Midnight Blues" (Gary Moore cover)Gary Moore8:38
5."Last Kiss"Bonamassa7:40
6."So Many Roads" (Otis Rush cover)Paul Marshall6:25
7."You Better Watch Yourself" (Little Walter cover)
5:04
8."Chains and Things" (B.B. King cover)
7:36
Total length:47:48
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lonesome Road Blues"Bonamassa4:54
2."Stop!"
6:37
3."I Got All You Need"Willie Dixon3:07
4."The Great Flood"Bonamassa10:17
5."The Ballad of John Henry"Bonamassa13:23
6."Asking Around for You"
  • Bonamassa
  • Himelstein
10:39
7."Further On Up the Road" (Bobby "Blue" Bland cover)
5:01
Total length:53:58

Bonus features on the video release:

  • "No Man's Land: An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes – Part Two"
  • "The Making of Tour de Force – Part Two"
  • "All Access Pass: Shepherd's Bush Empire – Live in London Photo Collection"

Hammersmith Apollo
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Albion" (intro)
  • Shirley
  • Bova
2:14
2."Seagull"
4:33
3."Jelly Roll"John Martyn2:53
4."Richmond"
  • Bonamassa
  • Himelstein
4:49
5."Athens to Athens"Bonamassa4:51
6."Woke Up Dreaming"
  • Bonamassa
  • Jennings
4:09
7."Cradle Rock"Rory Gallagher4:58
8."When the Fire Hits the Sea"Bonamassa3:47
9."Dust Bowl"Bonamassa7:09
10."Dislocated Boy"Bonamassa9:52
11."Driving Towards the Daylight"
6:22
Total length:55:37
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Who's Been Talking"Chester Arthur Burnett5:45
2."Jockey Full of Bourbon"Tom Waits5:29
3."Tea for One"
9:43
4."Lonesome Road Blues"Bonamassa4:57
5."The Ballad of John Henry"Bonamassa13:16
6."Sloe Gin"
8:59
7."Just Got Paid" (ZZ Top cover)
12:25
Total length:60:34

Bonus features on the video release:

  • "No Man's Land: An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes – Part Three"
  • "The Making of Tour de Force – Part Three"
  • "All Access Pass: Hammersmith Apollo – Live in London Photo Collection"

Royal Albert Hall
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Albion" (intro)
  • Shirley
  • Bova
2:14
2."Palm Trees, Helicopters and Gasoline"Bonamassa1:51
3."Seagull"
  • Rodgers
  • Ralphs
5:39
4."Jelly Roll"Martyn2:39
5."Black Lung Heartache"Bonamassa4:03
6."Around the Bend"
  • Bonamassa
  • Jennings
6:04
7."Jockey Full of Bourbon"Waits5:25
8."From the Valley"Bonamassa2:31
9."Athens to Athens"Bonamassa6:18
10."Slow Train"
  • Bonamassa
  • Shirley
6:32
11."Last Kiss"Bonamassa7:17
12."Dust Bowl"Bonamassa7:12
13."Midnight Blues" (Gary Moore cover)Moore8:19
Total length:66:04
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Who's Been Talking"Burnett5:49
2."Happier Times"Bonamassa6:29
3."Driving Towards the Daylight"
  • Bonamassa
  • Kortchmar
6:22
4."The Ballad of John Henry"Bonamassa13:13
5."Django/Mountain Time"
  • Bonamassa
  • Jennings
11:43
6."Sloe Gin"
  • Ezrin
  • Kamen
8:24
7."Just Got Paid" (ZZ Top cover)
  • Gibbons
  • Ham
12:11
Total length:64:11

Bonus features on the video release:

  • "No Man's Land: An Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes – Part Four"
  • "The Making of Tour de Force – Part Four"
  • "All Access Pass: Royal Albert Hall – Live in London Photo Collection"

Personnel

Chart positions

References
  1. "Joe Bonamassa To Make Recording History At Four London Venues; Live DVD Coming In Fall 2013". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  2. "Joe Bonamassa - Tour De Force, Live In London". Joe Bonamassa. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  3. Leonard, Michael (September 6, 2013). "Joe Bonamassa Releases Huge "Tour De Force" Live DVD Sets". Gibson. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. "Chart Search: Artist "Joe Bonamassa", Chart Name "Music Video Sales"". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  5. "Official Music Video Chart Top 50: 03 November 2013 - 09 November 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  6. "Ultratop Musiek DVD: 16/11/2013". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  7. "Ultratop Musiek DVD: 09/11/2013". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  8. "Ultratop DVD Musicaux: 02/11/2013". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  9. "Ultratop DVD Musicaux: 16/11/2013". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  10. "Ultratop DVD Musicaux: 23/11/2013". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  11. "Discografie Joe Bonamassa". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  12. "Sverigetopplistan: Sweden's Official Charts" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 5, 2017. Note: User must manually select the Veckolista DVD Album chart and change the issue date to week 45 in order to yield results.
  13. "Austria Top 40 Musik-DVD: 08/11/2013". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  14. "Musik-DVD Top 10: 10/11/2013". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  15. "Joe Bonamassa - Tour De Force - Live In London - Four Nights, Four Shows, Four Legendary Performances! (DVD)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. "Joe Bonamassa Chart History: Blues Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  17. "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 25 May 2014 - 31 May 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  18. "Chart Log UK: CLUK Update 31.05.2014 (wk21)". zobbel.de. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  19. "Discografie Joe Bonamassa". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  20. "Discographie Joe Bonamassa". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  21. "Discographie Joe Bonamassa". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  22. "Discographie Joe Bonamassa". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  23. "Discographie Joe Bonamassa". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  24. Leggett, Steve. "Tour de Force: Live in London - Royal Albert Hall - Joe Bonamassa: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  25. Yates, Henry. "Joe Bonamassa: Tour de Force: Live in London". Blues. Bath, England: Future plc. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  26. Sargeant, Pete (December 2013). "Joe Bonamassa: Live in London". Blues Matters!. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  27. Fielder, Hugh (December 2013). "Joe Bonamassa: Tour de Force: Live in London". Classic Rock. Bath, England: Future plc. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  28. Reiff, Corbin (November 8, 2013). "Joe Bonamassa's "Tour de Force: Live in London" DVD Review". Premier Guitar. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  29. Vinnicombe, Chris. "Joe Bonamassa: Tour de Force – Live in London". Total Guitar. Bath, England: Future plc. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  30. "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100: 25 May 2014 - 31 May 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  31. "Joe Bonamassa Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
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