March 18, 2025
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — The humid air of Melbourne, Florida, will buzz with anticipation as blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa takes the stage at the King Center for the Performing Arts March 19th at 8pm.
The crowd, a mix of devotees and newcomers, will lean forward in their seats but, will no doubt be blow away by the soulful wail of his Gibson Les Paul. For over three decades, Bonamassa has been a torchbearer for the blues, blending its raw emotional core with the scorching energy of rock. Whenever I am in the audience of one of Joe’s concerts, I always feel the weight of his mission—to keep the blues alive. This mission comes to life with ever amplified note he plays!
Born in New Hartford, New York, in 1977, Bonamassa was a prodigy who caught the ear of blues legend B.B. King at just 12 years old. By the time he plays in Melbourne, he’ll have released over 30 albums, earned multiple Grammy nominations, and secured 21 number-one spots on the Billboard Blues Chart. His music is a bridge between the gritty Delta roots of Muddy Waters and the electrified riffs of modern rock, a sound that hooked me the first time I heard “Sloe Gin” years ago, one of Joe’s swan songs but, others like “Redemption” and “Mountain Time” could also complete for this title. Joe won’t say which it is—he just plays them all. In Melbourne, he’ll likely play those tracks alongside “The Ballad of John Henry,” his fingers Irish Step dancing franticly on the fretboard with a precision that I know will leave me—and the entire room—spellbound.
But Bonamassa’s passion for the blues will stretch beyond that stage. Through his Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, which he founded in 2011, he’ll have raised over $2.7 million to support music education, funding programs and scholarships across all 50 states. “The blues is more than a genre—it’s a feeling, a story,” he said in an interview I read recently. “If we don’t pass it on, it fades away.” At the Melbourne show, I expect he’ll speak about the foundation and the upcoming weeklong “blues cruise” leaving from Miami on the 21st.
A few days after the Melbourne gig, I’ll board The Gem for the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise, a floating festival that will turn a luxury cruise ship into a blues lover’s paradise. The 2025 sailing, running from March 21-26 aboard the Norwegian Gem, will mark its 10th anniversary—a five-day journey featuring Bonamassa and an all-star lineup including Samantha Fish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Larkin Poe. We’ll set out from Miami, cruising to Harvest Caye, Belize, and Costa Maya, Mexico, the tropical sun glinting off the water as the ship hums with music.
I’ll wake each morning to acoustic blues and the gentle sway of the Caribbean Sea, the scent of saltwater mixing with the aroma of coffee from the ship’s atrium. By mid-morning, I’ll be on the Pool Deck, usually soaking my feet in the hot tub to the afternoon’s lineup. The Norwegian Gem, with its endless dining options, hot tubs, and Mandara Spa, feels like a floating resort—but one alive with slide guitars, soulful songs and stories that strike at your heart strings. “It’s like a family reunion with better music and a killer view,” Linda Hayes of Atlanta, a five-time cruiser, told me when I asked about past sailings. “I’ll be sitting at the Stardust lounge, and Joe could be probably jamming with Eric Gales 20 feet away—I can’t wait.”
The cruise will be a whirlwind of sound and connection. Multiple stages will host performances day and night, from intimate acoustic sets in the lounges to high-energy collaborations under the stars. I’ll wander between them, chatting with fellow fans who’ll become fast friends. “You won’t get this anywhere else,” Mark Torres from Chicago, who I met on his first Cruise. “The artists will be right there with us.” Another passenger, Sarah Klein from Austin, gushed about what she expects: “It’ll feel like the ship itself is vibrating with the blues—I’m counting the days.” Two more days and a wakeup are all that’s left till the disembarkation.
Bonamassa will be everywhere—performing multiple times, sitting in with other artists, and hosting a live taping of his Live from Nerdville podcast that I’ll squeeze into. “You’re on a ship with 2,000 people who get it,” he told a crowd recently, and I’ll feel that truth on the cruise. One night, I’ll watch him trade riffs with Samantha Fish, the crowd roaring as the ship rocks beneath us. The foundation’s presence will be there too—raffles for signed gear and exclusive events will raise funds while we soak it all in. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Tom Reynolds from Seattle, who’s already booked his cabin, told me. “It’ll be a party, but it’s for a cause—I might even win a signed guitar!”
What I love most are the super-sets of dozens of the artist jamming in mashup that have never been seen before! It’s raw, it’s fun, it’s not perfect: mics don’t work, strings breaks, the wind howls and gusts and the ship rocks and rolls—it’s the blues and it’s alive!
Back in Melbourne, as the final notes of “Mountain Time” fade into the King Center, I’ll stand with the crowd, clapping until my hands ache. Joe Bonamassa “guitar god” will remove his sunglasses, blow to the audience and become just Joe again as the lights turn down. He’s been known to even show up at a local cigar lounge after shows. That performance will buzz inside me onto I’m the ship, where the blues won’t just echo—it’ll live. “It’s the ultimate blues party,” he promised. The cruise cabins won’t come cheap—starting around $1,650 per person—but as I step off the Gem, I’ll know I’ll be back for the 2026 sailing to Key West and Nassau.
There wouldn’t be musicians without fans and there wouldn’t be music programs, instruments, camps and workshops in some schools without Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea. Experiencing the blues through veteran polish artists as well as new nervous novices really is what the KTBAS is all about. It is passing the guidon to future generations. It’s keeping the blues, the stories, the history—it’s keeping the music alive for musicians and fans.
Robert Jon & The Wreck – Southern California’s gritty blues-rock outfit. John Oates – Half of Hall & Oates, offering a mix of soul and blues.
Jimmy Vivino – Guitarist and bandleader, a staple in Bonamassa’s circle. Images by Richard P Gallagher | FMN
Joe Bonamassa’s tagline “Always on the Road” [and on the water] reflects his relentless touring schedule and his deep commitment to performing live for fans worldwide. It’s less an official slogan and more a mantra that sums up his lifestyle and work ethic. The phrase ties into his 2011 album Dust Bowl, where the track “The Last Matador of Bayonne” includes the line “always on the road,” hinting at the grind and glory of his nomadic life. It also nods to the blues tradition of the wandering troubadour—think Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters—reimagined for a modern era with private tour buses and sold-out chartered cruises
“Sloe Gin” by Joe Bonamassa
(From the album Sloe Gin, 2007)
Sloe gin, sloe gin
I’m trying to wash away my sins
Sloe gin, sloe gin
I’m trying to wash away my sins
And I’ve been down to the bottom of the bottle
And I ain’t coming up again
Sloe gin, sloe gin
Trying to wash away my sins
I’m so cold, so cold
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
I’m so cold, so cold
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
‘Cause my little girl
She didn’t come back to me
Sloe gin, sloe gin
Trying to wash away my sins
Lord, I tried, I tried
Tried to take my life last night
Lord, I tried, I tried
Tried to take my life last night
But the devil grabbed my soul
And threw me back into this fight
Sloe gin, sloe gin
Trying to wash away my sins ….
