John 5 invites Joe Bonamassa onstage to jam on a couple of Hendrix classics

(Image credit: Getty Images: Michael Tullberg)

John 5 and Joe Bonamassa joined forces at Los Angeles' 1720 last night to jam on a couple of Jimi Hendrix anthems.

The show was John 5's first performance since the release of his latest solo album, Invasion, and saw him co-headline with the Aristocrats – with Joe Bonamassa performing as a special guest and the Travis Larson band opening the show.

What wasn't scheduled on the bill was their Hendrix jam, on which Bonamassa handled vocals as he traded licks on a Les Paul with John 5 on his trusty Telecaster.

A post shared by Joe Bonamassa (@joebonamassa)

A photo posted by on on Sep 2, 2019 at 12:30am PDT

While there is no pro-shot video footage of this performance just yet, there are a couple of YouTube clips with decent audio that testify to the transformative power Bonamassa's Les Paul and Telecaster working in tandem can have on a Hendrix composition. There's a little bit more muscle in John 5 and JoBo's rendition.

Foxy Lady was recorded was a typically Hendrix setup with his Fender Stratocaster run through a Marshall Plexi head, while Spanish Castle Magic was recorded in 1967 using Hendrix's Mosrite Joe Maphis 12/6 Doubleneck, which he bought from Manny’s Music shop, New York.

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John 5's next show is scheduled for Sunday 13 October as he sets sale alongside Anthrax, Lamb of God and more on the Megadeth Megacruise. His Invasion Tour 2019 then kicks off in earnest in on 30 October in Battle Creek, Michigan. See here for dates and tickets. 

Joe Bonamassa's next shows take him Down Under before returning to the US in October. See here for all the dates.

In the meantime, check out the footage from the 1720 show below. 

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

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