JOE BONAMASSA On Pandemic Response: 'You Can't Let Just Everything Go Out Of Business'

Joe Bonamassa spoke to Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station about the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought many businesses across the globe to a screeching halt.

The acclaimed guitarist, who was calling from Nashville, where he has a home, stated about the way the crisis is treated in the Tennessee capital (hear audio below): "You've got 50 percent of people thinking that there's no pandemic and then 50 percent of the people taking it seriously. So it's a lovely mix."

Asked where he stands on the issue, Joe said: "I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I think you have to take it seriously. I mean, I have a place in L.A. And to lock down a city of three million people indefinitely, you're not gonna have a city to come back to. There has to be some sort of commerce. You can't let just everything go out of business.

"Survival is not the question," he elaborated. "It's what does the city look like in 18 months. Is it an empty store front? Is it just complete 'Blade Runner' disaster scenario? That's the problem. It just seems like they're putting these incredibly difficult watermarks or standards… We have an extra case in a county of 20 million people, [so] we shut it all back down again. It's not gonna work."

Asked if he thinks there will be a second wave of COVID-19 infections, Joe said: "I think it's just like anything else. In the United States Of America, there are 15 reported and confirmed cases of bubonic plague every year, and that thing started in the 1500s. So I think there will be a second wave. You'll be hearing about COVID-19 for the next 10 or 20 years, because you still get SARS, people still get swine flu. It's just the amount of people that get it and the amount of people that are actually gonna choose to take a vaccine or not, that's gonna determine the second wave or a third wave or a fifth wave or this is the way we all roll."

As previously reported, Bonamassa will perform a special livestreamed pay-per-view concert from the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on September 20. This concert will feature the songs from his new album, "Royal Tea", before the official release on October 23.

The pay-per-view tickets and packages for "Joe Bonamassa Live in Concert Worldwide" presented by Keeping The Blues Alive are available for purchase at this location.

This one-of-a-kind concert is presented by Bonamassa's non-profit, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation (KTBA). Each ticket purchase will include a $1 donation to Joe's Fueling Musicians Program, which to date has raised over $300,000 and has supported more than 163 musicians in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.