B.B. KING
By Gary Murray
What can be said about B.B. King that has not been said by every journalist on the planet? He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall Fame, a Grammy winner and one of the most influential musicians on the planet. For decades, he has been a road warrior, playing night after night with his guitar Lucille. He makes the next stop on his continuous world-wide tour at the Winspear Opera House.
The audience was on the edge of their seats looking at the empty stage. There would be no curtain rising, the instruments were exposed ready to be played. Musicians wandered on the stage, tuning instruments and doing mike checks. This was a very relaxed attitude shown before the concert.
To the left of the stage was the horn section, consisting of two saxophones and two trumpets players who doubled on flugelhorn. On the right were both the keyboard and bass. The center was the rhythm guitarist and the drummer. All were dressed in tux and jackets.
The band fired up a pair of instrumental numbers where just about each member of the blues group got a chance to deliver a solo line. They were a crack set of musicians, firing on all cylinders. This is a tight ensemble would have been just as comfortable in a juke joint, playing the night away.
Finally, the man himself took center stage. B.B. King sat down in a chair, pulling the mike closer with his left hand. There was a long vamp before he started with the tune, “I need you so.” With his white hair and mischievous grin, the 88 year old appears happy to be on stage and entertaining the racially mixed crowd. It seems that everyone loves this rocking grandpa.
B.B. King ripped through an almost gospel rendition of “Rock Me, Baby”. He introduced everyone in the band and just about everyone back stage. His grand-daughters even came out to give him kisses on his cheek.
The audience sang along with “You are my Sunshine,” encouraged by the showman on stage. He never got off his chair, playing from a seated position the entire night.
For the midpoint of the show, he and Lucille did “The Thrill is Gone” his more signature of signature songs. The crowd whooped and hollered during each bending of the strings. People kept yelling “We love you, B.B.” They knew they were experiencing a master guitarist doing his pinnacle tune.
He also played a very different rendition of “When Love Comes to Town” a song made famous by the U2 concert movie Rattle and Hum. B.B. King made the song his own again, showing that the tune did not need Bono and The Edge to succeed.
He ended the much too short show with a song that Willie Nelson did at Farm-Aid. “When the Saints go Marching in” became another sing-a-long and a much deserved standing ovation.
Two men came from the wings to help B. B. King up from his chair. He wanted to take a bow, using the last bit of his strength to show his appreciation to the sold out crowd. The concert didn’t end with a crescendo but with more of a fading out. The King of the Blues thanked everyone for coming and asked them not to drive home drunk because he wanted them all back the next time he came to town.
For me, that cannot be soon enough. In so many ways, he is the last man standing (or sitting). Everyone should see B.B. King before it is too late. A master blues man practicing his art is a rare and beautiful thing.
