Sunday night (March 4), we went to The Opera House in Boston for a transcendent pleasure: watching B.B. King playing Lucille and wailing for two hours. Prone as I may be to exaggeration (I tell Keryn to halve any number in my stories), I do not pepper my writing with haphazard references to transcendence.
Imagine sitting twenty rows, center orchestra, from the stage, in a moderately large venue, and feeling like you are one of an intimate audience of fifty friends listening to one of the greatest blues musicians ever to pluck a guitar string.
It may not be surprising that the first B.B. King song I ever heard was “The Thrill is Gone” way back when I was fifteen or sixteen. I couldn’t tell you where I got the blues survey cassette, but it blew me away. There was Buddy Guy, Ike Turner, Eric Clapton, the brothers Vaughn, and other luminaries. In such esteemed company, B.B. King shone brighter than all.
But then, I have to confess, Blues was not a genre I embraced. Occasionally I have seen great live shows (in Chicago, Paris, and Boston to name a few) in clubs and bars, and there are twenty or thirty Blues songs in my iTunes, which includes an eclectic assortment of music, but too few Blues tracks. For reasons I can’t hope to explain, my focus has migrated through many genres, from heavy metal to classic rock to progressive trance to punk to alternative to downbeat electronica. After seeing this concert, I realize I need to spend a long vacation in Bluesland.
Mr. King played “The Thrill is Gone” as his swansong, after a fun two-hour set that included a number of entertaining tales, and an indirect endorsement of a certain New York senator (noting that a woman president would be less likely to take us to war).
In recent years, King has been hobbled by diabetes and the inevitable decline in mobility that comes with age. But you should see his fingers on the frets, nimble and precise, producing the kind of sound only a virtuoso can coax from the instrument. On the way out, I saw a woman in tears (he had autographed a book for her), and listened to strangers take inventory of the show. I was not alone in my reverence.
I haven't seen B.B. "The Thrill Is Gone" is, however, one of my favorites. May I suggest Buddy Guy's album "Sweet Tea." Clapton's "Unplugged" is a great acoustic blues album, and "Z.Z. Top's Greatest Hits", while almost a byword for 80's cheese, is really good blues!
When he next plays in L.A., you should find a way to snag tickets. It was a great concert. You should check out my formal review of the show: Being There Magazine.
ZZ Top... I have that album actually, and haven't listened to it in ages. Think I might throw it in the CD player right now...
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