Saturday August 05 03:47 AM EDT
LIVE: Review: B.B. King
Lovefest Kicks Off
dailynews.yahoo.com
By Correspondent Michael Kinsman reports
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The B.B. King Blues Fest's
ambitious, 41-date summer and fall tour is under way,
but maybe the "B.B. King Love Fest" would be a more appropriate name for the
outing.
The show, which features 74-year-old blues-guitar wizard Buddy Guy and
younger disciples Susan Tedeschi and Tommy Castro, is long on mutual
appreciation, among the performers themselves and between them — particularly
King — and their audience.
At stop #2 of the tour Wednesday evening at the Coors Amphitheatre in Chula
Vista, Calif., B.B. King walked onstage to a standing ovation from the 9,000 in
attendance, sat down and proclaimed: "I'm 74 years old, and I think I've got the
right to sit down."
A huge roar of approval from the audience told King all he needed to know: The
crowd was on his side.
Like a proud papa, King praised his co-stars, acknowledging that their presence
affords him the opportunity to play the nation's largest concert venues and
broaden the blues audience.
He also sweet-talked the crowd. The demands of touring might have convinced
King to bring a chair with him to the stage, but the strength of his voice and his
immaculate guitar playing remain unchallenged by age.
The Thrill Isn't Gone
Although King broke little new ground in his song selection, trotting out such
standards as "Let the Good Times Roll," "Caldonia," "Early in the Morning" and,
from his Grammy-winning Blues on the Bayou album, "I'll Survive" (RealAudio
excerpt).
Midway through "Just Like a Woman" he broke into a guitar quote from "You
Are My Sunshine," eventually inviting the audience to sing along. "You got to
sing it like you mean it," King implored. Then he invited the crowd to follow
him like he was a Southern Baptist preacher, and the results were pleasing.
Of course, he had to do "The Thrill Is Gone" (RealAudio excerpt), the late-'60s hit
that catapulted him into worldwide renown. An acoustic guitar that King said
last month he had on hand to play some cuts from the hit album Riding With the
King, his collaboration with Eric Clapton, sat untouched all evening. King,
however, played a few bars of the title track at the 75-minute set's conclusion.
Whatever he plays, King knows how to win over a crowd. Rewarded with
standing ovation after standing ovation, he thanked his audience as if it, not he,
were the star of the night.
Playful Guy Brings A Mixed Bag
Guy, just a couple of days removed from his 64th birthday, nonetheless
displayed a youthful exuberance as he toyed with the audience through his
preceding hour-and-a-quarter-long set.
For all his blazing guitar talent, Guy's live shows have always featured him
showing off a familiarity with the blues in all its many forms. On this night, he
would offer samplings of Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man," Cream's
"Strange Brew," John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom," Elmore James' "Dust My
Broom," Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago," Marvin Gaye's "Trouble
Man" and Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile."
Such reliance on others' material, especially given the wealth of his own
originals, might be troubling if Guy wasn't such a scintillating guitar player. A
golden Gibson Les Paul in his hands speaks as passionately as any guitar on
Earth and his ability to be a musical chameleon is unparalleled.
In a tender moment, Guy gave his full attention to Junior Wells' "Little by
Little." It was a highlight of the evening as Guy offered a genuinely touching
tribute to his late musical partner.
An extended version of John Hiatt's "Feels Like Rain" was equally rewarding.
Segueing into "Love Her With a Feeling" (RealAudio excerpt) and "The Sky Is
Crying," Guy brought out upstart rocking blueswoman Tedeschi, serenading her
sweetly. Tedeschi responded with a seductive enticement to Guy: "Show me
some love right now." As the crowd howled with delight, Guy responded with
some gentle, sultry licks that had Tedeschi blushing.
Tedeschi Struggles, Castro Shines
Tedeschi and San Francisco soul maven Castro made their first appearances with
the tour, a night after King and Guy had kicked it off at the House of Blues in
Las Vegas.
For the most part, though, Tedeschi struggled to keep up. Her guitar-playing
skills don't measure up to those of King, Guy or even Castro, yet she commands
an audience with a raspy blues voice. But her insistence on playing slower songs
painfully pointed out her stiff and mechanical guitar playing.
She did much better on more upbeat songs, and her Earl King-styled "It Hurt So
Bad" (RealAudio excerpt) was a genuine crowd-pleasing finale.
The jewel of this year's show may prove to be Castro, whose blend of Memphis
soul and rock beats is invigorating and captivating.
Castro and his three band members, more accustomed to playing small blues
clubs, ripped through a passionate set highlighted by Castro's sharp lead guitar
and Keith Crossan's sax propulsion. By the time he ended his half-hour set with
"Can't Keep a Good Man Down," Castro had heads nodding in approval. |
