The blues can convey more emotion in one perfectly placed note from the guitar than most songs can ever express. At 87 years old, B.B. King still plays over 100 shows a year as he continues to try to revitalize an often forgotten style of the blues that no one else has come close to matching in all his years of playing. Last night at the Akron Civic Theatre, the King of the Blues held onto his title.
The stars and moving clouds of the Akron Civic Theater’s ceiling shined down brightly on the B.B. King Jazz Band as they opened the show with soaring solos on every instrument and did it with such modest humor and quality. The sold out crowd really went nuts when the words “welcome Mr. B.B. King” rang through the hall as King stepped onto the stage with his fully suited entourage and began throwing confetti and at people in the front row.
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2013.
Just saw B. B. King in Eureka Springs, AR. He was terrible. I bet he did not play 9 minutes of music. The rest of the time his band played or he talked. I think the world of the man and what he has accomplished but his time has passed. He has too much entourage to support and at $125/ticket they just keep helping him out on stage and let him do whatever he feels like on that night. You could tell the band had no idea where he was going. Go see him if you want to hear him talk. Save your money if you want to hear him play and sing.