My grainy iphone photo of Lucille.When he came out on stage, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, I've seen him on TV, wailing on his beloved guitar, Lucille, however many of those clips are from years ago. At his age, I wasn't really sure how strongly the man could perform any more. He was helped onto the stage and to his chair on a carpet in the center beside Lucille, because his knees have gone on him. He started out modestly, with the band providing the bulk of the music and I kind of settled into the idea that he would just be joining in here and there. He has lost weight, he seems fragile, it was ethereal. It was like seeing my Grandfather, to be honest, in his last year. Seeing someone who is larger than life in their vulnerability is unsettling.
He didn't seem so vulnerable for very long, though. These old fellas are tight. I mean, playing together for 1000 years tight, and what struck me is how they genuinely seem to love performing. They've seen half of the world together for over 60 years and they laugh and joke, it's almost like spying on buddies in their basement on band night- and they are not bored with this. This has been their entire life and it will clearly continue to be the rest of their lives. They love this, or fooled me into thinking so.
When BB began to play Lucille, he went up in smoke and congealed again when his part was over. The guitar is an annex of himself, he uses it to sing, he uses it to cry, he uses it to yell. He excites it and then calms it down again, and so effortlessly that he actually wiped his brow with a towel in the middle of playing a solo without so much as a seam in the music.
After a while, and after introducing the band, he opened his mouth and sang, "I need you" and I think I swallowed my heart. I was not expecting that he could still sing directly out of his soul, with clarity and startling strength:
Like this.
He is also so gracious, he does not demand to be the star of the show, although he might not be able to help it. It's difficult to take your eyes of him. He is so animated when he plays, but I don't think it's something that requires any effort. It's just who he is. Happiness shines out of him when he's telling a joke, when his story or song turns melancholy, his shoulders slump down and his face changes. However, he allows the other musicians to showcase themselves, complimenting their solos with his guitar magic, but not taking the spotlight away. I don't think I've ever seen a more finessed performance.
At the age of 85, and in the middle of a long tour, his weariness shows through on the edges. He is an old man who has been doing this for his entire life. He is full of stories and he is forgetful. His passion, however, does not waiver. He began the song, "Key to the Highway" more than three times before realizing he'd already played it, but to tell you the truth, I'd have listened to it more than 3 times if that's what he wanted to play. He is an extension of his band and when you're in the audience, he's an extension of you and you find yourself hypnotized. This man could be the pied piper, because I'd probably follow him over a cliff without noticing if that's where he led me. I felt like I was floating above my seat the entire time. When it was over, I crept down from my balcony seats and shook hands with his band members. BB King was wheeled off of the stage at the end of the show looking like a real king in his fedora, scarf & long brown jacket; clearly exhausted. I gave a little wolf whistle because I have now developed a crush on an 85 year old man. What.
At the age of 85, and in the middle of a long tour, his weariness shows through on the edges. He is an old man who has been doing this for his entire life. He is full of stories and he is forgetful. His passion, however, does not waiver. He began the song, "Key to the Highway" more than three times before realizing he'd already played it, but to tell you the truth, I'd have listened to it more than 3 times if that's what he wanted to play. He is an extension of his band and when you're in the audience, he's an extension of you and you find yourself hypnotized. This man could be the pied piper, because I'd probably follow him over a cliff without noticing if that's where he led me. I felt like I was floating above my seat the entire time. When it was over, I crept down from my balcony seats and shook hands with his band members. BB King was wheeled off of the stage at the end of the show looking like a real king in his fedora, scarf & long brown jacket; clearly exhausted. I gave a little wolf whistle because I have now developed a crush on an 85 year old man. What.
I'm so glad that I got to go. Now, if only I could set him up on a date with my Granny.
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