B.B. King proves he’s ‘King of Blues’
by Candace Hollar, The Saratogian
B. B. King, the “Boss of the Blues,” brought his magic to the stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Sunday evening, wooing the excited crowd into cheers and applause for he and his guitar, Lucille.
Only it’s too bad he didn’t bring it a little sooner than 10 p.m., and it’s too bad the appreciative crowd showed their enthusiasm for the blues king by shoving their way past ushers to empty seats in the main auditorium.
Warming up the crowd—for a good two hours—was Mel Jackson’s band, blues singer Bobby Bland, and B.B. King’s own backup band.
Jackson’s band was neither outstanding nor deserving of the shouts it received, although individual players stood out, particularly Jackson himself on a silver trumpet. Bobby Bland improved the situation with some good slow blues numbers, but he persistently punctuated many of the lyrics with a snorting sound that’s overused, tiresome and irritating.
Bobby Bland and his band entertained the audience for about an hour and a half, when it was time for intermission and set changes. Then B.B. King’s backup band entered, wearing black and white jackets, and playing some good solo numbers. Outstanding in this band was the piano player, who not only played a long, improvisational solo, but gave the group a good depth the Jackson band lacked without a piano.
Ten o’clock finally rolled around, and with it, the “Boss of the Blues” finally appeared onstage. The wait was obviously worth it for most of the blues fans in the crowd, who gave King a standing ovation before he even started.
In answer to a shout from the back of the auditorium, King assured the crowd that “We’re gonna give you a show,” and he did just that. His guitar, Lucille, was coaxed into both sweet and raunchy tones, and his voice proved why the name B.B. King is usually mentioned first when the subject of blues comes up.
The crowd gave King the kind of spontaneous reaction to the music that popular entertainers love to hear: shouts of approval, people dancing in their seats, and thundering applause. Shortly after B.B. King came onstage, he broke a guitar string, even receiving cheers of approval when he said, Lucille just had to act up a little bit.
While fixing the string, King told an entertaining story about why his guitar is named Lucille—his trademark. King is an easy performer both musically and as a stage personality, managing the audience with a dexterity one seldom sees.
But with B.B. King, it’s the music that counts, and King gave it all it was worth, singing and playing songs like “To Know You Is to Love You” and “When I’m Wrong, I’m Wrong.”
It is unfortunate, however, that the crowd that goes to concerts like B.B. King and other pop and rock favorites can’t behave like the crowd that goes to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In one instance, an usher was pushed backwards almost to the stage in an attempt to stop a group of youths without reserved seats who wanted to sit in the unsold seats in the auditorium. Others who managed to take the empty seats left them only on repeated requests from SPAC officials.
Others managed to litter all over the grounds and floor of the auditorium, leaving empty beer cans and other items at the Performing Arts Center. If rock concerts are discontinued at SPAC, complaining youths will have only themselves to blame.
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