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B.B. King Heckled At Performance.

gjbassist

gjbassist

Sep 7, 2005
6,039
3,131
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Kansas City, MO
#1
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Sad that a music legend gets to this point!
On one hand I can see the frustration of the audience members who paid good money to see a show. On the other hand the guy is 88 and a blues legend. I guess this begs the question, when is it time to hang it up to save your dignity?
 
#3
gjbassist said:
Sad that a music legend gets to this point! ... when is it time to hang it up to save your dignity?
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In this case, sad to say - last year, IMO.

I saw BB King at a Playboy Jazz Festival more than 20 years ago and he still had it.

Since my wife had never had the opportunity, we went to see him when the tour hit Philadelphia. It was a serious disappointment, and I was dismayed to see that he was still touring this year.

About the only thing that saved last year's show was that the opening act was horrible.

The show had its moments, but they were few, and at enormous price.

Speaking of cost - have a look at the tour schedule - it is brutal! Every couple of days all year long - 500-1000 mi between shows.

Yeah - he played 'Thrill is Gone.' And told some stories, and talked with the audience, played another song, conducted a sing-along of 'You Are My Sunshine' and - that was pretty much it.

For my money - you want to support a legend? Go buy his records. All of them. Last year's tour was totally disappointing and evidently, they didn't read their own reviews.

Go to Ticketmaster and read them for yourself. Legends shouldn't have 1-star reviews, and he has hundreds - many in every stop of the tour.
 
#4
gjbassist said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Sad that a music legend gets to this point!
On one hand I can see the frustration of the audience members who paid good money to see a show. On the other hand the guy is 88 and a blues legend. I guess this begs the question, when is it time to hang it up to save your dignity?
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i have seen it here enough times with performers at the top of their game....even jon scofield....most likely someone got a free ticket somehow,but there it was,some drunk yelling for rock and roll in a small theater setting....they tossed him and the show was great....but it does make me wonder how audiences here are viewed elsewhere....btw....steve swallow was with him and flawless.....i wonder why he isn't mentioned here more often....
 
#5
He's not touring for the money and I think music is the main reason he's still alive when acts get to this point in their career you are paying more for the opportunity to just see them as opposed to going to an actual music event and I think you really have to tailor your expectations so you don't walk away really disappointed.
 
#6
mjac28 said:
He's not touring for the money and I think music is the main reason he's still alive when acts get to this point in their career you are paying more for the opportunity to just see them as opposed to going to an actual music event and I think you really have to tailor your expectations so you don't walk away really disappointed.
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i've seen bb a few times and judging from those shows there is likely a little ego involved...trying to recall the guy's name,george rzab methinks....one monster bass player....
 
#7
mjac28 said:
He's not touring for the money..
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I donno.
The industry is rife with stories of 'financial managers' ripping off artists for millions.

Go look at why Leonard Cohen did a world tour at 75 !
( And based on the DVD - it was great... )

For that matter, BB King was great at 75 - but that was 15 years ago...

I had my expectations in check, and unfortunately, even my diminished expectations were not met.

I'm glad we went. I'm not sure I'm $200 glad.
 
#11
ArtechnikA said:
I donno.
The industry is rife with stories of 'financial managers' ripping off artists for millions.

Go look at why Leonard Cohen did a world tour at 75 !
( And based on the DVD - it was great... )

For that matter, BB King was great at 75 - but that was 15 years ago...

I had my expectations in check, and unfortunately, even my diminished expectations were not met.

I'm glad we went. I'm not sure I'm $200 glad.
Click to expand...

He's worth anywhere from 30 to 50 mil at 88 years old he doesn't need the money :)
 
#13
Jim Campbell said:
i've seen bb a few times and ...trying to recall the guy's name,george rzab methinks....one monster bass player....
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oops...i lied...rzab played with buddy guy....still he is a guy that should be mentioned on here....hard to know after watching him play if you should be inspired to hit the woodshed,or light all your gear on fire in the back 40....
 
#15
Sorta reminds me of seeing Johnny Winter about 10 years ago. Only one of a few live professional performances I didn't watch until the end. No fuel in the tank whatsoever. Sorry to hear the great B.B. King didn't know when it was time to exit gracefully.
 
#16
I saw him about 8 years ago, and he spent much of the time telling long, drawn-out stories. But he still sounded good when he did play and his band smoked. Fortunately, it was at a music festival, so I wasn't out too much $. Sounds like he should have quit a few years ago. I do think heckling is terribly disrespectful to a legend like Mr. King, though I do understand the crowd's frustration.
 
#20
Bassman822 said:
The audience should have realized Mr. King is 88 years old. After all, how many other performers are able to perform at that age. He is a legend, and respect him for what he has done for the blues!!!
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how much per ticket is that kind of nostalgia worth?....i doubt if many would buy them not expecting a performance....most only get to see acts every few years or so and the decline is not apparent...then you get whacked with a big buck ticket price and a bunch of stories.....nah man,people work too hard for that.....
 

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