B.B. King Heckled At Performance.

[Tampabass]

People should not be paying to see what you used to be.

Exactly -- reminds me of the last time I saw Crosby, Stills & Nash. Love much of their music, particularly the stuff with Neil Young. But ... their once beautiful vocal harmonies were just terrible, and I felt like the audience was just clapping for its memory of what once was, than what their music had become.

 

[Stick_Player]

Get out on top.

 

[Feral Feline]

I saw BB in a very small bar, mid 80s, seated right next to the stage just off his right elbow. He and band kicked butt. After the show he handed out picks, baby blue with "BB" written on them, to everyone that was stageside. I was but a teen and PINING for a pick ... and it seemed he was giving everyone but me a pick.
He was just toying with me, good-naturedly, and I was the last one to get a pick and he shook my hand and thanked me for coming . I still have that pick.

I would pay money to see him again. I don't care if he doesn't even play guitar, and no, he's not my favourite blues artist either. I hope I'm still slapping the ebony on my upright when I reach his age. Kudos to him for doing what he loves and defying all who oppose and expect him to go gracefully. RAGE, rage against the dying of the light, BB. Respect.

I saw Johnny Winter recently. A friend said he wasn't going, because he wanted to remember JW as before, when there was fire in JW's fingers. I went, 'cause I'd never seen JW live. With respect and proper expectations, I was not disappointed. His bass player and drummer helped him out on stage; he stood for a few songs then sat on the provided chair... Was it the ol' Johnny Winter with lightning licks? No, it was the old Johnny Winter and I'm glad I went and supported another legend. Saw Herbie Hancock recently – he tours with his own sound guy, who should be fired for the wall of mud given – and I'm glad I got to see yet another icon.

If it's not your bag to see these older guys before they're gone, that's cool by me. To each their own. I'll continue to go bask in their glory, even if it's fading or tarnished, 'cause I love the blues, rockabilly, jazz and more besides.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Oddly enough B.B. was able to cross over because of Frank Sinatra! Sinatra recognized just how great B.B. was back in the 60's and got him into white clubs in Las Vegas, and that opened a whole world to his work.

Sinatra was quite a staunch anti-racist, and music fan, so it's not really that surprising.

Sinatra would turn up at venues, and if they were segregated he would refuse to play, and the venues would be pretty much forced to desegregate. Although if I remember correctly once the venue refused to and Sinatra personally lost a lot of money on that one.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I've seen performances of buddy and bb lately and its obvious they've lost some steps. BB MUCH more than buddy.

If I am still able to play at all at BB's age I'll be very happy!

 

[A-Step-Towards]

The dude is old enough to have been a WWII vet, I mean you cant expect that much out of him at that age.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I agree with all you've said in this thread about BB. But his management really should do right by the fans and let them know what they're going to get (storytelling with a little playing mixed in) before they shell out a bunch of their hard-earned cash.

Martin Carthy (who is getting older but not as old as BB King, obviously) did a show with an famous author last year, which was mostly a retelling of the Matty Groves story, lightly interspersed with song, and that worked very well. I am not saying that would be the thing for BB King, just a suggestion that other formats can attract a crowd and be effective and enjoyable for an audience.

I saw Hugh Masekela a couple of years back. He's no spring chicken either, (still a decade younger than BB King) but very well worth seeing and he and his band put on a good performance.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Exactly -- reminds me of the last time I saw Crosby, Stills & Nash. Love much of their music, particularly the stuff with Neil Young. But ... their once beautiful vocal harmonies were just terrible, and I felt like the audience was just clapping for its memory of what once was, than what their music had become.

i think you may have hit on something here....these days the choices are the auto tune, rap-in-the-middle section dreck that fills the air waves or nostalgia....take your pick..

unfortunately there does not seem to be any fresh new direction....hard to find new ideas after fifty years of being bombarded with everything and anything people figure they can make a few bucks from.....hendrix,beatles,stones,csny had fairly clean slates to work with back in the day...not so easy now..

..the stuff teen aged girls post on their youtube channels is pretty danged close to the latest opus from katy perry,and without the dippy outfits loony lady gag gag would be playing roller rinks.....if they still exist...it is truly ironic that in an age when almost any music in the world is as easily accessible as a mouse click,clicking that mouse is so often a bummer....

 

[StayLow]

i think you may have hit on something here....these days the choices are the auto tune, rap-in-the-middle section dreck that fills the air waves or nostalgia....take your pick..

unfortunately there does not seem to be any fresh new direction....hard to find new ideas after fifty years of being bombarded with everything and anything people figure they can make a few bucks from.....hendrix,beatles,stones,csny had fairly clean slates to work with back in the day...not so easy now..

..the stuff teen aged girls post on their youtube channels is pretty danged close to the latest opus from katy perry,and without the dippy outfits loony lady gag gag would be playing roller rinks.....if they still exist...it is truly ironic that in an age when almost any music in the world is as easily accessible as a mouse click,clicking that mouse is so often a bummer....

Having grown up as a huge CSNY fan, you're dead wrong in my opinion. There's a lot of brave, progressive, captivating music in almost every genre, never better recorded, never easier to find and obtain, from technical death metal to instrumental jazz to fingerstyle guitarists.

Just because you are unaware of something, or use the tastes of teen-aged girls as a litmus test of what's available, doesn't mean it doesn't exist in droves. And FYI, the taste of teen-aged girls was *never* indicative of the good stuff.

As always, if it's in a major theatre or arena it's most likely to be schlock. Try $8 all-ages shows at community centres, or some underground jazz venues. Stay away from the major arenas and theatres, assigned-seating venues, and tickets that cost more than $40. Avoid being part of an audience with an average age over 40 and an average income over $50k. Avoid acts whose best work was released more than a decade ago, much less three decades ago, preferably limit that to 5 years or less. That's *always* worked for finding something vital and fresh.

If instead you choose to do the equivalent of eating chips that have sat opened for 40 years in the cupboard, then seem surprised when they're not only stale but perhaps sickening, don't then waste more time telling people that the snack food industry ain't what it used to be.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Having grown up as a huge CSNY fan, you're dead wrong in my opinion. There's a lot of brave, progressive, captivating music in almost every genre, never better recorded, never easier to find and obtain, from technical death metal to instrumental jazz to fingerstyle guitarists.

Just because you are unaware of something, or use the tastes of teen-aged girls as a litmus test of what's available, doesn't mean it doesn't exist in droves. And FYI, the taste of teen-aged girls was *never* indicative of the good stuff.

perhaps find is the wrong word....filter might be more appropriate....i've been hunting down music for a long time and while you may find it easy to source, i simply cannot devote my life to sorting through the mountains of drivel for the few gems any more...

and i would hope my choices include more than technical death metal,finger style guitar and instrumental jazz.....the choices of teen girls may not be indicative of the "good stuff" but as far as dominance in the media and record store shelves .....it has definitely become the big player...

..in years past youth culture and popular music kind of grew up together....these days the mass media as a source for anything marketed to anyone over 13 is gone.....the guy at the few remaining brick and mortar music stores is now usually bored teen,and internet sites are a crap shoot if you seek reliable reviews....

 

[StayLow]

I doubt there was ever an era where, with very few exceptions, an act could be a major success without being a big hit with teen-aged girls. The few exceptions don't disprove the rule.

I was illustrating a very broad stylistic range, not limiting to three choices.

You're correct, the effort to filter/find can be considerable. Finding good sources is key, ideally making a friend with the same outlook on music that can get together once every few months over drinks and share the best stuff they've come across and you do the same if you have any. If that friend is a music writer, there's plenty of review copies and guest passes to be had. As your band mates what they're into. Joining a cover band for styles you're unfamiliar with, or not current on, is a good way to basically force yourself to hear and even understand something new.

Typically people with a healthy outlook on music don't just like one style, so even if they're mostly into grindcore they probably also have some great jazz or funk to share. Give them an idea what you're into. There's a bond in being into quality obscure art and while cliques can be exclusionary, usually like-minded people love to being new people into the fold.

Maybe start a thread here and sample the YouTube links people offer. If that proverbial 1 in 100 changes your life musically, it's well worth it.

Once you do find new stuff you like, you catch the show when it comes to town and that way you discover new venues and maybe an opening band is good. Or just check online to see which bands they tour with and check those acts out. If at a show and think it's awesome, engage with other people and see what shows they're gonna check out upcoming. They may be hip to more great shows than just that one. Check those bands out too, maybe with your new friends.

It's definitely not easy or cheap, I'm just saying there's plenty of great stuff out there.

Seek and ye shall hopefully find. It beats complaining and it beats patronizing musical zombies.

 

[Jim Campbell]

I doubt there was ever an era where, with very few exceptions, an act could be a major success without being a big hit with teen-aged girls. The few exceptions don't disprove the rule.

I was illustrating a very broad stylistic range, not limiting to three choices.

You're correct, the effort to filter/find can be considerable. Finding good sources is key, ideally making a friend with the same outlook on music that can get together once every few months over drinks and share the best stuff they've come across and you do the same if you have any. If that friend is a music writer, there's plenty of review copies and guest passes to be had. As your band mates what they're into. Joining a cover band for styles you're unfamiliar with, or not current on, is a good way to basically force yourself to hear and even understand something new.

Typically people with a healthy outlook on music don't just like one style, so even if they're mostly into grindcore they probably also have some great jazz or funk to share. Give them an idea what you're into. There's a bond in being into quality obscure art and while cliques can be exclusionary, usually like-minded people love to being new people into the fold.

Maybe start a thread here and sample the YouTube links people offer. If that proverbial 1 in 100 changes your life musically, it's well worth it.

Once you do find new stuff you like, you catch the show when it comes to town and that way you discover new venues and maybe an opening band is good. Or just check online to see which bands they tour with and check those acts out. If at a show and think it's awesome, engage with other people and see what shows they're gonna check out upcoming. They may be hip to more great shows than just that one. Check those bands out too, maybe with your new friends.

It's definitely not easy or cheap, I'm just saying there's plenty of great stuff out there.

Seek and ye shall hopefully find. It beats complaining and it beats patronizing musical zombies.

easy being the operative word....currently i have enough cd's to last 4 years if i play only one a day,end to end,and lots of vinyl too....but i still see the decline of music as the real tragedy as the industry falters.....the guy at the music store used to be into the product and eager to turn you on to something exciting....that was a part of the search that i miss now,.....

 

[Willopis]

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....

I just saw Sco at UCLA
It was unbelievably good.
I was going to see BB a couple of years ago at the Canyon club until I heard the price.

 

[eliwhitney]

I've seen BB have a dozen times over since the 70's and he had a tone that would go right into your body and up your backbone and would make you feel so good. Amazing, the greatest notes I ever felt in my life! And I've seen Buddy a bunch too, the last time just last November, and it was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen! So yeah, cats get old but there's a reason these guys are legends. I got to see Muddy not long before he passed, and he was sitting down and all, but I've treasured that evening my whole life.

 

[Feral Feline]

BB knows his schtuff. RESPECT. 1:26

Here he schools you on the styles of T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and how those styles integrated and helped BB develop his own style. (Some other great clips in the vid-link of Muddy, Hendrix and more...)

Go BB! Play to your heart's content, you've earned it.

 

[Jim Campbell]

BB knows his schtuff. RESPECT. 1:26

Here he schools you on the styles of T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and how those styles integrated and helped BB develop his own style. (Some other great clips in the vid-link of Muddy, Hendrix and more...)

Go BB! Play to your heart's content, you've earned it.

earned what exactly?.....it's nice that you feel that way....and you'
re more than welcome to pay the $ 200 bucks they're asking....but others might expect more for their money....and they should....it's becoming all too common for rich artists to tour well after their sell by date at top dollar...do we really need more reasons to lower our expectations?

maybe pro athletes should play into their sixties and seventies,or even eighties....they've earned their reputations too..one could argue that the punishment they took on the field or in the ring qualifies as "earned it" ..i wonder how many season tickets they would sell if joe namath were to quarterback the jets next season....

 

[StayLow]

easy being the operative word....currently i have enough cd's to last 4 years if i play only one a day,end to end,and lots of vinyl too....but i still see the decline of music as the real tragedy as the industry falters.....the guy at the music store used to be into the product and eager to turn you on to something exciting....that was a part of the search that i miss now,.....

Agreed about the guy at the store. That's a real shame I can relate to. Totally agree with your post immediately above as this one too ^.

Great if you have plenty of good music to listen to, just please know that it is not at all the case that music has declined and that the industry is faltering. At least not the portion of it that encompasses bands creating, recording, performing/touring and earning.

Original acts have never had more opportunities to create and record affordably, to discover great music to draw influence from, to be heard by a wide audience, to monetize their music and even to turn a profit.

If people want to live in the past, that's no problem. However they're there by choice, not by effective force of a lack of current quality acts.

These *are* the good ol' days.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Agreed about the guy at the store. That's a real shame I can relate to. Totally agree with your post immediately above as this one too ^.

Great if you have plenty of good music to listen to, just please know that it is not at all the case that music has declined and that the industry is faltering. At least not the portion of it that encompasses bands creating, recording, performing/touring and earning.

Original acts have never had more opportunities to create and record affordably, to discover great music to draw influence from, to be heard by a wide audience, to monetize their music and even to turn a profit.

If people want to live in the past, that's no problem. However they're there by choice, not by effective force of a lack of current quality acts.

These *are* the good ol' days.

nothing to do with living in the past....the ability for bands to record cheaply is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to filter through all the crap to get to the gems.....i'm looking at a stack of them on my desk....every one of them thought they had something to say musically,and no producer to say nope,ya don't..at best the jewel cases will be useful for all those lp like cd sleeves that scratch up my discs.........i'm all for original acts,but these days everyone wants to be that next big thing,and they all cannot be....the once wide open slate for original ideas has filled up some and finding that new and meaningful corner is more difficult these days.....

certainly people are making some profits out there,but i'm not convinced that a lot of the actual music that turns those profits is of any lasting value....

 

[MrLenny1]

Yes, it's time for BB to retire.
Kudos to him for touring for such a long,long time.
I caught him 10 years ago.
he couldn't stand any more, had to sit but still sounded great.

 

[ShoeManiac]

I agree with all you've said in this thread about BB. But his management really should do right by the fans and let them know what they're going to get (storytelling with a little playing mixed in) before they shell out a bunch of their hard-earned cash.

I understand where you're coming from. But from the perspective of B.B.'s management, they have more of a responsibility to the wishes of their client than they do to the audience. Oh, and they're also in it to make money for themselves. This is the music BUSINESS after all.

If the audiences start diminishing? If people start walking out? Then perhaps I could see B.B.'s manager having a heart to heart with him about his future.