B.B. King Heckled At Performance.

[Brad Johnson]

Funny and completely predictable thread.

People were paying $200 expecting a 88 year legend to do what exactly? Some even seem to be accusing him of sandbagging, based on their intimate knowledge of how he felt.


I'd expect empathy from laypeople, the fact that it's alledgedly musicians ranting this stuff is priceless.

And BB probably set the ticket prices and took home the brunt of the money.


Maybe the problem isn't that he shouldn't perform again, maybe the problem is people getting their minds right about what to realistically expect and make a decision based on that? And if $200 means that much to you, why ever gamble? ANYONE can have a bad night.

So here's hoping that if you still have the stones to be performing at that age some self-absorbed jackhole cuts you some slack if you don't live up to their dreams.

Or not.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Funny and completely predictable thread.

People were paying $200 expecting a 88 year legend to do what exactly? Some even seem to be accusing him of sandbagging, based on their intimate knowledge of how he felt.


I'd expect empathy from laypeople, the fact that it's alledgedly musicians ranting this stuff is priceless.

And BB probably set the ticket prices and took home the brunt of the money.


Maybe the problem isn't that he shouldn't perform again, maybe the problem is people getting their minds right about what to realistically expect and make a decision based on that? And if $200 means that much to you, why ever gamble? ANYONE can have a bad night.

So here's hoping that if you still have the stones to be performing at that age some self-absorbed jackhole cuts you some slack if you don't live up to their dreams.

Or not.

or conversely,here s hoping that at 88 i have the common sense to know when to hang it up....or is my ego so big that i would expect people to lay out their hard earned bucks to kiss my ring....people work hard for their money,and i hardly consider someone a "jackhole" for expecting value for it....

 

[Alex J]

Funny and completely predictable thread.

People were paying $200 expecting a 88 year legend to do what exactly? Some even seem to be accusing him of sandbagging, based on their intimate knowledge of how he felt.


I'd expect empathy from laypeople, the fact that it's alledgedly musicians ranting this stuff is priceless.

And BB probably set the ticket prices and took home the brunt of the money.


Maybe the problem isn't that he shouldn't perform again, maybe the problem is people getting their minds right about what to realistically expect and make a decision based on that? And if $200 means that much to you, why ever gamble? ANYONE can have a bad night.

So here's hoping that if you still have the stones to be performing at that age some self-absorbed jackhole cuts you some slack if you don't live up to their dreams.

Or not.

+1

If you heckle BB King, you have no soul.

 

[Jim Campbell]

+1

If you heckle BB King, you have no soul.

if you give him a hundred bucks to watch him babble,you have no brain....

 

[Alex J]

if you give him a hundred bucks to watch him babble,you have no brain....

As stated above, I doubt he gets much of it, and I highly doubt he set the price of the tickets. I mean, in London, people pay exorbitant ticket prices to see wax works of people that literally do nothing

For some, being in the presence of a living legend is enough.

 

[mellowinman]

Mellow, you're a good dude, but you're way off here. Tone down the rage and try to see the points people are making. Ain't nobody saying they would heckle the man.

Not rage.

Deep, abiding sadness.

Keep in mind I just lost my 85 year old father, and am losing my 86 year old mother to Dementia.

I don't think I'm off at all.

What people have posted on this thread really hurts me, and quite deeply, too.

I'll get over it.

 

[BulbousMoses]

I would never heckle an artist. I would, however, expect them to do what they do (ie: sing and play music). If that's what I was led to believe was going to take place for my $200 bucks then that's what I would expect.

However, if you expect an 88 year old man to be "in his prime", you are very likely to be disappointed. Hell, for $200 I can buy BB's entire discography and listen to it for years to come.

I remember reading an interview with Robert Plant regarding the one off O2 concert that Led Zeppelin did a few years back in honor of Ahmet Ertegun. He said that when they got together to do initial rehearsals, they were a bit worried that they wouldn't be able to pull it off. They were concerned that they might just be shadows of their former selves and would not have wanted to go out there if that was the case. I agree with that. Especially if an audience is paying big money to see you.

 

[ArtechnikA]

...if you expect an 88 year old man to be "in his prime"

Again with the polemics, as if the only two choices were "in his prime" and dead.

IMO, most people have a reasonable expectation of what they will experience. It is when even that much diminished expectation is not met that disappointment ensues.

The artist kinda does set the ticket price, no matter how much of it they actually see) when they establish a minimum price per appearance. The promoter then does what it takes to make that cost.

There was a similar thread in the DB forum about a year ago, and it also had no resolution.

And so the unanswered question remains - at what point can any person simply not deliver the product for which their being paid? Artists have some opportunities other professions do not, in that they can re-cast their product.

Sell me 'conversations with BB.' Or 'The BB King Blues Band (with a special appearance by BB King'.

It is sad when every person has their abilities slip away.

When an artist can no longer fill the house, will that be time? Based on what I saw in Philadelphia, this may be sooner than we'd like. The Keswick is -not- a big venue. If you're still going to make cost with fewer seats in the house, the price is going up.

I'm saddened by the aging of my musical idols too. I do not claim to know any of the backstory with King, so I don't claim to know anybody's motivations of why they keep trying to do what they are doing. -Why- is an 88-year old man doing 200 shows a year? We are seeing that it can't go on like this...

 

[electracoyote]

However, if you expect an 88 year old man to be "in his prime", you are very likely to be disappointed.

I don't think anyone realistically expects that.

Although obviously not in his prime, he was, from what I saw, still capable of being a showman. When he played and sang, he still sounded pretty damn good. Even at 88, he still sounded distinctly like B.B., in-tune and soulful, and when he took a solo and played his patented blues box, he still sounded distinctly like B.B.

B.B. has been performing in a chair for over a decade now, we all know he's slowed down a bit. Some people on this thread are assuming he's just past the point where he can make good music and put on a show. I respectfully disagree.

He simply and inexplicably did not sing and play much. If it was not by his choice, I'd like to know the reason. For now, based on eye-witness evidence, I will assume he simply chooses not to be a showman any longer. And regardless of ticket price or who set it, he still owes the people much more of a show than he's currently putting on.

Or, as has been suggested, he needs to hang it up and stop shining people on.

And this thread is hardly a blanket indictment of the elderly. Anyone taking it that personally should probably take a step back.

There are old folks who have lost their edge and they need to stay off the road, literally and figuratively.

There are also wise old owls who work the system.

 

[BulbousMoses]

I don't think anyone realistically expects that.

And I don't expect that either. However, it appears from the OP that the hecklers expected it, as unrealistic as that might be..

 

[mellowinman]

I would never heckle an artist. I would, however, expect them to do what they do (ie: sing and play music). If that's what I was led to believe was going to take place for my $200 bucks then that's what I would expect.

However, if you expect an 88 year old man to be "in his prime", you are very likely to be disappointed. Hell, for $200 I can buy BB's entire discography and listen to it for years to come.

I remember reading an interview with Robert Plant regarding the one off O2 concert that Led Zeppelin did a few years back in honor of Ahmet Ertegun. He said that when they got together to do initial rehearsals, they were a bit worried that they wouldn't be able to pull it off. They were concerned that they might just be shadows of their former selves and would not have wanted to go out there if that was the case. I agree with that. Especially if an audience is paying big money to see you.

Robert Plant has been unable to sing Led Zeppelin material since about 1975.

 

[electracoyote]

And I don't expect that either. However, it appears from the OP that the hecklers expected it, as unrealistic as that might be..

I didn't get that from the article he cited.

The audience concerns and complaints outlined in the article sounded more like mine.

 

[BulbousMoses]

Robert Plant has been unable to sing Led Zeppelin material since about 1975.

Haha...reminds me of a comment made by the bass player in an old band I was in once made. We were out seeing a Zeppelin cover band and the singer wasn't really doing Robert Plant very well, to which my bass player said "Well, even Robert Plant can't do Robert Plant anymore.."

 

[ShoeManiac]

Here's something to think about in the so-called "information age": how is it that people attending B.B. King's shows now are clueless about what he's doing at a gig? Gig reviews appear to be EVERYWHERE for high profile musicians. So if you're going to spend potentially hundreds of dollars on concert tickets, isn't there some responsibility on the part of the customer to know just what kind of experience they're buying?

 

[Jim Campbell]

Here's something to think about in the so-called "information age": how is it that people attending B.B. King's shows now are clueless about what he's doing at a gig? Gig reviews appear to be EVERYWHERE for high profile musicians. So if you're going to spend potentially hundreds of dollars on concert tickets, isn't there some responsibility on the part of the customer to know just what kind of experience they're buying?

i doubt that many do...most would assume that any show would have a reasonable level of quality....

..usually one reads of an upcoming show and hopes that he calls early enough for a good seat.....reviews....i use them for things i have not heard yet,little else....

 

[electracoyote]

Here's something to think about in the so-called "information age": how is it that people attending B.B. King's shows now are clueless about what he's doing at a gig? Gig reviews appear to be EVERYWHERE for high profile musicians. So if you're going to spend potentially hundreds of dollars on concert tickets, isn't there some responsibility on the part of the customer to know just what kind of experience they're buying?

I've been attending concerts since the early 70's, for about 40 years now. On average, I've attended at least 6 concerts by international acts each year. Quick math brings that to around 240 large-theater or stadium shows that I've attended in my lifetime.

In my era, checking up on a band to see if they were going to put on a decent show was never a concern, and I can count on one hand the number of shows I've seen that were bonafide stinkers. I've seen bands in all mental and physical states, in perfect health, drunk and drugged, sick as a dog, and all points in between. And the vast majority adhered to the maxim "The show must go on," and came out and delivered like professionals.

So, no, it never occurred to me to research to see if the legendary B.B. King would put on a decent show or not. I've just not been in that habit, it is so rarely a necessity.

I suppose, as you seem to be suggesting, I had better get with the program, do the research, and beware of scammers.

 

[BulbousMoses]

I'm saddened by the aging of my musical idols too. I do not claim to know any of the backstory with King, so I don't claim to know anybody's motivations of why they keep trying to do what they are doing. -Why- is an 88-year old man doing 200 shows a year? We are seeing that it can't go on like this...

I think this gets at the root of things quite well. Everyone's life has an arc...no matter what you do in life, there will be a time frame where you are at your peak and then there will be a decline in your physical/mental abilities. It happens to everyone but there are a few freaks of nature that seem to be able to perform at a high level right to the end of their careers/lives. Those people are the exceptions to the general rule, IMO. The problem comes when we try to apply the exception as though it were the norm.

 

[nashvillebill]

It saddens me, and also reminds me of my own mortality. The artists that I loved as a kid are now old and feeble, or dead.


Then the lights begin to flicker and the sound is getting dim
The voice begins to falter and the crowds are getting thin
But he never seems to notice he's just got to find
Another place to play,
Fade Away. Got to Play.
Fade Away. Got to Play.

Bread, Guitar Man

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'd worry about the toll a 200 date tour has on someone who is 88. It would be tiring for most people half his age I expect, in a different hotel every night.

 

[Jim Campbell]

I'd worry about the toll a 200 date tour has on someone who is 88. It would be tiring for most people half his age I expect, in a different hotel every night.

actually i found it to be the opposite.....not band related,but i did it a while .... but no details to sort out,you are driven everywhere,everyone is nice to you(or your visa).....contrast that to a house full of screaming kids ,a lawn to cut......