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REVIEW: A Lively Legend Lets Loose At Hancher

By Steven Horowitz

The legendary blues singer and guitarist B.B. King performed for almost two hours to a full house at Hancher Auditorium last night. The 82-year-old musician may have told stories more than he sang and played, but the audience clearly enjoyed just being in the great man’s presence and rewarded him with a standing ovation.

Age has taken a physical toll on King. He remained seated during his entire set and at times his raspy voice was difficult to hear. But King’s talent and gusto remained evident.

When King did play his guitar, famously named Lucille, his distinctive style of fingering single notes and letting them ring came out loud and clear. During several numbers King let the strings do the talking and excited the crowd with a mournful solo.

King also belted out verses of some of his more famous tunes, including “When Love Comes to Town,” “Every Day I Have the Blues,” and “Rock Me Baby” with a soulful beauty. His gritty voice is as well-known and appreciated as his instrumental prowess, one of the reasons why he was among the first artists elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

But King rarely sang and played a song from beginning to end. He would interrupt a tune to tell a story, involve the audience in a call and response, or let his 8-piece band take over.

The backup band featured four horn players. The brass section let loose and wailed during several songs for full effect and got the joint jumping.

But the real highlights came when the horn section left the stage, leaving King to perform with a smaller combo. King would have another guitar and bass play rhythm behind him as the piano tinkled and the drummer kept the beat. Then he would start to verbalize and strum.

This worked effectively on tunes such as “All Over Again” and “Nobody Loves Me But My Mother.” King had a smooth way of gliding back and forth between singing and talking.

The bluesman’s spiel ran to two main subjects. He told tales about growing up in rural Mississippi and how much better life was now, and talked about his love for women. “I’m addicted to ladies,” he confessed. King made bawdy jokes about Dr. Viagra, the mating habits of black widow spiders and the joy of just watching women walk.

Yet despite King’s stated obsession with the female sex, he never said anything that would be inappropriate for children. “I would never embarrass anyone in front of their family,” he boasted. He understands the value of putting things between the lines.

So in a certain way, the most risqué song King offered was the Jimmie Davis classic “You Are My Sunshine.” He gave the innocent lyrics a sly connotation by saying if you do something nice for the one you love, maybe that person will reward you with a favor. King had the crowd sing the first verse with him three times, each one more bluesy and sensual than the one before, as he emphasized the point of treating someone nice in hopes of getting recompensed properly.

King joked about how some people think every concert must be his last concert because of his age. But while he may have to play sitting down, he shows no sign of slowing down. King is scheduled to play the big Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee this summer along with Pearl Jam, Metallica and Kanye West.

After performing onstage for more than an hour and a half, King apologized to the audience and asked if he could play just one more song. Then he launched into his signature number “The Thrill is Gone.” The crowd erupted in appreciation, but King wasn’t done yet.

He proceeded to sneak in one more tune, and even when that was over, King still didn’t leave the stage. As the houselights went up, King tossed out souvenir gold-colored chains to the crowd and signed autographs for the many who stormed the stage and held out posters and programs for him to sign. The band may have stopped playing, but King wasn’t done yet.