 Photo by: Miles Overn copyright (c) 2012BB King played Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday night to a large and very appreciative crowd. There is a reason he has been called the “King of the Blues Worldwide” and it was on full display as he charmed and entertained a very diverse audience of very young to much older.King is so much more than a blues legend. He is an icon that this reviewer has been lucky enough to see many times over the past 35 years or so. At 86, he may not have the same energy or even the chops that he did in his earlier days, but those things have never been all that BB King is about. The core of his performances has always been his humility, his deep love of the blues, and his desire to share them with people from every walk of life.As he has done for many years, King had his band come on and play for close to half an hour before he took the stage. Each player had his time literally in the spotlight and got the chance to show his stuff. As per usual, the band contained a four piece horn section, drummer, bass player, keyboardist and another guitarist, all capable of laying down some serious blues and R&B grooves. Having warmed themselves and the audience up, the man everyone came to see took the stage.King has always connected with his audience and done so immediately. He did so again last night as his authenticity and genuineness remain obvious and are virtually impossible to resist. He beamed his appreciation of the reception he received, returned smiles and thumbs up, and tossed out picks to adoring fans who delighted in catching them.He and his band ran through many of his biggest hits and even some newer tunes. He left many of the quicker solos to his second guitarist, but kept the most emotive songs to solo on himself. He still possesses all the warmth and tone and expressiveness that made him famous to start with. While he paced himself throughout the night, the passion with which he sang “The Thrill is Gone” wiped away the decades and reminded you of why you fell in love with BB in the first place. His versions of “One Kind Favor,” along with “Key to the Highway,” were other highlights for this reviewer.There can’t be many more tours left in this man who has both given his life to and gotten so much from the blues. He continues to give everything he’s got during his performances and to draw his audience in to share the moment, the blues, and a sense of community or even family. Such was the case last night as BB King and the SOEC crowd shared a moment of forever.
|