Armadillo ‘Tween and I have Daddy-Daughter dates semi-annually, where we’ll dress up a little bit and go out to dinner or go dancing or to a movie…we’ll do something she enjoys, even if it’s a bit “girly” for me (getting her nails done, going to a Tea Room in an antique mall, going to see a Disney Princess movie, something like that). Lady Armadillo stays at home or goes out with her girlfriends on these occasions.

I have a theory that if a father dances with his daughter at parties (even if he’s a bad dancer) or takes her out and treats her like a lady, (and if he generally just pays attention what she is into), she will expect that from her boyfriend(s)/husband later in life, and be less likely to put up with the boorish jackasses that many young (and old, for that matter) men are apt to be. It also opens the communication channels early, which hopefully will stay open throughout Hades, erm...the teenage years.

Since BB King was playing at the nearby Indian Casino, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share a cool experience with her, one of her first actual concerts. She’s been to my gigs (at least the ones that are in family venues), and she’s been to several festivals with live music, but this was the first “concert” she ever attended.

…and since he is a legend as well as one of the last of the first-generation electric bluesmen left, I wanted to make sure the Armadillo ‘Tween could see him before he died…and I’m glad she got to do that (more on that later).

I’ve always enjoyed his live shows and a lot of his music. I’ve seen him five times in concert—the first time was in 1989/90 at a Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce event honoring a long-time African American Dallas city councilman and community activist (guess who stuck out like a sore thumb? ), three other times at the travelling BB King Blues Festivals he used to host, and once at the (Dallas) Clapton Crossroads Festival. Each time was fun and entertaining, but I knew that he was older and reported had been sick recently, so I didn’t expect too much out of him.

Armadillo ‘Tween was extremely excited. She knows his music (she’s been listening to blues since she was in the womb; I have raised her on a steady diet of all kinds of good music, but my listening habits lean heavily toward blues)…she was ecstatic that we were going to see him.



We were both thrilled (the thrill wasn’t gone, after all ) to see Lucille up close…



…and I enjoyed seeing his semi-legendary Lab Series L5 amp.



…as well as the other guitarist’s Lab Series L7 and Gibson guitar; it was a different amp than Mr. King’s (it looked like it had a 4x10 speaker configuration). I don’t know much about those amps, but they sounded good.



There was a nice blended crowd—various ages (mostly leaning to the older side), various races (unfortunately rare in our current community)—and everyone seemed excited to be there, even the event staff.

The show started out like many of his other shows—the band (without him) started playing a jazzy, bluesy instrumental, with each member taking extended solos. Each of the horn players (bari sax, tenor sax, trumpet and bigger trumpet), the keyboardist, bassist, guitarist and drummer all took a turn to shine. Every time I’ve seen Mr. King, this is how his show started, so I thought nothing was amiss. They played a second tune, this one a bit slower and bluesier. The band was crackling, and each of them was a master of their instrument.

Then the King himself came out on stage…
I was shocked and saddened when I saw him; in fact, it broke my heart a little. He looked extremely sick; his face was drawn and his skin was grey. He was able to walk to his chair, but not very steadily.



The first song he played on was very shaky; he seemed to be a bit confused as to where he was supposed to come in, and he couldn’t seem to remember the words…he didn’t sing an complete song the entire night, with the exception of the old tune “Baby I Need You So.” He would usually just sing a verse or two and then just vamp all the way to the end of the song.

During the first song, it became obvious that Lucille had fallen a bit out of tune between the pre-show tuning and the performance. He seemed embarrassed and joked, “Oh man, she’s gone on without me—a young woman will do that to an old man!” He re-tuned and did much better.

He interacted with the audience quite a bit; it reminded me when I went to shows in the predominantly black nightclubs (the Chitlin’ Circuit) where the audience was a part of the show just as much as the show…People would walk up and ask him questions or make requests between (and sometimes during) the songs, and he often answered them directly.

He was funny and engaging, and very entertaining; one woman walked to the edge of the stage and started talking to him, he answered and she kept on talking to him and he answered again. She wouldn’t stop talking and eventually security came to escort her away, and Mr. King said, “They comin’ for you, honey…take care!” in a comical way.

He did get in the groove toward the latter part of the show, and played a bit more, and a bit better, but you could tell he was struggling all night, musically. I don’t mean to criticize him, but he wasn’t his best that night; that broke my heart a little more, because I remember when he could really rip it up for several hours straight. I am worried that Mr. King will not be with us too much longer if he doesn’t get some rest. His touring schedule (when I looked at his website) was as strenuous as many musicians half his age or less! (Click on the picture for a video of “The Thrill Is Gone”):



At his age and with his legendary status, I wonder why he doesn’t hold a several-night stand at a few small clubs or auditoriums throughout the country (instead of continuous one-night stands), so he doesn’t have to travel between shows. Being on the road is detrimental to young people, I can’t imagine an 86-year-old man with diabetes.

As tired and as sick as he seemed to be, he still knows how to work a crowd. His introduction of the band was just about as funny as any comedian I’ve ever seen in person, and he never said anything dirty (a little bit leaning to the naughty, but never anything past PG rating).

He also led the audience in a sing-a-long of “You Are My Sunshine” and made that an opportunity for all the ladies to “kiss the man they may have their eye on”…he really is a consummate performer, and I enjoyed the show very much. (Click on the picture below…again, pardon the shaky video…I really need more caffeine in my system)…



At the end of the night, he always throws out little lapel pins and trinkets. I figured Armadillo ‘Tween, being the skinny little thing she is, could get up to the front, so I had told her, “Get up against the rail, call him Mr. King (not BB) and wave at him…” (I was just a few feet behind her but couldn’t politely push any further forward). She did so, and was rewarded with not only a lapel pin but also a necklace…he got the attention of the security guard, pointed at her and gave the guard a necklace to give to her. He waved and signaled “I love you” to her…that alone made the entire show for me, even more than her.




She said, “He noticed me! BB KING NOTICED ME!”

…and I thought, “and I’m so glad he treated you as special as I know you are…”

Thank you, Mr. King for making my daughter happy…please take care of yourself.

_________________
Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

What a great memory for you and your daughter, SA.

As for the concert itself, we had a similar experience with his show in Nashville. I don't think he completed a single song that night. At times, it was painful to watch. But, like you, we were happy to see him again, one more time.

Buddy Guy opened for him in Nashville and was, in a word, incredible. At 74 years young, he was totally on his game that night.

Cool post Matt! Great pic's and story!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Thanks for the nice write up SA. When my daughter was a bit younger, I would take her to the concerts of her choice. Blink 182, Rob Zombie etc. I miss those days, not so much the music though.
I got to see BB for the first time, in '68 at a festival in Cleveland. I've been a fan a long time. It really is sad, the way he has aged the last couple of years. He's a gentleman, who's legacy is already set in stone.

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'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
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'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
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'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue

What a great review of the show. Sounds as though it was painful to see. But we all know that a man like BB King cant stop what he's been doing all his life. If he did he would probably be gone in no time. Wow that must have been a great experionce for your daughter.
----Danny,

What a man, what a sound

I don't think there will be any close comparisons to these legends when they're all gone. One I can think of who is a great singer/player is Gary Clark Jr.

Awesome post, though.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Cool story.

I've heard about his declining health and how he plays less.

Sad in a way--but it happens to everybody if we hang around long enough.
And so I'm glad he has hung around long enough.

I've seen him a couple of times--both of which would be in my top 5 concerts with the second time being in my top 2.
But it's been years since I've seen him.

Anyways--cool story, and good to hear your daughter is being encouraged in this way, I wish more parents were like that.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

I saw him Saturday night at Billy Bob's in Forth Worth. His band played the first 15 minutes solo. He came out and took 15 minutes more introducing his band some members he talked about three or four times. Then he launched into his set. Rock Me Baby, Nobody Loves Me But My Mother, Thrill is Gone, Key to the Highway, Stormy Monday. There were two songs he kinda just got lost in and stopped. After he played Stormy Monday it was only 45 minutes after he wrapped up introducing the band. He said it's time to go and sang You are my Sunshine twice and it was over. I don't know if it is B.B. who wants to keep touring or his management who keeps booking him but they needs to stop. I'm glad to have seen him again and I'll remember the brilliance in his playing that night and I'll forget that he looked like a defeated man.

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Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran

BB should retire, he's too old for all this nowadays. When an artist can no longer perform up to their usual standard, it's time to call a halt IMO. Forgetting songs and not singing complete songs is just embarrassing for a guy who was a legend and inspiration to so many round the globe. It's sad to see and upsetting too.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Very Cool

I agree and disagree...

I remember seeing a greatly diminished Frank Sinatra on TV in his later years, and wondered why he didn't give it up...but then I met my father-in-law:

Lady Armadillo was raised by her grandparents, and her grandfather (heretofore called "Papa") was an energetic, enthusiastic hard worker. He did whatever kind of work was necessary to make ends meet, until he learned how to read and became a plumber in his late 40's. By his late 50's, he was well established and one of the fixtures of the business in Fort Worth. Ten years after he retired, he still had people calling him to come fix their sinks or install the plumbing on their new home.

He retired when he was 80...not because he wanted to retire, but because he couldn't see to drive anymore! Lady Armadillo was worried that he would get depressed, but he instead put all his energy into volunteer work in his congregation. He had a passion and a drive for life.

Every morning, he would put on a suit and tie and go down to the front of his apartment and wait for the bus or for his younger friends (in their 70's!) to come and pick him up; they would be gone all day, visiting sick congregants, encouraging other people and generally staying busy.

He rarely complained, even when he broke his leg and had go go through physical rehab, or when he got sick with pneumonia and ended up in the hospital.

He went from two legs to two legs and a cane to a walker, but he kept on moving.

He did complain to me once, "If I could just feel like I did when I was 60!" ...it made me feel bad for wishing I was back in my 20's.

On occasion, we would worry about him--it was too cold or too hot or dangerous road conditions for his friends to pick him up. We would worry he'd get on the wrong bus or something. 

When he was 91, I said, "Papa, you know it's ok to slow down a little bit."
"Son, it's the only thing that keeps me going. If I stop, I die."
...and he never stopped until one horrible Monday morning when he was 94. 

The same might be true of Mr. King. He loves to perform and obviously has some type of inner drive (even if he can't do what he used to do), and he's probably doing it the only way he knows how.

I still wish he could make some sort of "home stand" at a theater or club, where people could go to him (kinda like the old country stars do in Branson, Missouri) but we all know that's not always practical...Memphis would be the perfect place to start such a trend...

...and on a purely selfish note, I'm glad he didn't quit before Armadillo 'Tween got to see him. 

How many kids like SuperKid CopperTele or Riley or Buxom or Tessa won't get a chance to see him, even if it's in a diminished capacity?

It broke my heart to see how much he's fallen, but it warmed my heart to see how much he still wanted to do it.

He's still better than a good portion of the modern "stars", even at half or quarter ability...

_________________
Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Such a cool post SA, thats going to stay in both your's and young Armadaughters memory forever

In a way, I sort of agree, but I don't really want to admit it...

BB King and Chuck Berry are both in their 80's, and have laid the foundation for all of us to continue to build on. Without these two giants, there would be no rock 'n roll or blues guitar.

I heard about Chuck Berry doing a show recently, and word has it he was forgetting lyrics, and his guitar was all out of tune.

BB King is and will always be a blues legend. But he is now so frail, he has to sit down in a chair to play Lucille. It's sad to see...