B.B. King brings blues to campus

B.B. King is 71 years old.

Even fewer have had the adventures and experiences he's had, and lived to tell the stories numerous times to people in 79 different countries.

But last night, King was alive and well in Eisenhower Auditorium, singing his life away to a full house. And, although he took a breather or two by sitting down and drinking water to a slower pace of music, King carried the elated crowd through a wild performance that resounded with energy most performers one-third his age would envy.

King spanned enough genres to thrill every fan in the house. His band got people in a groovy spirit with an intro of jazz-funk, complete with organ and guitar.

After the all-purpose band, that included a horn section and two percussionists, got people's appetites sufficiently whetted, all the members faced to the right of the stage to welcome King into the spotlight, immediately drawing a standing ovation.

"I'm no actor," B.B. explained, as he started down his path of adventurous tales. King told the story of how he came as close as a non-actor can come to receiving an Oscar, as he appeared in footage from the recent documentary, When We Were Kings. King proceeded to play his song from the film.

Vice President of Student Affairs William Asbury, who attended the concert, was glad the University could host a living legend such as King.

"It's not every day that you get to see a blues legend live," Asbury said.

Asbury said he is a big fan of instrumental music, and he particularly likes blues performed by jazz musicians. What he got was probably just as good, as B.B. King often played the role of a blues musician performing jazz music.

King and his band jammed and jammed, drawing an extraordinary amount of audience interaction. People felt free to scream and shout compliments and cheers, to which King would attentively smile, nod and occasionally say a word of thanks.

The band did a round of solos, many of which prompted further spontaneous standing ovations. One particularly interesting point was when the two drummers did a duo set where they improvised off one another.

After almost an hour of lively jamming, however, King eased down into a chair, sat back and sighed with relief as he was served a glass of water.

The band played on, but the pace changed, and they ventured into more traditional blues material.

"I'm not tired," King said. "This is my way of reminiscing 48 years of trying to play the blues B.B. King style."

As King began his trek down memory lane, he looked not like a disgruntled old bluesman fretting over unfulfilled dreams, but like a genuinely content performer who's led a very full life.

"I'm a blues man, but a good man, understand," he spoke-sang. "Good things come to those who wait, and I've waited a long time."

After a while, however, an invigorated King revved-up the rhythm and played some rock 'n' roll, interspersed with tales of old-time moonshining in the Delta.

After playing "Rock Me" and "The Thrill is Gone," King went around again and introduced all the band members, including his nephew on saxophone, Walter King, and his guitar, Lucille.

The band jammed out for a few minutes, and then King sang a bluesy version of "When Love Comes to Town," which he popularized with U2 on U2's Rattle and Hum.

The crowd hollered, whistled and gave yet another standing ovation.

"It was one of the best crowd responses I've seen at a concert," said Brad Neiman (junior-engineering science). "He was workin' the crowd."

Keith Reiner (junior-media studies), who attended the concert, said he thinks there is not enough jazz or blues at the University, but the King show definitely served up.

"I thought it was a blast," Reiner said. "He's a great entertainer; lots of energy."