Most Penn State students and State College residents associate "singin' the blues" with Nittany Lion football fans after this year's disappointing season.

The thousands in attendance at Friday night's B. B. King concert at the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) got a taste of the real deal.

The 79-year-old blues legend and his famous guitar Lucille, who haven't played in State College since their appearance at Eisenhower Auditorium in 1997, appeared for the first time at the BJC. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Bobby "Blue" Bland, a legendary blues vocalist in his own right as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1992, served as King's opening act. It should be noted that these two legends are by no means strangers; King and Bland are long-time friends and collaborators.

Attendees were treated to a nine-minute "jam" by Bland's six-piece band at the beginning of the evening, during which each band member showed off his musicianship.

Bland then joined the band for the more mellow of the evening's two performances.

Bland's performance almost made you feel like you were back at some kind of blues lounge, relaxing and drinking the night away. His voice was cool and smooth, delicately crooning throughout each tune of his hour-long set, while he oddly inserted snorting noises--think about the noise made when that the kid in grade school gathered every last drop of phlegm from his throat to spit on you--that seemed to be on purpose.

The crowd seemed mildly responsive to Bland, and yes, there was even a drunken call out for "Freebird," to remind us we were still on a college campus, to which Bland replied, "Back in the day, I could drink you all under the table."

Bland's audience interaction was minimal but entertaining, as he cracked a couple jokes and even offered one front-row audience member the chance to sing into his microphone.

King's band began much the same way as Bland's did, but with a much more upbeat youthful performance. The eight-piece band, which included a brass section, played an amazing, almost 20-minute introduction piece.

A loud standing ovation welcomed King to the stage as he sat down and immediately joined in with the band mid-song, emotionally plucking away at Lucille. King's facial expressions and guitar skills in the first five minutes of his performance made Bland's performance, well, bland in comparison.

"I feel good tonight!" King said, before yelling out, "Are you ready?"

King has a very energetic vocal style that mixes yelling and singing, and his band played tunes that ranged from old-time blues to '50s rock 'n' roll. King had the crowd singing along throughout his performance to tunes such as his 1969 hit "The Thrill is Gone" and "When Love Comes to Town," a crowd favorite.

King was quite the entertainer on top of his legendary vocal and guitar skills. He often joked with the audience and even conversed with the first couple of rows. In the front row, seven audience members each wore a letter on their shirts spelling out Lucille.

"Look baby, they are wearing your name," King said to his guitar. "I'll kiss her for you," he said.

Sara Aboulafia (freshman-philosophy and international politics) said she was surprised at how much King interacted with the audience, especially because of his old age. "I didn't think he was going to have that much energy," Aboulafia said. "He's very charming, and he was winning me over."

Despite his solid performance, the most impressive event of the evening occurred after King was finished performing. He stood at the lip of the stage and handed out picks, pins and necklaces to fans, while also shaking hands and thanking those lucky enough to get close to him for coming to his show.

King left the stage like a heavyweight boxer who had just won a championship, being helped into a long, expensive looking coat and hat, before finally giving in to his old age by being taken from the stage in a wheel chair.

Dennis Seaman, a Penn State graduate, said he was impressed with both performers, adding that their performances and attitudes were better than most of today's popular musicians. "I think Dave Matthews could learn a lot from these guys," Seaman said.