Saturday - October 17, 2009
B.B. King’s concert at the Aronoff Center Friday night was one of the best concerts we have attended. At 84, the jazz musician still could play the guitar and sing the blues. We were fortunate to have gotten front row center seats! We felt we were right on stage with him! At times when he would look down at the audience, he was actually talking directly to us!!! He interacted with the audience throughout the entire concert. Those of us up front had a really great chance to see his facial expressions which made what he said and sang even better! There were some older ladies next to Bill who had apparently been BB King fans for a long time!! They had their 95 year old mother there who has not missed one of his concerts when he comes to Cincinnati. BB King was a true gentleman and gave this lady a special token of his appreciation for her being there! This little lady just smiled from ear to ear!
When BB came out on stage with the assistance of his closest friends, he was throwing something out into the audience. Of course being on the front row allowed us to see what it was. He was throwing out guitar pick with his name and picture on them as souvenirs. Bill caught one!! Wow, a pick given to us by BB King. Some think this is no big deal – maybe not, but it sure is a nice memento for the evening we spent listening to BB King!
It was nice that King has the motivation to stay on the road, especially for those who want the chance to see a living legend! If what he sings is to be believed, King doesn’t plan on slowing his pace. From what we could tell, he was having a blast, not only with the audience, but with his eight member band! Seated in a chair at the front of the stage for the duration of the performance, King played his guitar, Lucille, sang his songs, and told stories. We laughed till I cried with some of his stories. According to one of the reviews, BB King was a little absent minded and lost his train of thought when telling a story. This may have been true, but he is 84 years old!!! Bill and I both felt it was a great concert – guess the “real” music experts felt otherwise!
Some of the musical moments involved King going pop. There was a a section where U2’s “When Love Comes to Town” was sung and then it was followed by “You Are My Sunshine.” Those two songs typically appear in a B.B. King setlist, as did most of the rest, like “Let the Good Times Roll,” “Rock Me Baby,” “I Need You So” and his signature “The Thrill is Gone.” A notable addition was “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” which he said the producer wouldn’t let him sing until he was 84!
If we can take the hint he gave us through song, BB King is nowhere close to quitting doing what he loves to do – tour and sing the blues! When he first took his chair center stage he sang, “I’m gonna roam this old highway till the break of day,” and he added a line with an ad lib, singing: “I guess I’m gonna do it till I die, folks.” He received a round of applause from a very appreciative crowd!
BB King performed for over two hours! At the end, his “helpers” and band member gave him something – he was throwing more souvenirs out to the audience! Being on the front row did have advantages! He threw out lapel pins which I was able to catch. He threw them right towards us!! Wow – two souvenirs now.
But wait, it gets even better. He was not finished with the souvenirs. I could see a gold chain (not real gold) with a pendant in his hand, and he was pointing toward the person he wanted to give one to!!! He had given out about ten when he pointed at me!!! YES, ME!!!! He tossed it to me and I caught it – this was a big “old have mercy” as Marty one of the Reds’ announcers would say! We now came away with memories of a great show, a few photos, and three souvenirs!!!!
BB King is not only a legend in the blues, but he was a true gentleman, and a great entertainer! Thanks BB for a great evening!
This is an example of the facial expressions we were able to see from our seat. He was very animated with his expression at time when telling stories, or interacting with the audience!
He loved playing "Lucille!"
Reacting to what one of the band members said!
BB leaving at the end of the show!
Some of our souvenirs!
. . . 
The man on the left is BB's nephew!
At 84 and with "bad" legs, BB said he needed to sit through the show!!
He really got into the mood of the blues!
His way of showing appreciation and love for the audience!!!
The necklace thrown directly to me!!! 
One more tidbit: the opening act was done by Willie Nelson's son, Lukas, and his band! Apparently BB king and Willie are great friends!!! The warm-up act was really great too!!!!
