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Thread started 04/08/14 4:36am

missfee

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Was B.B. King heckled or "encouraged" during his performance?

confused

Erratic B.B. King performance makes fans blue

ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, AP
14 hours ago

ST. LOUIS (AP) — At 88, blues guitarist B.B. King is a living legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his own satellite radio channel and a string of blues-themed restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and several other cities.

Slowed by age and infirmity, including diabetes, King continues to tour — with sometimes painful results. In St. Louis, some fans are singing the blues after an erratic weekend performance led to a stream of audience catcalls and early departures.

Concertgoers said King's rambling Friday night set at the Peabody Opera House featured just a handful of complete songs amid meandering musical snippets, long-winded soliloquies, an 8-piece backup band that missed its cues and a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine."

"Is he a living legend? Absolutely. Do I love his music? You bet," said digital marketing executive Larry Goldstein, who paid $150 for a pair of tickets plus parking. "But when you're paying that type of money, you expect to see a show."

The experience at King's concert highlights an increasingly common occurrence as musicians in their 70s and 80s take the stage in front of nostalgic audiences. A recent St. Louis concert by 87-year-old rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry was also marked by missed chords, forgotten lyrics and a backing band's persistent efforts to cover Berry's missteps.

St. Louis record store owner Tom "Papa" Ray did not attend the King concert, but said audiences should know to adjust their expectations when watching beloved musicians whose peak is well in the past.

"If your 88-year-old father or grandfather was great in a particular art or craft, and his performance was disappointing, would you heckle him?" said Ray, owner of Vintage Vinyl. "It totally saddened me to hear about that."

Brad Goodman, King's Los Angeles-based agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, declined to comment through an assistant. Peabody Opera House executives and King's Las Vegas promoter did not respond to multiple interview requests.

Other recent King performances have also struck sour notes. During a November concert in North Texas, the bluesman's voice "was weak and ragged, and his trademark guitar style had dissolved into a parade of sour notes," a Dallas Morning News review said.

Bob Johnson, a retired IRS agent who attended the St. Louis concert with his adult daughter, said the dissatisfied audience members were trying to encourage King more than criticize him, suggesting specific song titles or urging him to "Play some music" during the long interludes.

"Everybody was trying to be respectful that this guy is 88 years old," he said. "It was painful to watch."

I will forever love and miss you...my sweet Prince.
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Reply #1 posted 04/08/14 4:46am

SoulAlive

It pains me to say this,but....

88 years old is simply too old for any artist to be touring.At some point,their health becomes more important.They need to retire from live performances.I recently attended a Super Oldies R&B concert and during one of the songs,the lead singer of a group had to sit down during the first song! He was already out of breath.They brought a chair out for him and he sang the rest of the set sitting down.

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Reply #2 posted 04/08/14 12:23pm

Stymie

The last three times I've seen him, it has been painful to watch. And yes, You Are My Sunshine lasted about fifteen minutes. Plus, B.B. hardly plays anymore.
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Reply #3 posted 04/08/14 12:30pm

bobzilla77

I do appreciate there are some performers worth seeing in a diminished state - even if Aretha can't hit all the old high notes, she's still capable of drawing tears. The trick is to put together a show that emphasizes your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses.

Sadly, if the show ain't happening, he should stop selling tickets. I watched Johnny Winter do a gig when he was clearly in no condition to do so, it sent us home really bummed out, and definitely not in the mood to go to any more Johnny Winter concerts.

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Reply #4 posted 04/08/14 12:49pm

Timmy84

Some performers should know when to quit. Little Richard quit at the right time because I doubt his memory would get any better if he kept performing. Plus his hip issues. Chuck Berry should've quit when he fainted onstage three years ago. B.B. King hasn't really been playing guitar for a while and I don't know how he sounds these days.

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Reply #5 posted 04/09/14 3:18am

chocolate1

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My Dad is a huge BB King fan.
The last time I bought my parents tickets, my Mom said that he was disappointed and didn't want to see him anymore. sad


"Love Hurts.
Your lies, they cut me.
Now your words don't mean a thing.
I don't give a damn if you ever loved me..."

-Cher, "Woman's World"
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Reply #6 posted 04/09/14 6:37am

laurarichardso
n

missfee said:

confused

Erratic B.B. King performance makes fans blue

ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, AP
14 hours ago

music-20140407-US-BB-King-Performance

ST. LOUIS (AP) — At 88, blues guitarist B.B. King is a living legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his own satellite radio channel and a string of blues-themed restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and several other cities.

Slowed by age and infirmity, including diabetes, King continues to tour — with sometimes painful results. In St. Louis, some fans are singing the blues after an erratic weekend performance led to a stream of audience catcalls and early departures.

Concertgoers said King's rambling Friday night set at the Peabody Opera House featured just a handful of complete songs amid meandering musical snippets, long-winded soliloquies, an 8-piece backup band that missed its cues and a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine."

"Is he a living legend? Absolutely. Do I love his music? You bet," said digital marketing executive Larry Goldstein, who paid $150 for a pair of tickets plus parking. "But when you're paying that type of money, you expect to see a show."

The experience at King's concert highlights an increasingly common occurrence as musicians in their 70s and 80s take the stage in front of nostalgic audiences. A recent St. Louis concert by 87-year-old rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry was also marked by missed chords, forgotten lyrics and a backing band's persistent efforts to cover Berry's missteps.

St. Louis record store owner Tom "Papa" Ray did not attend the King concert, but said audiences should know to adjust their expectations when watching beloved musicians whose peak is well in the past.

"If your 88-year-old father or grandfather was great in a particular art or craft, and his performance was disappointing, would you heckle him?" said Ray, owner of Vintage Vinyl. "It totally saddened me to hear about that."

Brad Goodman, King's Los Angeles-based agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, declined to comment through an assistant. Peabody Opera House executives and King's Las Vegas promoter did not respond to multiple interview requests.

Other recent King performances have also struck sour notes. During a November concert in North Texas, the bluesman's voice "was weak and ragged, and his trademark guitar style had dissolved into a parade of sour notes," a Dallas Morning News review said.

Bob Johnson, a retired IRS agent who attended the St. Louis concert with his adult daughter, said the dissatisfied audience members were trying to encourage King more than criticize him, suggesting specific song titles or urging him to "Play some music" during the long interludes.

"Everybody was trying to be respectful that this guy is 88 years old," he said. "It was painful to watch."

He should retire because he cannot do it anymore but heckling him is just plain mean. I honestly think we live in country of ill-mannered half breeds. We are all going to get old and at the rate things are going we will all still be working when we are in our 80s.

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Reply #7 posted 04/09/14 8:12am

thesoulbrother

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I don't believe in heckling any artist, regardless if they put on a good show or not. However, I am of the opinion that at some point, it's time to bow out gracefully and know when the show is over. I saw Bobby Womack about two years ago and it was just... painful. He forgot the words to "Fly Me to the Moon" and the next thing I know, he was ushered off the stage and the show was over. Just like that. In the case of BB King, maybe he enjoys performing but if he's in no condition to get onstage, it's time. I was so glad when Little Richard retired. He simply said "I'm tired" and I respected that. Another instance I can recall is seeing James Brown right before he passed away and although I was glad to see JB, it was heartbreaking. He was a shell of himself. It's one thing if you can still do your thing but when you're to the point that you can't do what you used to do, it's time to move on.

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Reply #8 posted 04/09/14 9:40am

Timmy84

thesoulbrother said:

I don't believe in heckling any artist, regardless if they put on a good show or not. However, I am of the opinion that at some point, it's time to bow out gracefully and know when the show is over. I saw Bobby Womack about two years ago and it was just... painful. He forgot the words to "Fly Me to the Moon" and the next thing I know, he was ushered off the stage and the show was over. Just like that. In the case of BB King, maybe he enjoys performing but if he's in no condition to get onstage, it's time. I was so glad when Little Richard retired. He simply said "I'm tired" and I respected that. Another instance I can recall is seeing James Brown right before he passed away and although I was glad to see JB, it was heartbreaking. He was a shell of himself. It's one thing if you can still do your thing but when you're to the point that you can't do what you used to do, it's time to move on.

And Bobby was what, 67-68? Yeah sometimes you gotta know when to say when...

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Reply #9 posted 04/09/14 9:52am

Empress

I agree that he has to think about giving up touring and take care of himself during his last few years, however, ANYONE that heckles this man during a concert, is a complete and utter asshole.

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Reply #10 posted 04/09/14 10:10am

laurarichardso
n

thesoulbrother said:

I don't believe in heckling any artist, regardless if they put on a good show or not. However, I am of the opinion that at some point, it's time to bow out gracefully and know when the show is over. I saw Bobby Womack about two years ago and it was just... painful. He forgot the words to "Fly Me to the Moon" and the next thing I know, he was ushered off the stage and the show was over. Just like that. In the case of BB King, maybe he enjoys performing but if he's in no condition to get onstage, it's time. I was so glad when Little Richard retired. He simply said "I'm tired" and I respected that. Another instance I can recall is seeing James Brown right before he passed away and although I was glad to see JB, it was heartbreaking. He was a shell of himself. It's one thing if you can still do your thing but when you're to the point that you can't do what you used to do, it's time to move on.

Bobby Womack is suffering from Alizimaters and this was only recently discovered. If it was painful for you imagine what he is dealing with.

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Reply #11 posted 04/09/14 11:01am

thesoulbrother

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laurarichardson said:

thesoulbrother said:

I don't believe in heckling any artist, regardless if they put on a good show or not. However, I am of the opinion that at some point, it's time to bow out gracefully and know when the show is over. I saw Bobby Womack about two years ago and it was just... painful. He forgot the words to "Fly Me to the Moon" and the next thing I know, he was ushered off the stage and the show was over. Just like that. In the case of BB King, maybe he enjoys performing but if he's in no condition to get onstage, it's time. I was so glad when Little Richard retired. He simply said "I'm tired" and I respected that. Another instance I can recall is seeing James Brown right before he passed away and although I was glad to see JB, it was heartbreaking. He was a shell of himself. It's one thing if you can still do your thing but when you're to the point that you can't do what you used to do, it's time to move on.

Bobby Womack is suffering from Alizimaters and this was only recently discovered. If it was painful for you imagine what he is dealing with.

This was about a year before he came forward with his issues with Alzheimer's Disease.

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Reply #12 posted 04/09/14 6:11pm

laurarichardso
n

thesoulbrother said:

laurarichardson said:

Bobby Womack is suffering from Alizimaters and this was only recently discovered. If it was painful for you imagine what he is dealing with.

This was about a year before he came forward with his issues with Alzheimer's Disease.

Yes, he probaly had no idea what was going on.

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Reply #13 posted 04/12/14 3:36am

Fury

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I saw Frankie Beverly last year and it was painful...folk were leaving in droves 25-30
Mins into the set. The place was more than half empty by shows end
sad
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Reply #14 posted 04/12/14 9:25am

Timmy84

Fury said:

I saw Frankie Beverly last year and it was painful...folk were leaving in droves 25-30 Mins into the set. The place was more than half empty by shows end sad

Frankie hasn't been of great voice in a while...

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Reply #15 posted 04/12/14 1:32pm

nursev

Empress said:

I agree that he has to think about giving up touring and take care of himself during his last few years, however, ANYONE that heckles this man during a concert, is a complete and utter asshole.





Agreed
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Reply #16 posted 04/13/14 4:51am

Lammastide

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88-year-old artist of compromised health + millennial hipsters who likely swim in the cachet of, but not an arrived reverence for, the tradition = this type of bullshit. I'm not at all surprised.

They're lucky B.B. is a lot more graceful than, say, Dave Chappelle.... or me. I'd have hung out for my minimum contracted set, then told them all where they could stick their "blues." rolleyes And the next time I'd charge them $250 per ticket.

[Edited 4/13/14 5:23am]

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
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Reply #17 posted 04/15/14 9:57pm

Fury

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Reply #18 posted 04/20/14 4:42pm

MickyDolenz

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B.B. King Apologizes for 'Bad Night' in St. Louis

By Marc Schneider | April 15, 2014 2:24 PM EDT - Billboard

B.B. King Apologizes for 'Bad Night' in St. Louis

B.B. King was a rambling man at a recent concert date in St. Louis, and now the blues legend is saying sorry. King's erratic performance on April 4 at the Peabody Opera House included long-winded stories and a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine." Half of the show was spent with the house lights on, and some shouted at the 88-year-old icon to "play."

On Tuesday a rep for King responded to the controversy by issuing a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which ran the concert review that led to national coverage of the evening. The review carefully factored in King's age, but pointed out that the artist's younger backing band did not seem overly concerned.

.

"When King was lost for a lyric or simply what to do next, the band seemed more than content to stand respectfully by and watch him (metaphorically) die," wrote Daniel Durchholz. According to the rep, the Peabody date was King's first show in four weeks and was preceded by a 24-hour drive from his home in Las Vegas to the Gateway City. He also apparently forgot to take his diabetes medication that day.

.

"The combination of the rigors of the very long drive and high blood sugar due to his medication error resulted in a performance that did not match Mr. King's usual standard of excellence," the statement reads. "Simply put, it was a bad night for one of America's living blues legends -- and Mr. King apologizes and humbly asks for the understanding of his fans."

King has a string of upcoming concert dates, beginning April 16 in Red Bank, NJ. He's also scheduled to perform in Albany and The Bronx later this month,and in May he plays two shows in Illinois.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Reply #19 posted 04/21/14 4:14pm

guitarslinger4
4

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I think if this is a regular thing he should think about hanging it up. But if people are still willing to pony up to see him and he still enjoys playing, why should he?

The big thing here to me is that we live in a society that expects you to never age, never decline, which is unreasonable. I can't imagine why anyone would go to a BB King for anything but the experience of seeing him live. He's an aging mascot for the blues, an important artist, but at his age, I think it's unreasonable to expect him to play like he played even 20 years ago much less 40.

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Reply #20 posted 04/22/14 8:48am

Miles

One way of looking at it is his story is part of the story of the blues, full of trial and tribulation, joy, heartache and pain. Birth, life, death and potential rebirth. That night was just one chapter in a book of thousands.

I also think that an audience should make allowances for a legend of his age who is still (normally) in reasonable shape to perform acceptably and live up to his reputation, if not be the performer he was 20 or 40 years ago, but who is 88 years old and has been more or less continuously on the road for around 65 years(!).

Having said that, it can be hard to know when as an artist, you are 'past it', and even harder for someone close to you to actually tell you you should retire before things start getting sad. Also, perhaps BB should have either appreciated how tired/ unwell he was before doing the show and asked the audience upfront to understand and bear with them, or that he should have been advised either not to do the show at all and refund or curtail it.

The main question to me though, is who the heck is booking his concerts, expecting a very old man to travel 24 hours solid by road to play somewhere sounds like something from another time, when much younger artists were expected to perform one night in Florida and the next in Alaska (I exaggerate for effect). Hope BB doesn't need the dough that bad confused .

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Reply #21 posted 04/22/14 3:04pm

MickyDolenz

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Miles said:

Hope BB doesn't need the dough that bad

He's been a millionaire a long time, B.B. just performs cause he likes to.

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Was B.B. King heckled or "encouraged" during his performance?