Good To Be The King

Tonight I got to see the legendary B.B. King play the blues. This man has been near the top of my list for some time now and I finally got around to seeing him. Here is my review.

First, lets start with the opening act Kyle Riabko. I was not impressed with this guy. His stuff was unoriginal, and he didn't show very much talent. I had no idea who he was till he played, "What did I get myself into" which is, at best, a mildly entertaining song. His skills on the guitar matched those of someone who first learned to play a year ago. In one word, "Booo."

I was happy to see B.B. himself when he came on stage. The show was actually a lot of talking and story telling and not as much music as I had assumed. Granted, the man is 81 years old and suffering from diabetes so I didn't expect him to wail away for 2 straight hours. When he did play and sing it was great though. He is a legend for a reason.

As for the venue. I hate the House of Blues. Its expensive, hoky, and jam-packed. The amount of people they cram in there is ridiculous and the whole place is standing room only. Some guy near me kept yelling, "B.B. make it plain/plane!" Whatever that means. Oh, and a beer is $6.50 and a jagerbomb $9.25. I hope I never have to go back. Thankfully they don't usually have acts I like. B.B. King is actually the only blues man I've seen booked at the House of Blues. Makes a lot of sense I know.

Regardless of any negativity of the show, B.B. King is a living legend and I would have been happy to attend the show if all he did was make motorboat sounds in the mic.