nobody
08-23-2004, 06:15 AM
Just thought I'd mention some great music I got to catch this weekend. Free outdoor concert staged in St. Louis right under the arch on the riverfront with Dr. John and BB King.
Dr. John was great and funky with an amazing rhythm section, the drummer was very good and the bass player amazing. The good doctor was impressive as he switched between organ and piano and sometimes had a hand in each. He got things going right, ending with some gospel tune that had the whole crowd singing halleluiah.
Then BB King's band started up and was just fantastic. His band played a couple tunes before BB came out, with each player taking at least one solo. He had 2 trumpets, a tenor sax and a baritone, an organ player, a bass player and drummer and a second guitar. To a man those guys were top notch. After hearing the guitar player play a couple solos I was kinda wondering how BB was gonna top that...
Well, it took him all of about 2 seconds into How Blue can You Get? to show who the man was. I've heard a lot of guitar players, but when a guy like BB picks that thing up, he just stands out. His ability to flow through silky notes and suddenly grind out some thick fuzzy chords in a second just set him apart from anyone else on the stage.
They played for about 45 minutes with the full band, including most of the big songs he's know for, and a bunch of sing along type things, which I'm not really a fan of, but he had the crowd eating out of his hand. He really knew how to connect. Then, for the last few tunes, including Nobody Loves Me But My Mother and a few more, about half the band left, just leaving BB with the bass and other guitar huddled in chairs playing some stripped down blues before bringing the band back to do Thrill is Gone.
All in all a fantastic night. Nothing like watching a master play the blues with the stage lights glowing against mosquitoes with barges and riverboats flowing behind on a hot summer night on the shores of the Mississippi.
Dr. John was great and funky with an amazing rhythm section, the drummer was very good and the bass player amazing. The good doctor was impressive as he switched between organ and piano and sometimes had a hand in each. He got things going right, ending with some gospel tune that had the whole crowd singing halleluiah.
Then BB King's band started up and was just fantastic. His band played a couple tunes before BB came out, with each player taking at least one solo. He had 2 trumpets, a tenor sax and a baritone, an organ player, a bass player and drummer and a second guitar. To a man those guys were top notch. After hearing the guitar player play a couple solos I was kinda wondering how BB was gonna top that...
Well, it took him all of about 2 seconds into How Blue can You Get? to show who the man was. I've heard a lot of guitar players, but when a guy like BB picks that thing up, he just stands out. His ability to flow through silky notes and suddenly grind out some thick fuzzy chords in a second just set him apart from anyone else on the stage.
They played for about 45 minutes with the full band, including most of the big songs he's know for, and a bunch of sing along type things, which I'm not really a fan of, but he had the crowd eating out of his hand. He really knew how to connect. Then, for the last few tunes, including Nobody Loves Me But My Mother and a few more, about half the band left, just leaving BB with the bass and other guitar huddled in chairs playing some stripped down blues before bringing the band back to do Thrill is Gone.
All in all a fantastic night. Nothing like watching a master play the blues with the stage lights glowing against mosquitoes with barges and riverboats flowing behind on a hot summer night on the shores of the Mississippi.