Robben Ford Discussion

[BlueRunner]

Tuesday night May 16, 2006, Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, California:

B.B.'s show is well rehearsed, perfectly timed, and has many of the trappings of a religious ceremony. As well it should. After all of these years, there's no reason his band (James Bolden and Stanley Abernathy, trumpets; Melvin Jackson, tenor; Walter King, baritone and flute; James Toney, piano and B-3; Charlie Dennis, guitar; Calep Emphrey, drums; Reggie Richards, bass) shouldn't be able to do it in their sleep, but great performers that they are, they stay wide awake and keep everyone jumping as though no one had ever heard King before.

There was no opening act. The band simply walked on and led of with solo exchanges through a major-key jump blues, and then a slower, minor-keyed number. Then Melvin Jackson introduced King, who stepped out on the stage to a thunderous standing ovation.

The set list, first, with the whole band:

Why I Sing The Blues
I Need You So
Bad Case of Love
Blues Man
When Love Comes To Town

Then with just Emphrey and Toney, and with Richards and Dennis seated on either side:

An instrumental version of Summertime, transitioning to
All Over Again
(Ain’t That) Just Like A Woman
You Are My Sunshine
Rock Me Baby
Nobody Loves Me (But My Mother)
Key To The Highway

Then with the full band back on stage:

The Thrill Is Gone
Someone Really Loves You

The Arlington is a classic 2,000-seat 1920's movie house, Mission Revival architrecture outside, and decorated inside to look like a Spanish village with a high arched “night sky” ceiling with little twinkling stars. (It also has a wonderful restored pipe organ, from its silent cinema days.) It’s used for symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, and contemporary performers. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. The sound system, run by a group that appeared to have more experience with heavy metal than blues, was mushy at times, but no one got lost in the mix. The concert was part of UC Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures series, and the audience included a lot of Santa Barbara’s upscale culture folks, as well as the “regular” B.B. King crowd.

The show was much like the one King did two years ago in Los Angeles, except that he didn’t repeat too many of that tour’s stories and anecdotes, and he’s also added You Are My Sunshine to his set list. He claims that it’s the first song he ever actually learned to play on the guitar, but I wonder. He would have been 14 or 15 when Louisiana “Singing Governor” Jimmie Davis’ original recording of the tune was released. (There’s a whole back story to the tune. It’s rumored that Davis didn’t pen it himself, but bought the copyright from another musician. If so, it was an investment to rival Ty Cobb’s early purchase of Coca Cola stock. Davis was still collecting royalties when he died in 2000 at the ripe age of 101. By the way, I read somewhere that the producers of “O Brother Where Art Thou” knew when they put a 1937 calendar up in one of the movie shots that You Are My Sunshine wasn’t first recorded until 1939, and not released until 1940, but wanted to see if anyone would notice.)

Speaking of tunes, I've always wondered if All Over Again is sort of a quiz to see who in the audience doesn't really know King's body of work. The first lines, "I've got a mind to give up living, and go shopping instead ..." always elicit giggles from some of the audience, especially when he enunciates the "shopping" and sort of winks. I guess they picture a fun tune about the mall. Then he goes into the next couplet, about shopping for a tombstone, and the gigglers get real quiet. I've heard it every time I've heard him do the song on stage.

In one of his running anecdotes King claims that he’s still kicking because he gets “great medical care from my doctors, Dr. Viagra, Dr. Cialis ...” I think it’s more likely that his great medical care comes from Dr. Lucille, if not just from singing the blues.

I’m saving money for the 90th Birthday Tour. Hey ... if Pinetop Perkins can do it ...
_________________
- BlueRunner

[FatTeleTom]

Great review! I also hope BB can keep it up for another decade or beyond.

[patocaster]

BlueRunner,

Great review! And the Arlington is beautiful. I saw BB last year at the Mountain Winery. He is the MAN.

-Pat
________
PROPERTY INSURANCE FORUM

[roadwarriorfortheblues]

Sounds like it was a great show ! Thanks for the review
_________________
Travelling by train of thought

[JohnnyZ]

Great review, BlueRunner.

[JavaDiva]

I hope you're right, JZ, that we get to keep hearing BB for a good 10 more years. Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to see him every chance I get, including an outdoor gig August 8 at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale.

If you haven't been to a McMenamins ... you don't live in Portland.