There's something about B.B. King lately, nothing unlike an aging oldie possibly coming into their own senility.
Checking out an accurately titled article at the Hollywood Reporter, King apparently has been running a series of performances that are--well---"unique".
Friday night at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, B.B. incorporated only a "handful of complete songs" and supposedly tried to channel his inner Seeger in a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine."
But, as Roy Trakin was in attendance, claimed it didn't catch him by surprise.
Apparently the same thing happened in February, saying, "[It happened in February] When I caught the 88-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend during a performance at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, Calif., where he similarly meandered, spending more of his time flirting with the ladies in the front row than performing."
"It raises a serious issue about veteran performers, namely, when is it time to retire gracefully, especially when you have a whole apparatus -- musicians, managers, agents and family -- relying on the gravy train to keep rolling?"
And perhaps King's stone has slowed it's roll and gathered some moss, but the Rock n Roll Hall of Famer is still a legend worth the ticket, nothing unlike catching Dylan now in his 70s, Les Paul before he kicked the bucket, or maybe, as Trakin puts it, seeing an older Willie Mays take a spill at the '73 World Series wearing a Mets jersey.
So like the blues itself, growing old takes its toll and it's nothing to be shamed for, the legends can rock till their dead and seeing a great while they're around is not unlike seeing a flashing bolt from a far away distance.
Don't believe it? Check it yourself below:
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