I saw Buddy Guy this weekend in Anaheim and it was a down right shame. I saw Buddy a year ago at the Hollywood Bowl with B. B. King and the contrast between the two men, health-wise, could not have been greater. B. B. had to be almost carried on and off the stage, sat in a chair and hardly moved, while Buddy, was, you know, Buddy! Up and alive, this dervish of energy, jumping off the stage and running up and down the aisles and never stopping. This weekend in Anaheim, Buddy stopped.
He played for only an hour and 10 minutes and of that, he was missing from the stage for a good 15 minutes as his band covered for him. After the first 10-minute departure he returned to sit on a stool and play acoustic. Buddy sitting? Buddy playing acoustic? At one point he said he wasn't feeling his best, and man did it show. I hope to god it was the flu and not something more serious. A world without Buddy Guy is something I don't want to even contemplate.
1 comment:
I feel your pain Barry.
Bluesmen (and women) are probably the most irreplacible performing artists in the world. Even though the current climate is optimal for that form of expression. It may be that nobody want to play such a thankless role in a corrupt music industry. But rather than choose the cynic's answer, I'll say that I don't think that there is enough exposure for talented people who can relate a story of their trials musically. Certainly people are still going through some shit that inspires the blues. Real artists have had to turn to independent labels and self promotion to smaller audiences. I thank them for caring enough about their craft to 'keep it real' ... for the time being anyway.
But the final truth is that nobody will take the place of B.B. King or Buddy Guy and the time is fast approaching that we will lose one of our icons and then another.
Sorry you had to see them when they weren't at their best. I still envy you for seeing them though.
Benton
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