Unrealistic expectations of aging musicians.
brianlux
Posts: 42,061
The "fan" behavior mentioned in this article really bugs me- especially the part about the audience heckling BB. WTF?!?!. Anyone going to see a performer (such as BB King) who is well into their 80's expecting anything other than a chance to pay their respects to a living legend might consider staying home. I was fortunate to see John Lee Hooker very late in life. During the first three or four numbers, John Lee sounded, well, awful. But so what? We were there to have a good time and just sitting in the presence of someone who's body of work is so tremendous was great. As it turned out, the show was great too. It took him a good while to warm up but with an enthusiastic audience and our hero on stage, it turned out to be a great show. I also saw Dizzy Gillespie late in his life. The performance was not the greatest ever but, man, seeing this man live and on stage was a great experience. If I'd wanted a great show I'd have been better off going to see him when I was 10 instead of in my 30's. But I had a great time and was glad to get to see the man.
So that's my 2 cents worth and here's the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/erratic-b-b-king-performance-makes-fans-blue-183807552.html
Erratic B.B. King performance makes fans blue
ST. LOUIS (AP) — At 88, blues guitarist B.B. King is a living legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his own satellite radio channel and a string of blues-themed restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and several other cities.
Slowed by age and infirmity, including diabetes, King continues to tour — with sometimes painful results. In St. Louis, some fans are singing the blues after an erratic weekend performance led to a stream of audience catcalls and early departures.
Concertgoers said King's rambling Friday night set at the Peabody Opera House featured just a handful of complete songs amid meandering musical snippets, long-winded soliloquies, an 8-piece backup band that missed its cues and a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine."
"Is he a living legend? Absolutely. Do I love his music? You bet," said digital marketing executive Larry Goldstein, who paid $150 for a pair of tickets plus parking. "But when you're paying that type of money, you expect to see a show."
The experience at King's concert highlights an increasingly common occurrence as musicians in their 70s and 80s take the stage in front of nostalgic audiences. A recent St. Louis concert by 87-year-old rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry was also marked by missed chords, forgotten lyrics and a backing band's persistent efforts to cover Berry's missteps.
St. Louis record store owner Tom "Papa" Ray did not attend the King concert, but said audiences should know to adjust their expectations when watching beloved musicians whose peak is well in the past.
"If your 88-year-old father or grandfather was great in a particular art or craft, and his performance was disappointing, would you heckle him?" said Ray, owner of Vintage Vinyl. "It totally saddened me to hear about that."
Brad Goodman, King's Los Angeles-based agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, declined to comment through an assistant. Peabody Opera House executives and King's Las Vegas promoter did not respond to multiple interview requests.
Other recent King performances have also struck sour notes. During a November concert in North Texas, the bluesman's voice "was weak and ragged, and his trademark guitar style had dissolved into a parade of sour notes," a Dallas Morning News review said.
Bob Johnson, a retired IRS agent who attended the St. Louis concert with his adult daughter, said the dissatisfied audience members were trying to encourage King more than criticize him, suggesting specific song titles or urging him to "Play some music" during the long interludes.
"Everybody was trying to be respectful that this guy is 88 years old," he said. "It was painful to watch."
So that's my 2 cents worth and here's the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/erratic-b-b-king-performance-makes-fans-blue-183807552.html
Erratic B.B. King performance makes fans blue
ST. LOUIS (AP) — At 88, blues guitarist B.B. King is a living legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his own satellite radio channel and a string of blues-themed restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and several other cities.
Slowed by age and infirmity, including diabetes, King continues to tour — with sometimes painful results. In St. Louis, some fans are singing the blues after an erratic weekend performance led to a stream of audience catcalls and early departures.
Concertgoers said King's rambling Friday night set at the Peabody Opera House featured just a handful of complete songs amid meandering musical snippets, long-winded soliloquies, an 8-piece backup band that missed its cues and a 15-minute sing-along of "You Are My Sunshine."
"Is he a living legend? Absolutely. Do I love his music? You bet," said digital marketing executive Larry Goldstein, who paid $150 for a pair of tickets plus parking. "But when you're paying that type of money, you expect to see a show."
The experience at King's concert highlights an increasingly common occurrence as musicians in their 70s and 80s take the stage in front of nostalgic audiences. A recent St. Louis concert by 87-year-old rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry was also marked by missed chords, forgotten lyrics and a backing band's persistent efforts to cover Berry's missteps.
St. Louis record store owner Tom "Papa" Ray did not attend the King concert, but said audiences should know to adjust their expectations when watching beloved musicians whose peak is well in the past.
"If your 88-year-old father or grandfather was great in a particular art or craft, and his performance was disappointing, would you heckle him?" said Ray, owner of Vintage Vinyl. "It totally saddened me to hear about that."
Brad Goodman, King's Los Angeles-based agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, declined to comment through an assistant. Peabody Opera House executives and King's Las Vegas promoter did not respond to multiple interview requests.
Other recent King performances have also struck sour notes. During a November concert in North Texas, the bluesman's voice "was weak and ragged, and his trademark guitar style had dissolved into a parade of sour notes," a Dallas Morning News review said.
Bob Johnson, a retired IRS agent who attended the St. Louis concert with his adult daughter, said the dissatisfied audience members were trying to encourage King more than criticize him, suggesting specific song titles or urging him to "Play some music" during the long interludes.
"Everybody was trying to be respectful that this guy is 88 years old," he said. "It was painful to watch."
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
Post edited by brianlux on
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Comments
Ozzy has still got it! Not the rambling, mumbling person you saw in the Osbournes. He proved that he is still the Prince of Darkness. The band was very tight and had the crowd in the palm of its hand from start to finish.
London 2013 "The Dundas Hookers on Crack" Show
I love his music. I feel the same way about Bob Dylan- love his music, and totally glad I have seen Dylan as well. It's well known, he doesn't play songs the same as on the album, but it's amazing to have the memory of seeing these artist perform while they still are.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
But to me the bottom line is that if people pay to see an aging musician, they might think about going simply for the thrill of seeing that person live and alive as they are, not as they once were. And once in a while you get lucky like I did seeing a very old John Lee Hooker. That was mesmerizing. See a very old Dizzy Gillespie was more like an honor and quite an honor it was. The same held true for seeing Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra at three different stages in his life. The first I saw him was in 1970 and it still blows me away to think about that show- one of biggest, greatest music highlights of my life. Sun Ra with John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Marshall Allen and the rest of the band- unbelievable! The second time was in '87 and Sun Ra was getting up there but he and the band were still great- as were the lovely Arkestra dancers! The last time I saw him was just a few years before he died (or what ever people from Saturn do when they expire) and though the show was only so-so, it was still a thrill to see this great innovator and his aging band mates get up there and perform.
I saw BB a few years ago for like the 12th time or something. Like you said - you know what you are getting. I was like 6th row in a tiny theater in my town, and all I could keep saying to my wife was - we are watching history. It's not often you get to watch one of the originaors/sources, etc. And as we move forward, none of them are going to be left. Ah, yes, we pretend here like PJ or Nirvana invented something, but they didn't. It's the same roots just different limb.
I don't care if he played 15 notes or 15,000 notes. What he does, he's still got, and his band is entertaining as hell. Anyone going to one of his shows and not realizing they are in the presence of history, doesn't belong listening to music in the first place. But, to then stoop to heckling - wow.
Brian - you got it right - it's an honor to be in BB's presence. If someone was disappointed by the show - don't buy a ticket next time he comes around. But, to not simply be in awe of the individual and his contribution to society and the arts and provide the proper respect is mistifying to me.
And fantastic that you've been able to see BB so many times! One of the masters!