Buddy's flashiness was as entertaining as ever, but B.B.'s chattiness spoiled the Orpheum Theatre pairing.

Buddy's flashiness was as entertaining as ever, but B.B.'s chattiness spoiled the Orpheum Theatre pairing.
February 22, 2010
By CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Star Tribune

With its two principal players boasting a combined 115 or so years in show business, no wonder Saturday's sold-out Orpheum Theatre concert with B.B. King and Buddy Guy was more a lesson in showmanship than the blues. Unfortunately, one of the players would have fared better sticking to the music.

The two biggest living legends of the blues shared the marquee but never actually took the stage together Saturday. That they couldn't so much as cakewalk their way through "Sweet Home Chicago" together for five minutes was just one of several disappointing facets of the double-barrel concert.

Tickets were priced almost twice what it typically costs to see King or Guy individually. However, Guy's opening set was shorter than normal (just over an hour), and the first 20 minutes or so were spoiled by stragglers arriving late -- which is inevitable when shows begin right on time, and when theater ushers don't entrust audience members to know that Row K sits in front of Row L.

The night's junior player at 73, Guy nonetheless lived up to the price of admission, and even provided equal value to his regular audience and virginal attendees.

Newbies got to witness Guy stalk through the crowd with his wireless guitar, and to hear his history lesson on the rock gods who followed him (complemented with snippets of "Voodoo Chile" and "Sunshine of Your Love"). More initiated blues fans, meanwhile, ate up his surprisingly refreshed, slow-stirring versions of the Muddy Waters staples "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "She's Nineteen Years Old" -- songs that have otherwise been done to death.

"People ask of us old blues cats, 'When are you going to retire?'" Guy quipped at one point. "We don't. We just play until we drop."

As sad as it is to say, King's vitality on stage certainly appears to be dropping. More and more, the unquestionably legendary giant, 83, relies on personality over musicality at his seemingly ceaseless line of concerts (another is lined up Nov. 12 at the State Theatre).

About a half hour total in King's 90-minute set really got swinging, namely when he veered from "Key to the Highway" to "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" to "When Love Comes to Town."

Otherwise: A half hour went by from the time the intro music started to when B.B. finally played an actual song. Near show's end, he was long-winded enough for his crew to be standing by the side of the stage visibly trying to cut off his ramblings. When King got the message, he delivered about a minute and a half of "The Thrill Is Gone" and then was gone.

Unlike the Orpheum ushers, I entrust you fans are smart enough to doubly interpret the song title.