Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Buddy Guy...can this guy ever wail on that guitar or what? At the age of seventy one (yes, folks, 71!), the blues legend played a showcase set last night, ripping through classic tunes, improvising a bit, cracking the odd joke or two, even a bit of impression of other performers, basically a smokin' hot electric Chicago-style blues. Buddy put on a clinic and demonstrated where other amazing guitarists, from Clapton to Jimmy Page to Johnny Lang, have learned their licks.

You know a show is good when the middle aged lady in front of you who normally would have no signs of rhythm is dancing and bopping along, while your normally reserved and quite buddy is shouting at the top of his lungs. You know you're seeing something special, a legend in the proper sense of the word, when the guy can get away with letting the band do most of the hard work, most of the "filler" and still shows up to deliver the stand-out bars and riffs...to a huge applause, of course. And you know that it's a good show when this old dude in a ridiculous shirt is playing faster and harder blues chords than Led Zep played in their time (but wait, they are younger than Buddy Guy...).



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