Show Review

Let’s get one thing straight. The Blues is not dead – not by a long shot. Not with legends like BB King still touring and bringing their sound - the sound that created the foundation for almost every kind of popular music today - to the masses. It is apparent in every chord BB King plays and in every lyric he sings that the roots of The Blues still remain intact. The biggest question mark on the horizon for Blues fans, though, is what form the music will manifest into as the next generation of artists combines their inspirations with tradition. For the answer, look no further than the BB King Music Festival – a festival that has happened every summer for the past 11 years - featuring the original, often imitated but never duplicated Blues man himself, BB King. This year’s festival introduced BB’s unique performance to many new listeners and experienced Blues fans alike. In addition to the master himself, the festival has included artists such as George Thorogood, Jimmie Vaughan, Etta James, Buddy Guy, The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Jonny Lang. This year’s theme focused on the future, as the lineup featured bands representing the emerging grassroots rock scene as well as a household name who has pushed the boundaries of technological soul. With a stellar lineup of support consisting of Florida’s simmering down-home soul of Mofro, funk machine Galactic, and guitar legend Jeff Beck, the 11th annual BB King Music Festival delivered a powerful evening of music which stood as a testament to the vibrancy and longevity of The Blues.

Mofro warmed things up in fine form on this beautiful Cleveland evening. For those who have never been to Cleveland to see a show, the Scene Pavilion (formerly “Nautica”) is one of the most comfortable and interesting places to see live music in the Midwest – it’s an intimate venue, bordered by the Cuyahoga River in the part of downtown known as the “Flats”. The guys from Mofro (JJ Grey on vocals, guitar, harmonica, and keys, Daryl Hance on guitar and dobro, Fabrice Quentin on bass, Mike Shapiro on keys, and Craig Barnette on drums) seemed right at ease set up next to the lazy river, and they proceeded to wade through such “front porch soul” anthems as “She Don't Know” and “10,000 Islands” before taking a moment to talk to the growing crowd. JJ made some jokes about the band and its roots, saying “we’re from Florida, but you probably think we’re from Georgia because of my accent”. “Six ways from Sunday” and “Brighter Days” were particularly good this evening, and the band closed its short but powerful set with “Florida” in pristine Mofro form. I though that, despite the short time slot, the Mofro boys really represented and made an impression on the Cleveland crowd.

Galactic was up next, and they played an hour-long set which featured a few songs off their forthcoming new album, “Ruckus”. The set began with some deep grooves – “Go Go” and “Moil” were particularly tight this time, and “Moog Marmalade” played a game of musical slip and slide with that trademark Galactic sound. Their new album is more like acid jazz or hip hop than anything they have done before, and the set seemed to hint at that direction. Stanton Moore was a monster on the skins this evening, but when is he not – I mean, the guy has got to be the best drummer in music today. I thought that Robert Mercurio held down the bottom end in fine fashion, and Jeff Raines just gets better and better each time I see him play his guitar. Theryl “The Houseman” deClouet came out to sing vocals on “Truth is Out” and was promptly joined by JJ from Mofro for “Never Called You Crazy” and “Bitter Sweet” – one of the best cuts off the new Galactic album. The crowd was really getting into Galactic’s set when “Saturday Night Special” came up – a track they recorded for the Lynyrd Skynard Tribute Album. This is a perfect cover for the band, and really helped draw those awaiting Jeff Beck into their sound. The set wound down with “Hoss” and “Bongo Joe” – both new songs from “Ruckus” and both showcasing a slightly more advanced and intricate, yet still slamming, side of the band. Fan favorites “Blackeyed Pea” and “Shibuya” closed a great set for Galactic and left many in the crowd wondering how and when they could hear more. Well, everyone can buy their new album, deceptively titled “Ruckus”, out on Sanctuary Records on the 7th of October - hear the next developments from New Orleans favorites funksters!

Jeff Beck came on stage with a very powerful opener, and it was apparent that he wasn’t just going to play his more traditional numbers because he was on BB’s tour. “Psycho Sam” was an intense opener – it sounded like progressive rock and techno blended into a fine powder and sprinkled down from the sky. Beck and his band, consisting of drummer extraordinaire Terry Bozzio and keyboardist Tony Hymas, ripped through some new tunes off his CD “Jeff” before opening up the vault and reaching back with some Clapton-ish grooves. “Roy’s Toy” and “Porkpie Hat” both sounded really great – in fact, a long-time Jeff Beck fan commented to me that these were the tightest he had ever heard these songs played! I have always been impressed with Jeff Beck’s use of technology in his studio recordings, and I was amazed to see how the same raw energy he coaxes out of his racks of studio gear becomes the driving force of his live performances. After a beautiful medley of “Nadia”, “Seasons”, “Angel”, and “You never know”, the crowd was ready for something special. Beck and company delivered with an amazing rendition of the classic Beatles song “A Day in the Life”. Beck’s guitar played the vocal line and gave me chills – that’s how good this was! “Sling Shot” closed the set, but the crowd wasn’t ready to let Jeff Beck go yet. Luckily, Beck wasn’t done either. He came back for a great encore and ripped his way through “People Get Ready” – a song that has his signature sound all over it. “My Thing” ended the encore and was appropriate; Jeff Beck had taken the Scene Pavilion on his terms, with his sound, and had done an amazing job of doing his thing. This was the first time I have been fortunate enough to see Jeff Beck play live, and it certainly won’t be my last.

After a half-hour or so break, the crowd was growing restless, eagerly awaiting BB King’s performance. BB’s band took the stage to a huge round of applause and proceeded to warm things up before the legend himself came out. Taking turns soloing in the center stage, the band proved that there was much more to BB King’s live performances than just BB. Finally, after 10 minutes or so, the master himself entered from stage left and proceeded to dive directly into the vibe and groove of the venue. In my opinion, the best things about every BB King show are the expressions on BB’s face, the love he has for the audience, and the goose bumps one tends to get watching someone play who has just absolutely changed the face of music forever. Well, these elements were all there – and the set list BB played was incredible. “Let the Good Times Roll” was an early highlight – BB just wailed on Lucille (his beautiful guitar) and let the Cleveland crowd know he wasn’t going to hold anything back. Perhaps the highlight of the improvisational part of the show was BB’s commentary about the differences between men and women – in my years on this planet, I’ve never heard it put so succinctly. BB calmly gazed into the crowd and proclaimed “Fellas, it’s so simple – the women are smarter than us, and they’ll always be. If you think you’re smarter, it’s because she’s letting you think that way.” Midway through the set, BB launched into his anthem “The Thrill is Gone” and the crowd just ate it up – it was one of those concert moments where, no matter how many times you’ve seen BB King or you’ve heard that song, you knew it was something special. Other highlights from BB’s set included “Bad Case of Love” and “Rock Me Baby” – actually, everything he played was a highlight. As the set wound down, I was amazed at how BB still kept up with the band, even at an astounding 77 years of age. God bless the man, we should all be so lucky to still be on top of our game with so much already under our belts. Although there was no collaboration with Jeff Beck and no encore, after BB’s set there wasn’t a disappointed person in the crowd. Everyone left with a smile on their face and The Blues alive in their heart. Thanks to pioneers like BB King, that’s one place no one will have to worry about keeping The Blues alive. After witnessing this festival, the question was answered with a resounding “yes” - The Blues is alive and kicking!

Setlists:

Galactic:

ONE SET: go go, moil, moog marmalade, truth is out, never called you crazy (w/JJ from Mofro), bittersweet (w/JJ from Mofro), all behind you now, saturday night special (w/JJ from Mofro), hoss, bongo joe, blackeyed pea>>shibuya

Mofro:

ONE SET: She Don't Know, 10000 Islands, Six ways from Sunday, Brighter Days, Air, Florida

Jeff Beck:

ONE SET: Psycho Sam, Big Block, Savoy, Brush With The Blues, Roy's Toy, Freeway Jam, Goodbye Porkpie Hat, Nadia, Seasons, Angel, You never know, A Day In The Life, Sling Shot

ENCORE: People Get Ready, My Thing

BB King:

No setlist available

All photographs by Robert Massie.