When: August 11, 2013
Where: Wolftrap, Vienna Virginia
BB King has been on my "bucket list" for years and though the man seems indestructible, at 87 (soon to be 88), he won't be here forever. So King opened up the show and to be honest, he really didn't play all that much music. His top notch backing band took up quite a bit of time and King himself spent about a quarter of the time vamping and talking to the crowd. He's still an accomplish guitarist, but don't expect to hear anything nearly as polished as some of his past work. That said, the man still have a wonderful voice - instantly recognizable. Rough, roaring, ragged ... a true treasure. Beside, how can you not love a guy who takes the time to introduce every member of the band and his bus driver !!!
I saw Frampton about two years ago in a small local club (The Birchmere). The last time I'd seen him was 1976 when he was touring in support of "Frampton Comes Alive". Regardless, that small club show was great so I figured I'd give him a shot in a bigger arena (plus he recently got back the famed Gibson guitar). While I missed the small show intimacy (this time around I was sitting on the lawn), Frampton and company was pretty good. I wish he would have played a wider array of material, including some of his more recent material, but I guess you can't please all of us.
The concert's biggest surprise/mystery was the appearance of Roger McGuinn. Mind you, I'm a big Byrds fan, but McGunn just seemed totally out of place here. Judging by the number of people who started packing up, I'm guessing 75% of the crowd didn't have a clue who McGuinn was, even when he played a couple of Byrds hits. Just a real strange guest to have brought along ...
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