badbluesplayer Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 BB's had to cancel the rest of his tour. He needs a rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 he should give up touring he is looking really thin ....for him that is I have seen him a couple times and the last one he was not real active at all anyway he does not look good..take a breakk BB and rest up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plus Top Dan Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Wow, he's looking pretty frail in the face in that photo. Get well soon BB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 . I think he looks pretty good for being 89. From his website: "Mr. King fell ill last night, Oct 3, 2014, during his performance at the House of Blues in Chicago. He was immediately evaluated by a doctor and diagnosed with dehydration and suffering from exhaustion whereby causing the eight remaining shows of his current tour to be cancelled." . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 For his age, it's pretty amazing the touring schedule he has kept up with over the past decade or so. Many younger musicians couldn't have kept up! He came to my hometown 17 years ago when I was 13 and sadly I missed him!I was always annoyed I didn't get to see him and I still haven't yet!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 in the picture above it looks like he has a cream colored pick guard in his top left pocket.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Aww man.... Its amazing hes still going and gigging... but he don't look good in that pic... I saw him last when he was 86 and he still looked ok then... The above picture is not good.... All the best BB.. I think hes the type that will just go until he physically cant any more... and that really will be the end... That will be a real sad day :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 He is an amazing man for sure. At his age he would be better off to scale back on his shows. It would be such a shame that he would be remembered in his frail condition. Too many top performers leave us, and are remembered this way, on not how they performed in their prime. Wish him the best, and hope he takes time to recover before he attempts to start performing again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Yes he does look frail in that picture. God bless him. I saw him back in 2005 and I promptly went out the next day and bought a Gibson Lucille. I was thrilled to see him for the first time ever and figured at 80 years of age back then, that he wouldn't be around much longer. I'm glad I was wrong about that part. I can't imagine even living that long let alone still gigging. That boys, is one hell of a man there. Rest up BB - you've got nothing left to prove. Then again, playing is like oxygen for me, maybe it is for him too. If that's the only thing keeping him going - then play on brother, play on. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 This seems like almost a historical event to me. He really has been touring forever, even before he was "popular" again in the 80's. But I guess that perception might just be mine, some might say the 70's or the 90's. He really has been doing the same thing for so long that many generations has seen him, and the only thing that has changed is the world and how many would go to the show in any given year/decade. The King playing live, touring, is one thing as a populated planet we take for granted. Seeing the King live again is more dependable than the stock market, Social Security and healthcare, or anything else you might want to put your faith in short of God himself. I wonder if there is a lesson in that somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 89, Wow. If at 89 I'm still walking this planet and can recognize my family I will consider myself very lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Rest up and get better, Mr. King, and thank your work with Gibson in bringing us the Lucille. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarusvt84 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Saw him last year. Had it been any other artist....just awful ...and the tickets were not cheap. At least I made a memory with my son and got to 'see' a legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I used to be an undertaker and I buried people like him. They HAVE to work. I agree that he should retire, but I'd say, if he stopped he'd die. It's his world. I remember people retiring and being dead within a few months as they feel their life has ended. Perhaps he should just play in his club and if anyone wants to see him, they have to go to him? Like Les Paul did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I used to be an undertaker and I buried people like him. They HAVE to work. I agree that he should retire, but I'd say, if he stopped he'd die. It's his world. I remember people retiring and being dead within a few months as they feel their life has ended. Perhaps he should just play in his club and if anyone wants to see him, they have to go to him? Like Les Paul did. Very good point. Other than making a lot of money (and B.B. has done a whole lot better than most) there is no pension scheme for jazz or blues musicians - they go on until they die and there are plenty of examples, the most recent was Johnny Winter whose music and playing inspired many of us. One of B.B's finest later albums is "There Is Always One More Time", a great 1991 recording with song lyrics which must have been written with him in mind. But another inescapable truth is that all good things come to an end; he has been on the road for over 60 years, which is a damn good run and longer than I've been alive. I read Lazarus' comment above and that is a shame - I was fortunate enough to see him a couple of times on UK tour in the late 70s-early 80s and I wish you could have seen him then, he left us wanting more - but I suspect that he won't be touring or even playing live much again now. Doctor's orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I had a friend see him in the recent past this year and he was wheeled-out on-stage in a wheelchair... I find it a very sad inevitability... He is a legend and deserves his legacy, but it is hard to qualify what we see with what he is... It; "the road" has been his entire life, telling him to stop is like telling him he's dead and he will die if he stops... Hopefully he'll rest until he's better and then come back for the twilight of his career if this doesn't kill him... Gob Bless BB King! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matonanjin Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I saw him a few years back with Buddy Guy and Buddy was on point. BB was not good at all. He would play only half a song forget lyrics and ramble. He is a legend and it would be better if he took time off to rest. I had a friend see him in the recent past this year and he was wheeled-out on-stage in a wheelchair... I find it a very sad inevitability... I saw him last year in the Peter Frampton Guitar Circus and it was really sad. His band probably played 20 minutes before they helped BB on stage. He played a few licks and then Peter Frampton came on and they, predictably, did "The Thrill is Gone", whichwas great. But then BB played a few more licks and talked some while playing some backup. Then they helped him off the stage. I have seen him many times and those concerts were awesome. But sadly the image that I can't get out of my head is this last one. I wish I hadn't gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I don't know- I don't think it really important to judge a performance of an artist to past performances. What he was, compared to what he is. I think with performers who have been around long enough to actually be a legend, we all have a tendency to do that. While he might not be able to give the energy he did a decade or more ago, there is also the fact that his guitar playing has changed and improved as well. Granted, I haven't seen him in a few years (or a little more), so I can't say the comments are wrong. But for me, I would still rather see The KING at 90 in a chair mixing music and stories than a lot of performers. He still has a LOT to offer. Besides, being the KING of the Blues, I have more of a tendency to listen and learn something from one of his shows rather than put a picture in my mind of what I expect him to play. And I ALWAYS have come back with something more than I showed up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I don't know- I don't think it really important to judge a performance of an artist to past performances. What he was, compared to what he is. I think with performers who have been around long enough to actually be a legend, we all have a tendency to do that. While he might not be able to give the energy he did a decade or more ago, there is also the fact that his guitar playing has changed and improved as well. Granted, I haven't seen him in a few years (or a little more), so I can't say the comments are wrong. But for me, I would still rather see The KING at 90 in a chair mixing music and stories than a lot of performers. He still has a LOT to offer. Besides, being the KING of the Blues, I have more of a tendency to listen and learn something from one of his shows rather than put a picture in my mind of what I expect him to play. And I ALWAYS have come back with something more than I showed up with. I think you need to realize we all love BB King and what he means to not only guitarists but blues and jazz players too... We're not comparing to prior performances other than there comes a time when the performance no longer adds up to being even close to what it once was. That becomes something very sad and unfortunate. Right at the end for Johnny Winter he was very sadly off his game. He would miss entire runs worth of notes and hit notes out of key and out of time. For a guy that made his name and legacy being untouchably flawless in his playing, it was very hard to watch when he would miss entire licks worth of notes and things just weren't coming together for him... I'm sure it's beginning to be the same with BB. It's a shock and a slap in the face of sadness at realizing he's fading as natural and human as that is, it's hard to equate that with our worship and adoration for him along with his clear and real legacy... It's not a knock on him, it's more of a way of sharing the reality with those that are going to see him to prepare themselves so they aren't shocked to tears with what they see... Prepare oneself and remember he's what he's been for much longer than what he is now, it's natural and embrace him for what he means! God Bless BB King and all the pioneers and great ones whose shining light is beginning to fade or dim with humanity and age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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