Everett, Wash. Published: Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thrill's far from gone for masters of blues
B.B. King, Etta James tower on Tulalip stage
By John Sleeper Herald columnist
TULALIP — Etta James long reached the point in her five-decade singing career where she doesn't have to open for anybody.
An exception — perhaps the world's only exception — is B.B. King.
So it was an extraordinary event Sunday night under light, sporadic rain at the sold-out Tulalip Amphitheater. James unleashed her powerful, smoky voice and King mixed storytelling with a searing blues performance on his 82nd birthday to the delight of a crowd of all ages.
They both sit during their shows these days because of age and an assortment of health maladies, but King and James left the audience screaming for more by showing that time has robbed them of none of their heart and energy on stage.
"A lot of you all might be wondering why I'm sitting down," King said, grinning. "I got diabetes, a bad back, bad knees and my head ain't much good, neither. I'm 82 years old and until you're 82 years old, I can't tell you how good you feel."
Then he uncorked an impossibly fast lick on his signature-model Gibson guitar, Lucille, his musical companion since 1949.
Make no mistake; Riley B. King was in the house and as great as he ever was. His voice still has that gravelly, tortured quality to it. On this night, he also gave Lucille quite the vigorous workout.
Rain, schmain. Between James and King, Snohomish County has never seen this kind of talent in one night.
King and his tight, veteran eight-piece band rocked the joint with many, not all, of his hits. Let's face it. Had he played everything the crowd wanted, he'd have played straight into Thursday.
He dedicated "I Need You So" to the adoring throng and "I'm a Blues Man" to himself. "Bad Case of Love" had many in the crowd singing along.
King did a short, upbeat version of "When Love Comes to Town," a tune written for him by U2 frontman Bono. Then came the official audience-participation session with "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" and "You Are My Sunshine," a duo in which he first poked fun at the fairer sex, then sweetly made up for it.
Sprinkled throughout his two-hour set were stories King told about his experiences throughout the years. He talked about racism in his native Mississippi, the joys of aging, women and money. He said he was asked recently why he looks so good at 82.
"Dr. Viagra, Nurse Levitra and Dr. Cialis," King said, and the crowd loved him for it.
A highlight was "Downhearted," which he recorded in 1962. His hands prodded and jabbed Lucille into letting loose with howling anguish. His voice broke into an agonized wail as he sang about love unreturned.
"I gave you a brand new Ford
But you said, 'I want a Cadillac'
I bought you a ten dollar dinner
And you said 'Thanks for the snack'
I let you live in my penthouse
You said it's just a shack
I gave you seven children
And now you wanna give them back."
King closed with his signature tune "The Thrill is Gone" before stagehands brought out a birthday cake. The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the blues icon as he left the stage.
At 69, James' voice was in peak form, clear and commanding. It has deepened and coarsened over the years and is ideal for articulating blues.
She encouraged her tight, seven-piece Roots Band to rip into tasty solos, especially Bobby Murray on lead guitar. The band includes James' two sons, drummer Donto James and bassist Sametto James.
Having gone through a decade-long heroin addiction and a life-saving, gastric-bypass procedure that led to a 200-pound weight loss, James knows blues.
She also knows funk, jazz and R&B. James' stage presence has never been so powerful and regal. Her voice was a sexy rumble as she beguilingly squirmed in her chair during her 90-minute set, especially during the funky "Tell Mama."
At times a tad risque, James said son Sametto frequently cautions her against her tendency to bump and grind on stage. James just laughed.
"He's probably afraid I'm gonna bump and grind on him," she said.
James showed remarkable range during "I'd Rather be a Blind Girl," went playful with the audience on an unprintably-titled Johnny (Guitar) Watson song and turned mega-funky on Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On." She closed with her biggest hit, the balladic "At Last" and had the audience sing along on "Piece of My Heart," made popular by Janis Joplin.
