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"Blues Boy" is the meaning behind the two "B"s of the pseudonym that Riley King has carried with him practically forever.
That "Boy" might seem a bit out of place, considering that good old Riley is now 85 years old...
It might seem so, indeed...
Yes, for a long time now, he has been forced to perform on stage seated on a chair and to be transported in a wheelchair to reach that stage, where he remains for just over an hour. But, as is known, the body falls victim to the passing of time, and miracles are not of this world...
What still justifies that "Boy" today is something that doesn't suffer the erosion of time, something that, even if the body starts to abandon you, gives you the strength to continue to travel the world and spread its message: the Blues...
And that "Boy" of 85 years still has so much of that Blues within him...
When B.B. King makes his entrance onto the stage of the Sala Santa Cecilia at the Auditorium in Rome, a standing ovation immediately breaks out, and the audience goes into ecstasy. In the stalls, people rise from their seats and rush towards that smiling big man who is slowly approaching that chair, where Lucille, the companion of a lifetime, awaits him...
Yet again, for the umpteenth time since they met, B.B. and Lucille unite and offer those who listen a bit of the blues that they know how to create together.
With them plays an impressive band of musicians, not just simple craftsmen but people who play with true passion, assigned with the task of properly introducing "The king of the blues worldwide" with a long prelude of that blues tinged with soul and jazz that is a trademark in the King household.
The still beautiful voice of B.B. sings "The Thrill Is Gone", "Rock Me Baby", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", "When The Saints Go Marchin' In", his hands make Lucille sing, they may no longer be as fluid as they once were, but it matters little when you have such a touch. His grimaces accompany every note, his jokes always bring smiles to the audience, and his smiles spread good cheer.
Spending 70 euros for a concert of not even an hour and a half might seem like madness, but seeing a music legend perform live with such passion has a value that goes far beyond those 70 euros, because June 13, 2010, will forever be a special date for me, hearing just a single note played by that man would have been enough to satisfy me.
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