Live
BUDDY GUY: 24 JUNE 2008 SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE
Buddy Guy, the last living embodiment of those great Chicago bluesmen that proved the catalyst for the great blues revival in the UK and USA in the 50’s and 60’s.
Guy combined a near virtuoso demonstration of electric blues guitar with great showmanship to an expectant crowd at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The weighty history of Blues music has generally tended to categorize his music as Chicago Blues - west side style. Indeed having acted at the start of his career as a session guitarist for such greats as Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and Little Walter, amongst others, he honed his craft in this particular “school” of the blues.
From the early 60’s onwards Guy went on to develop his own unique style, which, as well as Chicago Blues, was also punctuated by soulful R ‘n’ B ballads, dance tunes and experimental instrumentals veering between Jazz and Blues rock. This, in turn went on to influence a whole generation of musician including such luminaries such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. In fact many of the crowd pleasing antics that Hendrix adopted such as playing the of the guitar behind with the teeth, behind the head or one handed while drinking from glass originally came from Buddy Guy and were all on display during the performance. The only action he did not attempt was to play with his feet, which apparently he also used to do in his early live shows but given how fit and sprightly Guy appeared, he no doubt could also have attempted this, had he been so minded.
The showmanship aside, though, this was as a remarkable display of musicianship as I have ever witnessed. The crowded were treated to such classics as 'Stone Crazy' and 'Ten Years Ago' and more recent tracks (relatively speaking considering the length of Guy’s career) like 'Damn Right I Got the Blues' from his revivalist years of the early nineties. Audience participation was the order of the day as early on Guy attempted to get the crowd to hum 'Um Um Um' from 'Hard Floor Killing Time', with, at first only limited success but this number did show another of Buddy Guy’s trademarks in going from soft to loud and back again. The second attempt at getting a sing-along going proved more successful with the track 'Feels Like Rain'. This also demonstrated a more soulful take on the blues. A couple of tracks from forthcoming album “Skin Deep” were also showcased.
A highlight of the show was Guy’s 15 minute sojourn in the auditorium from the stage. Like some enchanted wandering minstrel he weaved his way slowly first around the ground level, pausing from time to time and then still jamming moved up to the balcony, all the while holding the audience completely transfixed.
Other main features of the show included Guy’s engaging witticisms and giggles, dealing with the odd good natured heckle and imitating the styles and riffs of John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton and Hendrix, including the intro to “Voodoo Chile”. The moment of the concert, though, had to be when he jammed a blues duet with his band’s lead guitarist when you had the sense, at one point, the two guitars were actually speaking to one another.
The show had only lasted just under an hour and a half but the intensity made it feel a lot longer so no-one minded when there was no encore. Buddy Guy had proved himself every bit the blues legend and a great entertainer. At the age of nearly 72 this status shows no signs of diminishing.
Words DARREN LEWIS
