The eight-time Grammy winner is on a farewell tour with no set end date
There are artists whose lore so precedes them, you’re in your seat before they take the stage anxiously hoping they live up to the mystique. Blues icon Buddy Guy took the stage to an eagerly receptive Baltimore crowd on Thursday night (Apr 4th) and delivered on the promise of his legacy.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a famous guitar player today who does not cite Guy and his distinctive style as an influence. And it’s clear why: something other-worldly happens when Buddy Guy picks up a guitar.
Guy bends the strings of his instrument to his will. He finds magical tones with seemingly the lightest of touches. There were many notes Guy seemed to conjure by just hovering above the frets. It’s a sight to behold.
With a drape comprised of famous neon signs from Guy’s beloved Chicago behind them, he was backed by four stellar musicians. They kept up with him, wherever he went musically. They accented the six-string star of the show. Guy’s winding blues seemed to have no natural end, with he and the band often stopping on a whim if Guy wanted to tell a story. It added to the laid-back, authentic feel of the night.
Guy’s aching vocals would swim atop the undulating musical waters that the five of them laid down. “Skin Deep,” a song inspired by a favorite phrase of his mother’s, was a particularly poignant moment.
Joining Guy on stage was fellow blues icon Bobby Rush, who also opened the show. Rush joined for a few numbers. He and Guy got into a duel of sorts, with Rush playing harmonica and the virtuoso mimicking on his electric guitar. Later in the night, Guy welcomed his son on one of the final numbers. I did not catch his name, but, a longtime picker, the younger Guy told the crowd it was his first time singing on stage. To modify a phrase: the pipes don’t fall far from the blues legend.
Bobby Rush opened the show with an acoustic set of his classic blues tunes with mostly tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Rush kept the crowd rapt with stories from his childhood and musical upbringing. His set reached a crescendo as he played harmonica from within the crowd, interacting with fans along the way.
As Buddy Guy wrapped with his take on the blues classic “Fever,” it hit me: I had never experienced true blues music live. All those southern rockers who profess to play in a bluesy style have nothing on the real thing. Buddy Guy and Bobby Rush are the last of their kind. But true blues will live on, as Guy promised: “The blues will never die.”
