Some musicians come on stage and play the music without saying a word to the audience. Buddy Guy is not this person. At 79 years young, Buddy is still the consummate showman, going beyond many musicians a fraction of his age. He proved this to be true this past Wednesday, November 11 at The Egg in Albany.
Having played in front of people since the 50’s, Guy has perfected the way to work a crowd. Whether it’s telling a joke, a story, or going out into the crowd for “Someone Else is Steppin’ in”, Guy makes sure everybody in the building is entertained. The second song of the night was a 15 minute roll through of “Hoochie Coochie Man”. Not only did Guy take a few solos, but he also let his band shine throughout the extended take. During the entire evening he made sure the band got their due, introducing them as they took a few solos and he would step back out of the spotlight and just be a member of the band. He seemed to relish in the fact that he could watch his band work for just a little while before coming back to the mic.
The old days seemed to be on his mind a lot, mentioning numerous times that “This shit right here”, followed by a few bars of the blues, “can’t be found on the radio anymore”. Guy also spoke about Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker during the show and how they gave him a shot back in the day. While Guy strolled the crowd with his guitar, he took a kid from the crowd who could play guitar and gave him his own shot at the spotlight. The short jam was nice, and though the kid couldn’t move his hands as fast as Buddy wanted, he still did a great job leaving Guy smiling. Guy talked about the old Chicago days once the kid left and said “well, that’s how I got my shot, except it didn’t have the sound system this place has.”
He played a few newer numbers such as “Born to Play Guitar” and “74 Years Young,” both of which sounded as if they could have been recorded at any part of his career. He had to make an addendum at the end of the song for “74 Years Young,” as he wrote that 5 years ago, and it was a great moment to see the smile on his face as he stated he was now 79 years young.
As the concert slowly drew to a close, he started covering some artists that he helped influence, with takes on Cream’s “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”. Closing with “Meet Me in Chicago,” his adopted hometown, Guy threw a bunch of guitar picks into the crowd and smiled as he exited while the band jammed the song out for a little while more.
Buddy Guy may be the last of a breed of musicians, but he certainly is not going to go out quietly.
Words and Photos by Bryan Lasky. Full Gallery:
