I always knew Buddy Guy was da man, and I've heard some of his stuff on record- but seeing him live took it all to another level.
I feel almost guilty and amazed at the fact that I wasn't into him as much before. What rock had I been living under? The following is my testimony to witnessing the great BUDDY GUY live:
I remember seeing the opening act, Steve Strongman. Good singer, good guitar player, good harmonica player. He has a good backing bass player and drummer. Mostly a typical blues guy..but he branches out with some songs. Still, there's something missing. It's as if he's too clean, too synthetic, too perfect. Too Nutrasweet. I'm not in the mood to clap or anything. I know this guy is really good...but maybe he hasn't grown on me. Or maybe I don't like the fact he says his new CD is on sale between every fucking song. We hit the intermission, it's a moderate relief.
And then....there was Buddy Guy.
So first his band comes on, the crowd cheers... .. then he walks on- the crowd goes INSANE. I feel this new aura or vibe, like there's hope for the world after all (I know... it's corny). I'm also compelled to clap..as if I'm controlled by puppet strings.
The band members are all wearing black clothes like tracksuits and sports jerseys and the like- I mean, they all almost look like gangsta rappers! (haha). They get right down to business. What a backing band ! Buddy sure picked the cream of the crop. The keyboardist looks like he's playing hand drums on the keys when he plays. The drummer is impeccable yet thundering..he looks like he has gorilla arms while pounding away. The bassist looks to be physically opposite-small but mighty..and holding the low end up nicely.
He moves along with the groove swaying right to left. Right beside him, looking the most 'gangsta' of all, the backing guitarist sways in a similar fashion. This man's got some mean licks of his own and some of the showmanship as he at one point twirls his guitar in front full 360, like a minute hand moving a whole hour in fast forward.
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| Probably 80's era Buddy Guy..with his signature polka dot Fender Stratocaster |
But back to Buddy.
There's something distinctly Buddy about Buddy...only HE has it. I'd say he's a master of dynamics, and feeling in touch with the Heart of the Blues. At first he seems quiet on the mic..and I wonder if it's because he's gettin' a bit frail (after all he's 71).
Suddenly the idea is shattered as he belts out notes of holy colors that just parade into the air- WOW what a voice.
And it's the same thing with his guitar playing-one second he's subdued...noodling on a single note soft as a feather...the next second he's unleashed a storm. Further than that...in the space of a quarter second he switches between modes..like changing a channel...or even channel surfing.. not because there's nothing good on, but because EVERYTHING on is good.
I gotta say, Buddy's one of the very few guitar players I've ever seen who can play a guitar solo without even PLAYING.
I catch sight as he flips his guitar around and hugs it to his body like a long lost love. Nothing can be heard but the gentle rustle of the muted strings against his body. Beyond that, in a single note he wrings and squeezes out so much juice that the thirst of the crowd is satisfied ten times over. There is no impatience in these subdued or single note moments...only undivided attention. Like watching slow motion footage in an action movie, where there's even more time to pay attention to what's going on.
The man is smooth as melted butter. At one point he's literally taking a drink with one hand, and playing with the other.
Or he's using a drumstick to play in a frenzy and you think he's trying to start a fire with the friction.
Another time he steps down off the stage into the crowd. This is easy for him since his guitar is wireless. There's no wild clawing or hooting or grabbing. Everyone is utterly still and silent...like they're looking for total disrespect or trouble if they touch or interrupt this man, this demigod. Or as if they are waiting for a bomb to be disarmed...the seconds are tense...yet beautiful. Mr. Buddy Guy moves down the front row toward the one side aisle, a spotlight following him as if he's an escaped prisoner.
A man puts his arm tightly around his wife as Buddy passes in front..as if the wife is in danger of being swept away by this Pied Piper. Just a few more people down...and Buddy reaches out and offers one hand to another dame who appears to have no one to clamp her down. She reaches out, like they are going to shake hands. Keep in mind he is still playing with the other hand this whole time. Then he grabs her wrist and makes her strum his guitar while he continues fancy fretwork with the other hand. He moves on. He reaches the side aisle. He moves down the side aisle. Still playing. Then he leaves through one of the side exits.
Still playing. For all I know he's gone for a bathroom break and decided to take his guitar with him and play the whole blessed time. The lights come on. Everyone within the thousand- plus crowd keeps looking around in utter confusion. Where's Buddy Guy? When one person sees another looking somewhere else...they follow the gaze thinking for a second that this other person is looking at Buddy. Then they turn and look and see no Buddy (ha ha get it...'nobody') but then another person sees THEM looking and follows their gaze...and so on. Utter chaos. And the gorgeous notes still resound over the PA. Buddy is with us in spirit, ladies and gentlemen.
After a long while Buddy re-emerges. He appears to be heading back to the stage, but he makes a sharp cut into the thickest part of the crowd. What's he doing with the one girl? This time I can't see...his back is turned to me blocking most the view and the distance is kind of far. He eventually makes his way to the stage again, and resumes things like he never left the stage to begin with.
Buddy puts the class into trash. He's the smoothest stumbler I've seen. Some of the songs he stops mid-song and he's like "shit"
and they just move to the next song. Strangely enough it doesn't seem like he's sloppy or lame when this sort of thing happens.
He says something like 'they coulda rehearsed a bit more but too much rehearsing takes the fun or spirit out of it.'
It's just weird because I've seen so many bands on stage fuck up and it seemed an embarrassment or lame-ass, or like I'd be tempted to say I want my money back, but somehow Buddy's so smooth you wonder if it's part of the act even. Like coming out of a bad fall with a smooth action roll, if you will.
What a sense of humour too. There's one instance where he tries to get the crowd to finish his line for him...and they just sorta mumble it. He stops the song...and he's like "what the fuck was that?" or something to that effect. It's not a sinister thing...he's still very lovable and funny. Buddy then talks about how he's been doing shows in Japan and New Zealand with better crowd response, and he considers N. America home....so it's lame if his own folks don't get it. So Buddy resumes the song and tells the lighting guys to shine lights into the crowd to remind them of their cue (dum-dums) and the second time around the crowd does much better, and he's like "yeah! that's the ticket!!" or something to that effect. I seem to recall him ranting on a few funny things like "smoking ain't as bad as the fuckin' chicken you eat" as he illegally lights up on stage, and so forth.
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| Buddy: "Smokin' ain't as bad as the fuckin' chicken you eat.." |
Then, Buddy leaves...with only Mel Brown and the band left. Soon, even they leave. And there is NO encore, which I totally respect because the encore has become one of the most cliché piece of shit aspects of today's rock concert.
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| Mel Brown- another legend joins in. Worked with almost every big name in Blues. R.I.P. (Died March 20, 2009) |
So what more to say of Buddy?
He's been called the bridge from classic blues to modern rock. He has influenced Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughan..among countless others. Jimi Hendrix once said "Heaven is lying at Buddy Guy's feet while listening to him play guitar."
I could totally and more concretely grasp that idea by seeing Buddy live.
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| Buddy Guy, still kickin' it.. |
