85 and still rockin' out

On Thursday night, I watched a musician perform at Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall. It was absolutely fantastic, and I can't believe I saw a performer who has been on the stage for seventy years.

The performer was B.B.King. The man is 85 years old, and he first entered the music scene performing on a radio station in 1946. King has been going ever since.

He's #3 on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 greatest guitarists on all time" list, and has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has performed in over 90 countries, and has witnessed more famous world events than I care to name.

Simply put, B.B.King is epic.

He looked that happy at when I saw him too. It's inspirational.*

At the concert, he sang, talked, played, and grooved from a chair set at centre stage. He talked about a variety of topics, including life, music, touring, and Viagra.

He was ecstatic to see a young boy sitting front row centre, and praised the boy's father and "young people" in general for keeping the music industry alive.

After the concert ended, King started signing autographs from the stage while the band continued to play softly in the background. He truly wanted to meet his fans, which I thought was very classy.

I hope I will have an opportunity to see this gentleman play again. I also hope that I will still be able to play the piano at 85. My life will be so much better if I can, and King looks like he's loving his life every single day.

*Image taken from the B.B. King website.