BB King - Standing Room Only

Stand close to the exit

This concert was filmed in 1990 in the Trump Marina Hotel, Atlantic City. From that you can rightly deduce that this is glitzy hotel entertainment, and consequently the band comes complete with slap bass and the ugly drum sound that characterised so much music at the time.

BB King and his guitar Lucille give good performances to keep the concert afloat. An amusing slapstick routine sees him conducting the horns with different limbs, including his ample rump. The set is mostly uptempo material, but as King’s finest moments are so often the slower numbers, it’s a shame there aren’t more. Ain’t Nobody’s Business What I Do simmers nicely as King takes the time to get to the heart of the song.

The real litmus test is The Thrill Is Gone: if you ever hear a version of that song which doesn’t send a chill down your spine, something’s wrong. This version doesn’t deliver that feeling, thanks to the limp backing. This is compounded by the murky audio mix, which gives none of the breadth that the band, particularly the effervescent horns, deserves. Also, the concert has been edited together from several sets, making the experience very uneven.

S’More | 88697 08706 9

Reviewed by Mat Croft
<< Back to Issue 339