‘Living legend’ B.B. King to perform at IU Auditorium

Living legend B.B. King will perform many of his classic blues pieces Saturday evening at the IU Auditorium. Tickets are still available.

The IU Auditorium partnered with Nitelite Promotions to host the self-proclaimed “Ambassador of Blues.”

“He’s a living legend,” said Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium. “Any time we have the opportunity to bring a living legend to the Auditorium, we make sure that happens.”

King has been singing and performing for more than half a century. Rolling Stone magazine crowned the musician the third-greatest guitarist of all time.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and won the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award that same year.

“He’s such a household name,” said Maria Talbert, events manager of the IU Auditorium. “He is one of those artists people may not necessarily listen to all the time, but he’s one of the musicians that when people do hear his music, they know all of his songs.”

Booher agreed, saying King has greatly influenced music today.

“He has had such a huge impact on the jazz and blues worlds, in addition to the more mainstream world of music,” he said.

Sophomore Victoria Baldwin described King as “an enormously talented musician.”

“He’s revolutionized the way people approach blues in our culture today,” she said.

At the age of 83, King is still touring the world, performing about 250 times a year.

When audiences close their eyes, they would have no idea of his age, Talbert said.
King performed at the IU Auditorium in 2005, and the show was a huge success, Booher said.

“The audience three years ago was a very diverse range of people,” Booher said. “Many were avid blues fans, while others just wanted to come to hear a great musician,” he said.

Although the audience will probably be a bit older, if students attend, they will be able to appreciate the musician, Talbert said.

Many students have already bought tickets to see the show, Booher said. It will be a great way to cap off the football day, he said.

A lot of students do not realize they already know his music, Talbert said. However, King’s music has been there in the background of everyone’s life.

“He derives his energy from live audiences,” Talbert said. “He wouldn’t be performing if people didn’t come out to see him.”