Keb’ Mo’ brings Delta to Buskirk

Keb’ Mo’ swayed to the song he played on his silver steel guitar. Three spotlights reflected off his guitar onto the walls, causing the walls to seemingly move with music.

The Grammy award-winning artist performed at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to a sold-out crowd Friday night.

Wearing a fedora hat and jeans, Keb’ Mo’ sat on a stool and closed his eyes to the final song of his 90-minute set. He stood and bowed as the strip lighting faded to blue, and the audience cheered for an encore.

“Want a couple more?” he said, sorting through his four guitars for the perfect match.

The show sold out at about noon the day of the performance, house manager Kelly Ott said.

Keb’ Mo’ arrived in Bloomington earlier than his 8 p.m. performance.

“You know what I love about Bloomington?” the blues guitarist asked the audience. “Good-ass food. I live to eat. I know I don’t look like it.”

The 59-year-old, three-time Grammy award winner was at ease on the stage as he crammed the concert full of jokes.

When discussing birthdays with the audience, he mischievously asked if they knew what happens on birthdays.

“Oh yeah,” he said from the back of his throat in a signature blues growl. “You eat cake.”

In addition to the Mississippi Delta blues, The Keb’ Mo’ performance also brought a study by Americans for the Arts, which the City of Bloomington is participating in.

American for the Arts is a nonprofit organization based on advancing the arts.

“It checks the audience’s participation in the arts and how much people spend on arts,” Buskirk-Chumley Theater employee Abby Henkel said.

Henkel is on the committee for the survey, which will be circulating throughout Bloomington in 2011.

“The organization surveys 150 cities every 10 years,” she said.

Surveys will be given at events at the John Waldron Arts Center and Lotus Festival, as well as others, Henkel said.

Audience members of Keb’ Mo’ participated in the survey prior to the show.

Keb’ Mo’s performance ended at 10 p.m. after he played three songs as his encore. With audience persuasion, he ended with his cover of “America the Beautiful.”

After singing two verses, he stood and walked in front of the microphone. The audience sang the final verse as he played along. Keb’ Mo’ smiled.

“Thank you,” he said.