All-Star Blues Tribute to B.B. King Will Be Livestreamed
A month ago, on February 16th, a group of some of the greatest living musicians gathered at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, to celebrate the music of the late, great .
That seems like a lifetime ago now as we settle into a spring without any concerts or large gatherings — but you can go back to that all-star blues show tonight at 8 p.m. EST, when the Relix Channel will livestream the whole concert for free under the name The Thrill Is Gone: A Tribute to B.B. King.
The show included performances by a who’s who of musicians influenced by King — from his good friend Buddy Guy to sweet guitarists and soulful voices like Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Steven Van Zandt, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Warren Haynes, David Hidalgo, William Bell, Jimmy Vaughan and many more, backed by a house band that included top-shelf session aces Steve Jordan on drums and Pino Palladino on bass guitar.
A portion of proceeds from the February concert went to the SEVA Foundation, the blindness charity founded by Wavy Gravy; organizers are asking for fans who enjoy the livestream to consider making a donation as well.
King died in 2015 after leaving an unforgettable impression on 20th century music, and his friends and successors have done their best to keep that legacy alive in the years since. “When B.B. passed away, I kind of woke up and said, ‘I’m the last one here,’” Buddy Guy told Rolling Stone‘s Patrick Doyle that year. Tune in tonight to see and hear the musical community that King shaped.