BB King's, New York Pix & Report

  • The BB King's show was awesome! Here's my short review I posted on another board:

    Well, last night was just plain great! I've waited my whole life to see this man perform live and I finally got my chance last night in New York City for a sold out show at BB King's.

    Me & two musician friends of mine took the train to the city and arrived around 4:30pm. We decided to go straight to the club and hang at Lucille's at BB King's for some drinks and appetizers. Lucky for us, we talked to the door man and got a ticket to be called before the doors opened to BB's for the show allowing us first dibs at seats. There was a line of a couple of hundred people waiting outside to get in and we got to slip right in front of them and get a table a few feet away from Glenn. We had two hours to kill before showtime so we had dinner and drinks a chatted with the fans who were sitting next to us, a great bunch indeed.

    First up was Danny Johnson who to my surprise played solo with no band and just a rack of toys which provided drum, bass and keyboard tracks. I've been a fan of his for years. He has played with some great bands including Axis, Derringer, Alcatrazz, Alice Cooper amongst others and is currently with Steppenwolf and a solo artist. He dished out a great one hour set and played some awesome leads. A highlight for me was hearing a Derringer favorite "Driving Sideways" & Axis' "Those Brown Eyes".

    Glenn Hughes was firing on all cylinders and was pumped to be back in NYC after 32 years! His new band members Steve Stevens (drums) & Jeff Kollman (Guitar) really impressed me. They put on a solid HIGH ENERGY set that lasted two hours.

    Glenn's enthusiasm and non stop energy was a sight to behold. The guy never stopped moving and he had some of the best moves, struts and facial expressions I've ever seen. He's puts players who are half his age to shame.

    They don't call him "The God of Voice" for nothing. This guys was sending shivers down everyone's spine with his incredible singing. He has the most incredible range, emotion & soul I've ever heard come out of a mouth.

    He and his band ripped through tunes from Deep Purple with great versions of "Mistreated", "Getting Tighter" & the set closer "Burn" and tunes from his latest solo releases. The night was full of some fantastic jamming. "Mistreated" was full of surprises and lasted about 20 minutes! I was hoping for some Hughes & Thrall/Trapeze/Iommi & Hughes but what was played did not disappoint as I love all of his solo material. The tracks from his new record "Music For The Divine" were excellent. I'll be picking that one up for sure.

    Aside from a few sound issues like Glenn roasting the bass rig on the last song before the encores (he played through a Fender Twin Reverb for the last two songs) and some trouble with the keyboards and vocal microphone which were fixed quickly the show was top notch entertainment.

    To top off a great night in NYC seeing one of my idols we got meet him and his band after the show. I got a bunch of pictures of the show & one of me & Glenn sitting together. He also signed a few CD's for me.

    He says he'll be back next year and I, for sure will be back to see this legend.

  • Great pictures David! Thanks for posting the setlist too.

    I think you were sitting right in front of me at the show.

  • It doesn't get any better than that...a band on fire, great people, great food, GREAT City!!!

    Wish I had more time to spend with the fellow GHCPeeps. So great to see you all again.

    David and Shirean....THANK YOU :thumbup:

    Kenny and Carolyn...cheers to you :p

    Daddy and Company... :claphands:claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands

  • the show was amazing!! i know he has a great voice, but i did not expect it to be SO STRONG and SUSTAINED!!! i will post a more complete review soon!! can't wait for next year- Glenn owes us for not coming around in the States for so long !!!!

  • Hi all

    Just got back to the UK after a fantastic trip to NYC :claphands:claphands:claphands:claphands:claphands:claphands:claphands !

    What a great show & made all the better by having the chance to meet such a nice bunch of people (as if I thought otherwise !!!).

    I didn't think the Shepherds Bush concert in March could be topped but it certainly was & I won't go into details as it's been covered above.

    A HUGE (Hugs,Hughs,Hoos,you get the drift!) thanks to Glenn,Jeff,Ed & Steve for making it the event it was & then having the energy to 'meet & greet' after -what a really personable bunch they are too,very approachable & that evening will live with us forever! :clapper:

    HUGE thanks to David,Shirean,Vinny,Frank & Wolfy for pulling this all together for Jayne & I :thumbup: Sorry if I missed anyone,the night was such a blur :bow::bow::bow:!

    It's not every day you get to meet an axe-murderer (even in NYC.......just a joke !!) & so I was really pleased to meet Grace - it's probably just as well you couldn't hear much of what I/we was/were saying :lol: - thanks so much for the signed photo! I hope you enjoyed YKOM :clapper:

    Well,Frank, was it Doro or Hot Tuna in the end?
    Thanks so much for all you did, both before & on the night - we really enjoyed having you,Maggie,& Wolfy as table companions :thumbup:

    Hey,John, you did get a 'Happy Birthday' from us as we awaited Mr Hughes afterwards,didn't you! :birthday3 - the pizza cake & candles were missing though ;) Glad to hear you had such a great night,as we all did.
    Hope you found something to do around the Times Square area while you were waiting for your car to be 'made available' again - you must have really struggled to be kept entertained,it being so quiet & nothing going on there... ;) ;) ;)

    :cheers:

    Cheers,
    Ben !!

  • A spectacular night for me. Seeing Glenn Live for the first time, with my 18 year old son, who wants noting more than to play drums for Glenn. Meeting an old friend at the show and meeting my date for the first time, who turned out to be a remarkable woman! ;)

    Figured I'd add my pictures here you go.













  • hey , just thought id share w/ you , i smile i just had. im in s.carolina, i was sitting at the table next to you , i remember talking to you about your glenn hughes shirt, i have the actual playlist that you took a pic. of and posted here ( along w/ the three pics that glenn gave me. i was looking at your pics and was thinking "wow, these guys must have been sitting w/ me" and then i recognized you as the people at the next table . i was there w/ my 16 yr. old daughter. we have to bring our children up right you know :) enjoyed , enjoying the show w/ yall ,peace

  • Nathalie and Conchita told me they wanted the rest of the full story ;) SO.......

    While Chip and Todd drove off back to Vegas to catch their respective flights home, David, Shirean and I shared a taxi to LAX on Sunday as David and I were on the same flight while Shirean was on the same one as Glenn. The plane was overbooked but we made it on and landed at JFK 45 minutes late to be met by Mike Moore who was picking up Glenn. I had pre booked my ride so said goodbye and headed for my hotel http://www.jollymadison.com. It was hammering down with rain and I was tired so headed straight to bed as it was late. It continued to pour with rain till around 2pm on Monday but I got out to the local deli for food and water without getting wet. I called up Frank at his hotel and walked over to meet him and his wife Maggie :hi2: there for 3pm before we headed over to Ben’s Kosher Deli. Within 10 seconds of going in I get “Wolfy!” :eek: It’s Forever Young and his buddy who had travelled down from Phillidelphia – from now on known as the Philly Guys :) I’d tell you how great the food and service was – but it wasn’t! :mad: Then the other Brits, Ben and his lovely partner Jayne, arrived :hi5: We left for BB’s as we had decided to eat there. Met up with Vinnis and all the other Crazy People in the bar.
    :cheers:
    Over a couple of beers, the Philly Guys and I put the world to rights and solved the Iraq war :lol: – and we had only met 2 hours earlier! Before long it was show time. Vinnis had arrived early and made sure we got 3 tables of 6 all together near the stage :thanx: Turned out Gabi and her friends were directly in front of us.

    We ate while Danny Johnson was on. Believe it or not but Ben’s food you see in the pic was a starter not a main course :eek: Frank had some oysters, then some more oysters, then a giant steak. We had a real fun table. Frank is the very definition of the phrase “larger than life character”. It was a privilege sir! Ben, make sure Jayne gets that Yorkshire Pudding technique mastered and a new tray to cook them in! And I finally met the Axe Lady herself – Grace :D :axe: :lol2: This was a real social event never mind the fact Glenn was going to perform for us too!

    Danny Johnson played a longer set than in LA and got a decent reaction from the crowd.

    Then on came Glenn and the band. No pre-recorded intro of Valiant Denial this time. Jeff just cranked up his guitar :guitarmet and started it off himself. Much better that way I thought. Unfortunately Ed had no sound from his keyboards at all for the whole song.

    Glenn said they would wait for it to be fixed before carrying on. Still a few problems but by the third song it was fine and all of a sudden Jeff’s guitar was louder and clearer in the mix too. Just jumping out at us. Glenn was once again supreme with immaculate singing and bass playing :bow: :bow: There was a point in one song where he hit a note so high I am sure only dogs could hear it! Forget Mariah Carey’s octave range, Glenn’s seems to be bigger and more powerful! His energy levels for an old geezer are amazing. New drummer Steve played very well considering his short rehearsal time and got a little solo spot and also the same showcase jam during Getting Tighter(I think) that Chad did. Reminded me a bit of Dance With The Devil (Cozy Powell).

    This was also the show where Jeff Kollman hit absolute top form. Sh*t Hot was how I would describe him :thumbup: Glenn gave him more freedom and extended intros to show what he can do. The opening of Mistreated was a killer and I wish I had videoed it! Philly Guys and I kept saying “Jeff is red hot tonight”.

    David had told us that after the show there would be a meet and greet and that us GHPG folk were getting priority treatment :clapper: We stood separate from the line that went right round the club and were then invited backstage to line-up and wait for Glenn to come out after a quick chill out. Just so all of you who waited know, the guy in the white jacket, shades and long black hair was Electric Dave (see my pic). Turns out he had been in contact with a certain Mr Galley who had told him a bunch of Crazy People from the UK and across the USA were headed his way to see Glenn and could he use his role as backstage fixer to sort out something special for us. I’m sure you will agree he did!

    Can I ask all of us with Myspace pages drop by his page to say hello and thanks. http://www.myspace.com/electricdave2

    “Wolfy!” Out comes Glenn and he was his usual friendly and down to earth self and happy to chat to each of us individually and sign pictures etc. We even discussed The Wolves! :D

    What a birthday treat for my new Philly mate John. If only Shirl had a friend who could have got Glenn to sign an exclusive, unpublished, behind the scenes picture of Glenn taken at the NDA event then she would have had something for her birthday too! ;) :thumbup: :yes:

    Then out came Jeff – “Wolfy! How you doing?”

    Thanks for signing those pics mate and I’ll be emailing you again with some more stuff!

    Once we had all been seen we headed back out in to the bar area and Glenn came out with Gabi and Electric Dave to sit in a booth and meet the rest of the fans for pics and autographs. Us GHPG folk continued to chat with each other and with Mike Moore, Jeff, Ed, and Steve. What a great bunch of guys they are socially too. I told Steve he was now famous and would be seen on the internet within hours! He seemed genuinely pleased and surprised by the strength, warmth and all round friendliness of Glenn’s fans.

    Plenty of chat and pics with the guys later it was time to leave as there was no-one left but us in BBs.

    We headed off to our hotels only to find The Philly Guys car had been locked overnight in to their car park :confused: :sint1: Glad to know you guys got home in one piece :thumbup:

    Left the hotel at noon Tuesday for my bus trip back to JFK, then on to Atlanta, and finally landing in Manchester on Wednesday at 10.15am. Then another 1.5 hours drive on the motorway home! Knackered!!:div27:

    Was it worth it? OF COURSE!!! :bouncer: I would definitely fly to another show in NYC as that is cheap and easy to get to and always deals available from here. Just give me some advance notice Glenn! :thumbup:

    Hopefully for you guys in the USA there will be more shows soon. Glenn needs to take the bull by the horns and book some shows elsewhere. The people WILL come Glenn, especially in the old Trapeze stomping grounds of the South from where there are messages everyday on the Trapeze page asking for you to come back.

    Glenn and all his band are fantastic people AND so are all his fans.

    I was a real pleasure to meet you all and if Glenn gives you enough notice of UK dates maybe we will see some of you over here next time :yes:

  • Hi Wolfy

    Wot? anuvver 'oliday,as us Londoners would say :lol:
    No offence to Wales but it'll have to go some to be as 'flamboyant' as Times Square at 1am!!!!!

    What a great story (& all true,I hasten to add) you've relayed there & I can only reiterate the feeling of excitement you've put across in your report :thumbup:

    Quote

    I’d tell you how great the food and service was – but it wasn’t! :mad: Then the other Brits, Ben and his lovely partner Jayne, arrived :hi5: We left for BB’s as we had decided to eat there.

    I got the feeling that all was not well when we arrived - I think Frank only had 3 plates in front of him ;)

    Quote

    Believe it or not but Ben’s food you see in the pic was a starter not a main course :eek:

    I hasten to add I did not finish it ( actually from your photo,I'm glad I didn't :lol:).

    Quote

    Ben, make sure Jayne gets that Yorkshire Pudding technique mastered and a new tray to cook them in!

    Iraq War,then Masterchef.....yes it was all covered that night! :) Does that mean I have to wash up the old tray now/?!! ;);)

    Here are a couple of my photos from the night as well:

  • There are simply no words... :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands

    Enjoy your time off now!

    In this crazy world you must change yourself....

    Never compare yourself to others - people are more screwed up than you think.

  • :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands :claphands
    thanks soooooooooo much to everybody for those electric reviews and pics!!!! I hate you all!!! hahahahahaha

    and Wolfy... when the book will come? I want a book with your travels and gigs! don't worry I won't ask you for spicey stories hehehe but you make us feel as if we were travelling with you!!! :thumbup:
    oh I miss soooooooo much a Glenn's gig

    thank you all!
    xoxoxoxoxoxooxo

  • That's why Glenn is known as the Funkmeister...NOT THE "Plunkmeister"! :D

    That is....SO....FREAKIN'....FUNNY.

    Although if Glenn wanted to add a new facet to his musical repetoire,
    as Mr. Plunkmeister, he could play a snappy bass guitar to:

    "The Plunka Plunka Polka"

    .............and it would be.......ALL YOUR FAULT :lol:

    axmuremoticon.gif

  • My adventure began at the ungodly hour of 3:30 Monday morning. I crawl out of bed after a broken six hours sleep..a bit excited perhaps? Climb into the Beastette (my 1986 Ford Escort) and hit the highway for the 2 hour drive from Harrisonburg to Vienna VA and the Metro station. Grab the Metro and get to Union Station with fifteen minutes to spare, and climb on the Amtrak Metroliner headed for NYC. The weather was clear in VA but as I get into NJ it starts raining rather steadily and I am sitting there thinking; "You could have brought a jacket with you...but NOOOOO!!!" I roll into Penn Station at about 11 and hop on the Long Island Railroad which puts me in my hometown of Baldwin at about 11:45.

    I was thinking about Conchita and did what any New Yorker would do first thing after being away for a few years...on to the diner!! And what a coincidence that the Coach Diner is right across the street from the train station :thumbup: I had a few hours to burn until my brother got off from work at 3 so I hurry over to the CVS to get an umbrella getting soaked in the process. I walk around Baldwin feeling more and more like Rip Van Winkle....it has changed so much over the years! I meet Pete and we hop the train back into NYC.

    After living in the sticks for the last 18 months, the bustle and rush is a tonic for me....though it drives Pete nuts! We walk to Ben's unaware that Frank and Co. had just left. We wait for a while and grab something to eat...then walk to B.B. Kings. I don't see any GHCP's in the line but I do get a kick out of listening to people talk about past times they saw Glenn and what songs he will play. It was a riot; they were hoping for Black Sabbath and Trapeze tunes and I am standing with a smile thinking; "Ah, if you only knew..." ;)

    Once inside, I find everyone; David and Shirean, Kenny and Carolyn, Frank and Maggie, Ben and Jane, Grace, Wolfy, The Philly Boys, Vinnis, Scottscars.....My brother and I are near the back of the room which suited me just fine as standing at the stage front means you get the amps right in your ears and the vocals tend to get lost. I didn't take a lot of pictures either; I wanted to fully enjoy the event and not spend the evening watching the show through the viewfinder of my camera! I get to chat briefly with everyone before Danny Johnson starts his set. Though somewhat lacking as a singer, Danny Johnson is a fine guitarist and he goes over reasonably well, better than in LA or so I am told. 9:30 heralds the Main Event...

    Big Daddy In The Big Apple :singer::clapper::thumbup::cool:

    Glenn is looking through the windshield and not the rear view mirror as he opens with three new songs before saluting Purple with "Mistreated" The set list was killer in my book; just a quartet of Purple tunes and heavy on the last two CD's!! And he performed for almost two hours.

    They call him the "Voice Of Rock" but I think that THE VOICE says it all. Glenn was psyched about playing in NY and he was just amazing; he definitely gave 150 % that night and his voice was miked high in the mix, he was definitely strutting his stuff!! I saw Jeff Kollman play with Glenn at the Hard Rock hotel in Orlando 4 years ago but this was hardly the same guitarist I remember...Jeff was ten feet tall and burning like a house on fire at B.B. Kings!! I was totally slackjawed listening to him! :thumbup:


    Steve Stevens worked the engine room and Ed Roth was the man of many colors on the keys.....I will never forget this show!!

    After the triumph of a show rumbles to an end...

    Glenn Hughes, 5 Bass Amp, 0 :eek:

    I catch up to everyone for the post show meet and greet and get to share more good times...just wish we had more time to spend together!! Frank, Maggie, Wolfy and I head out into the streets and walk back to Frank's hotel. And a huge "THANK YOU!!" to Frank and Maggie for letting me grab 4 hours' sleep on their couch; it was the difference between getting home in one piece and driving my car into someone's living room :eek: !!

    I walk down to Penn Station at 6 a.m. and board the train back to Washington D.C. and get back to my place at about 3 p.m. feeling a bit fuzzy but elated at seeing Glenn and catching up to the GHCP Family!! :cool::):bow:

    Let's get together again soon....but hold the oysters, OK ;) ??

    Yours In The Funk
    Bill "Capt. Midnite" Redford

    :ghcp:

    http://www.facebook.com/bill.redford

    "Cause if you fake the FUNK..your nose got to grow!" Bootsy Collins

  • Hi Bill

    Good to read your review - seems like we all had an 'adventure' before the day/on the day/next day ;) - the 'hardships' melted into the background once we had the reward of that night :clapper:

    :cheers:

    Cheers,
    Ben !!

  • I wanted to share a few pictures with all of you....the train station in Baldwin as photographed from the Coach Diner, the house I grew up in and some of the crazy people that made this trip worth every penny!! :thumbup:

  • . I was thinking about Conchita and did what any New Yorker would do first thing after being away for a few years...on to the diner!! And what a coincidence that the Coach Diner is right across the street from the train station :thumbup:

    simply.....INSANE! :claphands  

    Go ahead....tell me how great that pastrami sandwich was! :(

    I'm curious to know what the fans who were expecting BS and Trapeze thought :D

    In this crazy world you must change yourself....

    Never compare yourself to others - people are more screwed up than you think.

  • Conchita,

    I had breakfast at the diner..yes, it was noon but an omelette, fries and a bagel was needed right away since I hadn't eaten a bite since leaving the house at 3:30!!. And that pastrami sandwich at Ben's?? Ten bucks but worth every penny :thumbup:

    The only thing I didn't get to do was bring some Drake's Cakes back with me..after all these years they still rule!! :)

    Glenn said he would come back next year...hopefully you can be there too!! ;)

    And judging from the thunderous applause Glenn and company received...I don't think anyone missed the Sabbath and Trapeze tunes....a tremendous night!!

    Yours In The Funk
    Bill "Capt. Midnite" Redford

    :ghcp:

    http://www.facebook.com/bill.redford

    "Cause if you fake the FUNK..your nose got to grow!" Bootsy Collins

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