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Not knowing what to expect, I got down to Scarborough early in the day on Saturday. The event was scheduled to start at 1:00; I arrived around 10:15 to make sure I got a decent place in line. It was pretty busy down there, but not quite as busy as I had expected. I browsed the store for a while, and eventually settled down in a chair to read for half an hour or so. Around 11:30 a table was set up, and the line started to form. I grabbed a second LP - a limited "Record Store Day" edition that hadn't been available Friday - it's in white vinyl and includes a bonus 7" record with some extra material. I wound up about fifteen people or so from the front of the line, with an hour and a half to go until the start of the event.
By 1:00 it was quite busy, but not nearly as crazy as I had expected. Channel 6 was there and there were a whole bunch of photographers, in addition to the line of fans wrapping around the store. When I got up to the front Mr. Nash commented on my picking up two albums. He was kind enough to sign one for my sister. I'm planning to give it to her tomorrow - she's a big fan of The Hollies. All in all it was a fun event, a good wrap-up to a long work week, and great way to spend my 30th birthday. I'll need to keep an eye out for Bullmoose's Record Store Day event for next year!
After the show, I did my traditional run over to the stage door to see if I could get my playbill signed. This was, perhaps, the most sedate signing of the three shows I've seen, due, perhaps, to the somewhat older audience. Unlike No Man's Land with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, there were no "professional" collectors jockeying for space with attendees and unlike The Cripple of Inishmaan with Daniel Radcliffe, there were no young women desperate to see the actors trying to push people out of the way. It was quite pleasant and, as always, a treat to meet everybody (especially without getting crushed).
I was planning to go see him again (and try for that CD a second time) when he came through Maine again this coming fall, however the news broke about a week and a half ago that Mr. King was in hospice care at his home in Los Angeles. It seems unlikely that I'll have the chance to see him perform again. I feel extremely lucky to have seen this living legend perform in person at least once. As soon as the news broke, I went out and purchased this photo from a reputable dealer, realizing that, while Mr. King's signature has been heavily forged for years, a new wave of fakes would be hitting the market and it was likely that prices for authentic items would skyrocket.
B.B. King (born Riley B. King, b. 1926) is an American singer songwriter, guitarist and living legend - noted by Time Magazine and Gibson as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and one of the three most influential blues musicians of all time. Up until he reached his seventies, B.B. performed 250-300 concerts per year and into his eighties continued to play more than 100 shows per year. On May 1st, 2015, B.B. King announced via his website that he was in home hospice care following two hospitalizations for high blood pressure and diabetes. ***EDIT*** R.I.P. B.B. King |
AuthorA blog documenting autographs as they enter my collection - usually with some extra information and a brief biographical statement. Archives
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