B.B. King / Willie Nelson
July 25, Riverfest Amphitheater
Mick Jagger and his fellow Rolling Stones were perhaps the first legendary musicians to keep touring long past the age when most of their ilk had retired – or worse. Proof the older set has taken a cue from those British whippersnappers came July 25 as 82-year-old B.B. King and 75-year-old Willie Nelson played for a large and adoring crowd at Riverfest Amphitheatre.
The Stones, in a way, were also the first band that cried wolf. When I saw them at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis in 1978 (for $15, I might add) it seemed sure to be my last chance. Right. And clearly, many B.B. and Willie fans braved the smothering summer heat to get what they’re betting was their final glimpse of these two Hall of Famers. (Or at least B.B. – Willie might be at it for another decade or so).