Opening fit for a king: B.B. warms DPAC's first crows with humor, scant guitar licks, great pipes

DURHAM, Dec 02, 2008 (The News & Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- DPAC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The spiffy new Durham Performing Arts Center has several stand-up comedy acts on its schedule, including Lewis Black, Robin Williams and Bill Cosby. And to that list, you can add the opening-night headliner, bluesman B.B. King -- except it was sit-down comedy.

Now 83, King sits rather than stands onstage, a concession to diabetes, as well as age. And he has undoubtedly lost a step from his prime; he's like an aging quarterback who gets the job done more by wiles than arm strength, although King showed plenty of firepower when the time came.

But long stretches of Sunday's show featured King in raconteur mode, talking rather than playing. As his eight-piece band quietly vamped, King held forth about the weather, getting old, his salad days in Mississippi and, of course, the fairer sex. He flirted relentlessly with women in the crowd and dispensed wisdom for the ages, including seduction tips (cheap wine laced with vodka was one suggestion).

"The older we get, the prettier they get," he sighed, to laughter all around.

Every now and then, he'd get a mind to bear down and stop you cold with an absolute bull-roar vocal, and the occasional stinging guitar solo. I would have preferred a bit more music and less spoken-word, but it was a fine two hours.

Sunday's sold-out show offered the first look at the DPAC as a concert venue, and it's both comfortable and intimidating.

The performance area is a cavernous room that seems to go straight up, visually swallowing the performers onstage. From the back wall of the upper balcony, it feels as if you're looking straight down at the stage; not for the vertigo-inclined.

The sound was pretty good (on the lower level, at least), although there were some recurrent issues with feedback on King's microphone. It will be interesting to see how DPAC fares as a rock venue if rock shows become part of the schedule.

The show began with a true taste of Durham blues from opening act Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos, fronted by Melton -- proprietor and head chef of Papa Mojo's Roadhouse restaurant and nightclub in Durham. The band opened with "Papa Mojo," which just happens to be the song that starts playing when you go to the Papa Mojo Web site (papamojosroadhouse.com). It only got 30 minutes, but it was a solid performance, especially the closing stretch of zydeco numbers.

After a half-hour break, King's black-tie-clad band appeared to warm the crowd up with a few instrumentals. Then King ambled out, resplendent in a dark suit and gold jacket. He entered throwing out gewgaws of some sort into the crowd, then took a seat and commenced to entertain.

You might have expected a set focused on King's fine new album, "One Kind Favor" (Geffen Records), but that's just not how King operates. Except for the title track, he left the new album alone.

He also didn't bother with his last big radio hit, 2000s "Riding With the King." He did perform his 1988 collaboration with U2, "When Love Comes To Town," but recast as old-school jump blues, with his most energetic guitar solo of the night.

King didn't play much guitar, which was a shame. Yet nobody seemed to mind too much, because the years have been kind to his voice, and the man can still holler like nobody's business.

Toward the end, he stopped a rambling monologue about the ladies practically in mid-syllable to go roaring into "The Thrill Is Gone," and it was a reminder of what a force of nature he has been for the past 60 years. "Key to the Highway" and "I Need You So Bad" scored, too.

Before taking his leave, King said he hoped his show would encourage the DPAC to book more blues acts, and he promised to return if he's wanted. I expect they'll have him back.

david.menconi@newsobserver.com or blogs.newsobserver.com/beat or 919-829-4759

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