I saw B.B. King in concert. He was on tour with Buddy Guy when they arrived at the Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC in 2000. It was an extra bluesy night since the rain hit the outdoor venue. While my ticket was in the lower level which is covered by the roof; turns out the last dozen or so rows of seats are not covered. That’s where I sat. Making things worse was that my seat was right on the drip line where the rain rolled of the roof. I wanted to see B.B. King, but I didn’t want to be trapped in storm drain. Even though there was an empty dry seat in front of me, the fascist security threatened to throw me out of the venue when I attempted to move up. They also threatened me if I moved a row back away from the drip into the normal rain. I ended up sitting on the outside of the seating area perched on a picnic table that had a working umbrella. Not a prime seat. I got to bathe in his sweet solos including “The Thrill Is Gone” instead of pounded by raindrops. B.B. King On The Road gives the history of B.B. King from many of the musicians who went on the road with him for decades.
B.B. King was on the road for 65 years and nearly 18,000 shows. The documentary charts how he rose up from playing in Memphis to putting together an amazing blues band to play the Chitlin Circuit in a segregated South. There’s lots of tales including from video interviews with B.B. King about what he went through during the days. Gas stations would gladly sell him fuel for the bus and refuse to let him use the toilet. These were also dangerous times. B.B. King talks about the time he and Martin Luther King Jr were at the same motel. Someone blew up the room between them. But that didn’t scare him off the road.
The documentary has a lot of famous rock stars talk about the impact B.B. King had on their lives through seeing him on the road, listening to his records or playing with him. There’s a lot of praise for Live At the Regal album from ex-Rolling Stone guitarist Mick Taylor and Carlos Santana. Oddly enough, a member of the band hates the record because he swears it wasn’t the best night on the tour. There’s talk of the time B.B. King was in serious trouble with the IRS since even life on the road was turning out to be a drain. His CPA saved him and he made the guy his manager. There’s a great story from B.B. King about the night he met Johnny Winters. He was shocked when the Filmore in San Francisco became more hippie oriented. Turns out he was more than loved by the crowd that night since so many of the rock guitarists of the late ’60s were major fans of B.B. King. Eric Clapton relates their first jam session from that time.
Mick Jagger praises B.B. King from the stage of a performance at Obama’s White House. Superstar producer Bill Szymczyk (Eagles’ Hotel California) explains how he figured out the missing element on “The Thrill Is Gone” that broke B.B. King wide in 1970. He won the Grammy for his signature tune. Later B.B. King cut a record in London with Ringo Starr on drums. There’s footage from the all-star Rumble In the Jungle concert. Things got even bigger in the ’80s. B.B. King hooked up with U2 for “When Love Comes To Town.” This led to him performing in stadiums during their massive Josha Tree tour. He was a highlight of the Rattle And Hum concert movie and soundtrack. Bono talks about their collaboration. The most fun is when B.B. King and Obama duet on “Sweet Home Chicago.”
The meat of B.B. King On The Road is several of B.B. King’s touring musicians in the back of a tour bus recounting all the things that happened while on the road. B.B. King lived on the road. They were doing 300 gigs a year. There was no downtime when you were with him. They talk about all the things he did with them. They enjoyed their time with him. They get into a show they did at the Royal Albert Hall with tons of guests. Although they played it as tight as all their gigs. They also get into their Glastonbury show. Things get sad and solemn when discussing his final night on stage at the House of Blues in Chicago. B.B. King On The Road is a great portrait of the blues guitarist who was so worth enduring the rain.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The video varies since so much of the interviews are from standard definition video. Overall the transfer looks fine. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Stereo. Everything sounds sweet when B.B. King gets to playing. The movie is subtitled in English.
Trailer (1:50) opens with the recreation of B.B. King carrying his friend back.
MVD Visual presents B.B. King On The Road. Directed by Jon Brewer. Featuring B.B. King, Ringo Starr, Bono, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, Mick Taylor and Bill Szymczyk. Running Time: 105 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: April 25, 2025.
