As they play “Blues Man,” the lyrics of which sound like a time before B.B. had made it, he and the other guitarists sit on chairs to bring back the early days when he first started in business when he played tiny clubs. The set ends with B.B.’s all-time classic, a fantastic rendition of “The Thrill Is Gone.” The song is so good it almost makes you wish you had a broken heart just so hearing the song could help heal it.
The video is presented in 1080i High Definition Widescreen with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The details of King’s stylish coat and the beads of sweat on the hard-working musicians are clear and distinct, and colors appear consistent throughout. The camera work and pacing of the editing is well done as it allows the viewer to clearly see the band members play, including the framing on close-ups of their fingers. The audio is defaulted to LPCM Stereo, and is also available in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS HD Master Audio. The DTS delivers very good fidelity and the instruments fill the surrounds.
There’s a 15-minute bonus of three songs from a 2006 set, which finds 80-year-old B.B. still doing what he does best, although he informs the crowd he needs to perform from a chair because of his age. The band line-up is slightly altered. There is a new guitarist and bassist. The percussionist is gone and a trumpeter has been added. “Why I Sing The Blues” is repeated from the previous set, but there are two new songs. An up-tempo version of “When Love Comes to Town” that Bono wrote for B.B. and “Guess Who.” Hopefully, this is just a preview of a future release.
If you are a fan of B.B. King or just music in general, Live at Montreux 1993 makes for great viewing/listening. It’s too bad a CD of the set isn’t included, so you could take it wherever the good times rolled.
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