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The hallways leading to the dressing room under the stage of Hard Rock Live are decorated with historic concert posters. As B.B. walked down the hall, he remarked, "There's an old friend," numerous times as he passed legendary blues greats he has worked with over the years. He stopped suddenly at a poster for a Beatles concert, pointed to Ringo Starr and said, "We recorded together once. The Live from London album, he played the drums on that one."

In the dressing room, B.B. was presented with a brand new Little Lucille guitar, patterned after his legendary Gibson Lucille. He was pleased with its relatively small size, and said "I could play this anywhere, on the bus or just sitting around." But then, when he reached over and picked up his current Lucille (the sixteenth guitar with that name), he ran his hand down of the neck of the guitar and sincerely remarked "But nothing feels like the real thing."

B.B. was handed one of his early Lucille's, a cherry Gibson ES-355 that he acquired in 1962. B.B. began reminiscing about the old days, and remembered giving the guitar to an old blues friend years ago. As he picked out a couple of blues licks, he appeared to drift back a few decades as the guitar reminded him of his past.

As show time approached, blues riffs could be heard emanating from the stage as the B.B. King Blues band warmed up the anxious Orlando crowd. Then came the introduction they had all been waiting for. "Ladies and Gentleman, make welcome the legendary King of the Blues, B.B. King."

The crowd rose to its feet to greet the 73 year old musician as he walked out to center stage. As he draped his guitar strap around his neck, he gave Lucille a little kiss, turned her up, and got right into the groove.

One after another, he played the classics, "How Blue Can You Get?," "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," "Why I sing the Blues," "The Thrill is Gone." They just kept flowing out of him as he sat there on the stage.

The crowd was with him on every note. They joined in the choruses of several songs, and danced in the aisles on more than a few. A little boy approached the stage during a break between songs, holding a pen and his ticket. He stood patiently as B.B. addressed the audience. The next song was played, and the boy again appeared. B.B. looked down and said "I promise, as soon as the show is over, I'll come down there and sign that for you. Go on and sit down, you're going to wear yourself out." The crowd roared with approval.

Throughout the show, B.B. proudly featured each member of his band on solos. During each solo, B.B. listened to and enjoyed the music, as if he were hearing it for the first time.

As the show built to its crescendo, B.B. continued to pull great songs out of his bag. He yelled to the crowd, "May I do anotherI can't hear you, MAY I DO ANOTHER?" "YES!" the crowd screamed back as B.B. began picking the notes to "Rock Me Baby."

The song ended, B.B. stood and bowed to his adoring fans. As promised, he walked to the front of the stage, and signed the little boy's ticket. The King of the Blues walked along the front of the stage shaking hands and signing autographs. He made it a truly memorable night for everybody in the theater.

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