Photographs by Randall Vasquez.
Massey Hall is nicknamed The Legendary Massey Hall for a reason. It has been around for a while so it automatically is considered successful, but many artists that have come through town have added to its lore. It is such a great venue for performers such as Neil Young, Rush and the Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie group have recorded live albums in its hallowed confines. It only makes sense that when a world-renowned act like Buddy Guy comes to town, he only has one venue in mind to play. The place was packed as men mostly in their 60’s traded stories about the pervious times they have seen the blues singer-guitar player in concert. People wore their old Buddy Guy tour shirts like a badge of honour. ‘Oh your shirt is from his 2006 tour? Mine is from the 1999 stop’ is how I imagine some of these men felt.
The palpable buzz went into full effect as The Damn Right Blues Band came on stage and set up in the shadows. His keyboardist leaned into the microphone and announced, “Please put your hands together for six time Grammy award winner and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Buddy Guy.” The crowd hooted and hollered and set the tone for the night of fun and playfulness. Guy came out dressed, as you would expect him in his signature style of white pants and cap with a black shirt that was covered in large white polka dots. He ripped into a five-minute solo before he even started to sing and address the crowd. For someone who had never seen him live before it was life changing. Some guitar players while immensely talented show you how much work and effort it takes to play, which can be breath taking. When Guy plays his hands barely move and it requires no more extra energy to destroy a blues scale as it does for him to breath normally. The guitar is just an extension of his body and the notes come out of the tips of his fingers like a pulse from his heartbeat.
While his guitar playing is what everyone comes to see, it is Guy’s all around charisma and entertainer persona that keeps people coming back again and again. Between his physical comedy like leaning against an amp with his playing arm and using his picking hand to solo all while looking bored and uninterested. Or in the middle of a song flipping his guitar around so the strings faced his body and he used the guitar to scratch his belly causing feedback and distortion. The point of blues isn’t to be the best player but to feel emotions. The guitar playing isn’t supposed to be perfect but the beauty is in humanity brought to the music. During a quiet moment he thrust his hips forward in a sexual nature while the band played a single beat to match his movements making it seem like the music came from his loins all while he would should “I got the blues!” every time.
For a man that comes through town every year regardless if he has a new album or not the only introduction he gave himself was shouting, “I’m back!” to the delight of everyone. Along with his physical comedy he would constantly make jokes like “I’m going to play something so funky, you can smell it” and during a song about how a lady should treat her man he proclaimed “I didn’t fucking write this song!” He mostly played old blues standards, the type of songs where you sing one line per scale. In between the scales he would add commentary about the nature of the songs, usually making fun of the woe be told tales he would sing.
“When I come back I try to give you every goddamn thing I got. They don’t play this kind of Blues on the radio” he would proclaim prompting the crowd to stroke his ego with shouts of ‘We love you Buddy’ and ‘You’re the best’ kind of adulation. One of the highlights of the show (as ridiculous as it is to try to narrow it down) was when Guy walked down the middle aisle of Massey Hall and jammed around. With my seat right on the aisle Guy actually sat right across from me, as the end seats were not occupied. Seeing him mere feet from me as he lounged back blissfully played is a musical highlight of my life. Guy then walked out the doors into the lobby and walked up to the second floor and wandered around the balcony floor as everyone ate it up.
The night got a bit more interesting when Guy brought out 17 year old guitar prodigy and opening act Quinn Sullivan to join him on the guitar. Guy discovered Sullivan at age 7 ten years ago and has become his mentor, bringing him along to places like Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. He is quickly becoming Guy’s own version of Derek Trucks who was mentored by The Allman Brothers (eventually becoming a fulltime member of said band). The two of them made the night a bit more serious as Guy played his song Skin Deep about growing up in the racist south. Guy told the story about how he discovered Sullivan and when they met he quizzed him on some of the greats to see if he actually knew the Blues. The two played some John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles while trading off guitar solos. The big test was to see if Sullivan could play Eric Clapton, which lead the young man into the iconic riff from Strange Brew. If you closed your eyes you could swear Slow Hand himself was playing as Guy sung the chorus. Guy marveled at his own prodigy shaking his head during the most difficult parts of the song.
The show itself was a marvel of playing you understand how his fans will come out to every show he has creating a Blues version of the Dead Head cult. There is something so primal and soul reaching of seeing and hearing a legend like the man who’s nickname is Buddy Motherfucking Guy. No one out badasses one of the greatest living players, just don’t tell BB King or Clapton that someone is better then them.
