Tasha Does Tulsa.

About that concert I’ve been teasing you all about: Have I mentioned that it was incredible, exciting, intimate and spine-tingling?

Yes? Over and over again, you say? Well, I only repeat myself because the concert was, in fact, incredible, exciting, intimate and spine-tingling.

The quality of the music was unbelievable, yes. But, I have a special place in my heart for the music of B.B. King. My dad played the blues for me on our stereo at home from as early as I can remember, and B.B. King tunes were never far away. Plus, my first-ever real, live boyfriend used to serenade me with the blues, picking out all make and manner of desperate, sad and passionate songs on a brand-new Stratocaster. One of his favorites was The Thrill is Gone. He could always make me laugh with his falsetto rendition of that song.

A few of the tunes B.B. belted out for us were:

-In Need You Baby
-Let the Good Times Roll
-Key to the Highway
-A few Blind Lemon Jefferson tunes, including Everyday Blues and Please See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
-When Love Comes to Town
-The Thrill is Gone. Yes, really.

My goodness, the power of music.

I liked what my husband said after the show was over: “I was blown away by the music. Then, B.B. King came out.”

I couldn’t agree more. The band that preceded and accompanied B.B. was outstanding. As in, bone-rattling, hackles-raising good. Or, go-limp-in-your-chair outstanding, as I did during a few saxophone solos and when the bass player took charge.

Mercy.

B.B. King was one of the most expressive artists I’ve ever seen in concert. He didn’t just sit up on stage and go through the motions. He told stories, he made jokes, he asked how the audience felt about this and that. He made the Mabee Center, sectioned off but still as large as it is, feel like a front porch in his hometown in Mississippi, crowded with neighbors and passers-by.

Yeah, yeah, that’s cheesy. I know. But that’s how I get when I win cool stuff. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sign up for local e-mail blasts, everybody. You might just win something, even if you’re like me and you never win anything, ever. The chance to win something this cool is worth spending a few minutes of your life feeding a robot your name and e-mail address.

Trust me.

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