BO DIDDLEY SINGS THE BLUES

Like the man said himself, "This is some good shit!" Bo Diddley's sold out show at Harper's Ferry last Thursday night was definately some good shit. In the one hour set Diddley revealed himself as both an upbeat entertainer and unpretentious guitar picker.

The set started out with a frank explanation of why he was going to remain seated for the duration of the show. A few months ago, Diddley slipped a disc one morning getting ready to ride his tractor: "I put on my pants, went to the toilet, came back to the bed, reached for my socks and ended up in the hospital." Rehabilitated enough to get back on the road, Mr. Diddley was under doctor's orders to keep his leg wiggling to a minimum.

Playing his funky square guitar, the seated Diddley led his band through rockabilly, Motown, and delta blues numbers with occasional Carribean and rap infusions. The mostly danceable tunes were as quirky and fun as his guitar solos. There was none of the guitar-hero intensity of the likes of Buddy Guy; Mr. Diddley had little to prove. His authentic down-home blues riffs came simply and naturally, projecting an expressive but hey-let's-just-have-some-fun attitude.

This attitude proved to be infectious and soon everyone was having a good time: the Allston 20/30-somethings, the college kids, and even the 60-year-old couple shakin' their booties in front of me.

"Do you like my stuff?"--a long calypso-sounding tune--made good use of the backing band's djunbe and conga players while creating space for Diddley to explore. Fiddling with effects switches, scratching his guitar strings and playing muted chords, Diddley left the basic pentatonic blues behind to experiment with more textural sounds.

The more nitty gritty "Hoochie Koochie Man," featured visceral and unaffected blues riffs that got Diddley into a veritable leg-wiggling frenzy, while the a-harp player blew distorted chops that complemented the raunchy tune.

A slow blues-lyrics-meets-Motown-rhythms tune followed with the rather humourous lyrics, "If you leave me, take your dog with you... and you pooper scooper too... scoop you way back to your mama's house." Diddley then joked, "If I was in Vegas, I'd have to sing it like this" and slipped into a witty Sinatra imitation singing "I'm calling it quits, no more Kibbles and Bits..." Blues with a sense of humor.

The set ended with a new, more rocking tune called "I'm Crazy." With lyrics such as "Bbbdddpppdbdbddppdd" slipped in between solos, this reviewer was convinced.

You don't often get the chance to see a blues legend in action. Next time Bo Diddley's in town, check him out: not because he's legendary, but because you'll have a great time.