Buddy Guy Passes the Torch at the Ryman

buddy guy (35 of 41).jpg — Buddy Guy
Photo: Rob Hinkal

Legendary blues guitarist, vocalist and bandleader Buddy Guy blended advocacy, reflection, defiance, disdain and flamboyance in equal parts Saturday night as his Damn Right Farewell Tour made a stop at the Ryman. Guy, who will celebrate his 87th birthday in July, had previously announced that the end of this trek will mark his retirement from active touring. If that proves true, he gave the packed house a show to remember.

It would be inaccurate at this stage of his brilliant career to claim that Guy can dominate stages the way he did 30 years ago, or that he can deliver the astonishing solos he reeled off so effortlessly back then. But he remains a formidable showman, as displayed during portions of such covers as “Hoochie Coochie Man.” In his opening salvo “Damn Right I Got the Blues,” he made it clear that he has no trouble authoritatively carrying a lyric, punctuating it with sizzling accompaniment and delightful solos, even if they aren’t as lengthy as they used to be.

buddy guy (22 of 41).jpg — Buddy Guy
Photo: Rob Hinkal

Guy’s narrative mode remains one of his strengths, and he spent much of his energy there on Saturday, whether expressing his disgust and disappointment at the absence of blues on the radio — also informing some loudmouth in the crowd that he taught Eric Clapton & Co. what the blues was all about — or expressing his love for Nashville. Guy cut his past seven albums here, and Music City's Tom Hambridge, also his producer on several of those records, was his drummer on Saturday. Guy also spent a sizable period recalling his Louisiana roots and talking about the cultural mistreatment of the blues by the current music industry.

Still, there were ample musical high points, even if a chunk of the menu consisted of Guy doing snippets and fragments of classics like “I’m A King Bee” and “Boom Boom.” He excelled on newer numbers like “Skin Deep,” which featured perhaps his most energized vocal. Guy even threw in a vintage bit of blues showmanship, taking a stroll through the crowd while continuing to play and sing. By the end of his set, approximately 80 minutes long, he'd certainly fulfilled the mission of showing the audience the past and present glory of the blues.

buddy guy (4 of 41).jpg — Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Photo: Rob Hinkal

The music's future was quite evident in the dazzling 45-minute opening set provided by 24-year-old dynamo Christone "Kingfish" Ingram. He has evolved into much more than just a firebrand guitarist. He now possesses a stage presence and maturity as a performer that resonated to the point he earned a standing ovation — something you don't always see an opening act receive.

buddy guy (38 of 41).jpg — Buddy Guy with Greg Guy, Danny Garwood and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Photo: Rob Hinkal

Guy even invited Ingram out for a jam finale, alongside his son Greg Guy and young blues guitar-slinger Danny Garwood. It was the ideal way for the elder Guy to both signal the end of an era and herald the continuing emergence of new talents continuing along the trail that he blazed.