Live At Legends

When I bought this yesterday, there were no reviews yet, this morning there was one. After reading THAT review, I felt it necessary to add my own. As the other reviewer correctly observes, there is profanity (not a deterrant to me, but I understand it MAY be to some) and the mix/actual recording is not the best. In this day and age, it seems strange they couldn't get this right. Having been to Legends many years ago, perhaps they have a house system they record through but the engineering/mix is just not what it should/could be.

One GLARING omission to that review is that it's only HALF a live cd with some studio tracks tossed in at the end. So buyer beware, the title is a little misleading, not sure what the title SHOULD'VE been (Partially Alive at Legends?). But in all fairness to "The Legend Himself", it's a pretty decent live performance. I'm a HUGE live music fanatic, but confess to normally getting a little bummed when an established artist leans too heavily on either cover tunes OR what I call pep rally stage banter. My feeling is that if the artist/entertainer is doing his job right (and not going through the motions) the audience doesn't NEED to be told to interact,they are sufficiently moved by the performance to do so. That having been said Buddy's banter was humble, salty, funny and engaging and did not detract from the performance which was hot, but a little short for my liking. The studio tracks are decent and his playing is solid throughout. Personally, I would've preferred a longer performance.

I wouldn't say I have buyer's remorse, it was sort of an impulse buy based on it's sale price and being his most recent release. While I liked it, I'm not sure that I would recommend this to others who weren't already fans.

I don't review too many things, but this I feel I must. I've read the other reviews here and do understand where everyone's coming from on each of their views. However, I saw Buddy live in Cleveland in the summer before this album was recorded. This new Live at Legends is the real deal; this is how his show sounds, right down to the mix. The sound on this is a bit more clubby than what I heard, but I saw him in an old theater with better acoustics. That one time I saw Buddy Guy live in concert was the highlight of my concert-going experiences in the first decade of the new century and this recording reminds me why. Some cool originals, some Muddy standards and some short cover medleys (two Cream, one Hendrix and one John Lee Hooker), which Buddy uses to teach on how tracks like the Hook's Boom Boom led to blues-rock. Three studio tracks are bonus, fill out the CD length and all solid. If you are a Buddy Guy fan, and want to hear what it's like to actually catch him live, pick this up and crank up the volume!

C'mon you guys! Three stars? This may not be Buddy's best,however...can you name another 76 year-old (or 36 or 26 year-old for that matter) who can play and sing with the ferocity of Buddy? This is Buddy in his element, raw and real. This is no all-star band, just some damn fine players backing up Buddy. The studio stuff is equally enjoyable. Buddy is one of the last of his generation and just the fact that he can still perform and make records like this is a testament to his greatness. Admittedly, I'm biased. I am a stone Buddy Guy fanatic. I've been seeing him for 40 years now, in clubs and concert halls, and he never disappoints. Hell, I'd probably buy a CD of him breathing heavy. I proudly give this disc 5 stars.