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Jeff Beck is again taking over where Eric Clapton left off. The second Yardbirds guitarist will join blues legend B.B King this summer for the twelfth edition of King's traveling music festival. The outing kicks off July 25th in Las Vegas and runs through a September 7th stop in Andersen, South Carolina .
"He's a talented young man," said the seventy-six-year-old King of the fifty-eight-year-old Beck at a New York press conference to announce their tour. "He plays so well. Sometimes I listen to him before I record and wonder how he comes up with some of the ideas he has."
King has been a bit of an influence on Beck, too. "I've been listening to him since 19--" Beck said, not quite able to reach back to the exact year. "Anyway, I'm still amazed. The guy's on fire."
The thirty-two-date tour will also feature jam/funk outfits Galactic and Mofro, as King attempts to expand his fan base. "The jam scene is a healthy thing," King said. "In my younger days we used to have a lot of places you could go and jam. I don't get a chance to jam these days."
Beck expects to join King onstage, as Clapton did on the tour for their 2001 Riding With the King. "I asked B.B what we would be playing," Beck said, "and he gave me some 300 songs on CD. I plan to go through his catalogue and see what I can put a different spin on, see where I can fit in, like Eric did. It's like being a kid in a candy store -- you can pick anything."
B.B. King Music Festival tour dates:
7/25: Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay
7/26: Reno, NV, Hilton Amphitheater
7/27: Kelseyville, CA, Konocti Field Amphitheater
7/29: Sacramento, Raley Amphitheater
7/30: Fresno, CA, Grizzlies Field
8/1: Concord, CA, Chronicle Amphitheater
8/2: Los Angeles, Greek Theater
8/3: Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl
8/5: Phoenix, Dodge Theater
8/6: Albuquerque, NM, Journal Pavilion
8/7: Denver, Fiddler's Green Amphitheater
8/10: Lexington, KY, Kentucky Horse Park
8/14: Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
8/15: Wantagh, NY, Jones Beach Amphitheater
8/17: Mansfield, MA, Tweeter Center
8/19: Toronto, Molson Amphitheater
8/20: Cleveland, Scene Pavilion
8/22: Detroit, DTE Energy Music Theater
8/23: Madison, WI, Madison Blues Festival
8/24: Minneapolis, Grand Casino Amphitheater
8/26: Chicago, Arie Crown Theater
8/28: London, Ontario, Boler Mountain
8/30: Greenwich, CT, Belle Haven Club
8/31: Bridgeport, CT, Seaside Park
9/4: Marion, SC, Carolina Amphitheater
9/5-6: Atlanta, Chastain Park Amphitheater
9/7: Anderson, SC, Anderson Amphitheater
AARON LEVY
(June 20, 2003)