When I used to be able to write a little bit, I did this review of one of Bo's shows here in Florida:

Hey Bo Diddley.....

That's the way it began last nite at the Bamboo Room. The High Sheriff of Rockin' Rhythm and Blues had the place packed and jumpin'. I had not seen him perform since 1969 and the Originator hasn't lost anything in all that time. And I was able to get a pretty good look since I was sitting about six feet away from him for the 2 1/2 hours......yes that's right, Two and a Half HOURS of jokes, stories and hard rocking Bo Diddley music without a break. Not bad for a septuagenarian. Not bad for anybody of any age group. He kept the Room and his band, The Accelerators, busy throughout the evening.

Bo Diddley is a professional. From the minute he got up on the stage we were his. He caused our feet to thump the hardwood floor, made us cheer, and laugh and smile from ear to ear. He ordered us to our feet and we all got up and moved our asses to the Bo Diddley beat. Goddammit, he coulda told us to jump out the window and we'd have been climbing over each other to be the first to obey.

Bo Diddley is a singer of songs. He shouts out lyrics to his rockers with the same authority and command as ever before.......and he can croon and stretch and vibrate the slower numbers and you find yourself closing your eyes to hear him even better. The voice of Bo Diddley is a melodius and hypnotic thing.

Bo Diddley is a guitar player. He ain't a guitar picker....he plays that thing. His fingers are like scaled down logs and are perfect for smashing down several strings at once. He fools around with it, experimenting with various notes and variations, he almost loses it, or makes you think he almost loses it, and then this thing happens with him. He gets bigger, he stands up with that cigarbox-inspired guitar slung low and the Bo Diddley Beat begins. He pops a couple of hunches and the crowd freaks out. He raises his arms over his head and gyrates to the Beat and the Room cheers. Nobody can sit still, no one can resist. It just ain't possible. We are all possessed by the Holy Ghost and it turns out that the HolyGhost digs Bo Diddley who is hard at work on that guitar. He uses it like a drum with strings, the Beat comes out of it, the great big hands moving on the frets and thumping muted chords at a high rate of speed. Bo Diddley leaves his body behind and becomes the Beat. He carries all of us with him and there's no escape, no turning around, there ain't no denying the call. He has us in the web.

Bo Diddley is Spiderman. He does a song called "Spiderman" and advises us menfolk to go home and tell our women that we too are Spidermen. "Watch out for my Web!" he tells us. I have a mental picture of me standin' nekkid at the foot of the bed, waking my wife up to the Bo Diddley Beat and making them thrustin' motions with my guitar slung low. "HEY! Wake up Honey,I'm Spiderman, ....Bo Diddley said so....." We listen close to his instructions. He makes his intentions clear by gyrating like a hootchy cootchy dancer as his outstretched arms and them big hands latch onto a set of imaginary breasts. "I'm Spiderman, Watch out for my web," he sings... The women in the crowd is swooning. The fish scent and the snuff juice is everywhere. I manage to look away and see what the Accelerators are doing. I can hear 'em and now I see that he's got them boys sweatin'. Everybody in the Room is sweatin' except for Bo Diddley who is too damn cool to pop a sweat. He's spiderman and he's caught us all.

Bo Diddley brings the show to a close and does his encore without leaving the stage. "It don't make no sense to leave and then just come back up here again." We agree as we don't want him to waste time. We need more of the Beat and he gives it to us. Nearly two and a half hours has passed but it seems like we only started. I become convinced that Bo Diddley is also a hypnotist and has placed us in a collective trance wherein there is no time and space. I've never seen the crowd at the Bamboo Room react to a performer like they did this nite. Smiling faces were everywhere. Cheers and applause were deafening. We love our Bo Diddley and having that in common, a roomful of strangers feel love for one another. That's what this kind of music is all about, ain't it? He gave us all a break from the cares and worries of these uncertain days. The people came for a good time and were not disappointed.

Bo Diddley made sure of it.