When I last heard B. B. King, he was in a touring situation
and the final act of many in one night,
including Dr. John and Little Feat.
Now, Dr. John kept the volume respectable.
But Little Feat and B. B. King, for the full-ensemble songs,
had the volume through the roof.
King had a quiet set of songs in the middle,
when most of his big band would sit back,
and he played and sang with only a few other musicians;
later, the entire band was back and so was the high volume.

I remember hearing a member of the audience near me,
sneering during the soft intimate set:
"Where's the white sheet?!" and I do mean sneering, an ugly tone of voice.
I think they were alluding to a corpse in the morgue
with a white sheet draped over it.

"The Thrill is Gone" was reserved by B. B. King for the loud songs
with the full band
that were played after the soft group of songs.
It was played not only loud but fast, and hard driving.
And it was at that point that I saw someone walk out.
She was an African-American woman, proudly dressed for an evening out
in a striking white dress playing off of her rich brown skin.
And when King PLOWED DOWN into "The Thrill is Gone,"
this elegant woman sprang up from her seat
and MARCHED! down the aisle and out of the hall,
with her date, in a formal suit, racing to catch up with her.

As for me, the only way for me to sit through the loud stuff
was with fingers closing earholes; in fact,
I couldn't understand a syllable of the lyrics
except with my ears covered.