Excitement ran high among the fans as Bo Diddley took the stage. The stocky, Bo Diddley, has broad shoulders and stands five feet seven inches tall. But on stage he looms larger than life. As expected he wore his infamous black fedora hat with a gold eagle emblem and his thick black glasses. He completed the image with a red sweatshirt, black pants and, of course, his rectangle guitar.

Fans were whooping and hollering as Bo Diddley performed his first hit song from 1995, the self-titled track "Bo Diddley." He even got the crowd to sing along.

Bo Diddley Photo © 1998 by Ray Stiles All rights reserved

His second song, "I'm A Man," rocked the house. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, he played a funky / rapping fifteen minute ride of "Do You Like My Stuff?" The crowd not only liked his stuff, they loved it.

The show continued with some hoodoo / voodoo chanting and that archetypal rhythmic pounding beat that made Bo Diddley one of the most influential musicians of our time. Towards the end of the evening, Diddley showed off another of his talents, when he put his guitar down and picked up the drum sticks. The crowd went wild over his drum solo.

Bo Diddley has earned his icon status, and if you ever get the opportunity to see him perform, do it.

This review is copyright © 1998 by Stacy Stockhausen, all rights reserved.

E-mail Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com

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Copyright © 1998 by Ray M. Stiles
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