B.b. King's Namesake Festival Endures

While most touring festival concepts have notoriously short life spans, the B.B. King Music Festival has survived 12 years, largely because of the credibility of its namesake and an eye for fresh talent.

Glen Rock, N.J.-based Front Row Productions' Paul and Irene Zukoski have produced the event since its inception. This year's King fest has been repositioned from its former blues-centric posture to a more esoteric lineup that features guitar god Jeff Beck along with New Orleans jam-funksters Galactic and up-and-comers Mofro.

The tour begins July 25 on the West Coast and will be out until September. Venues are diverse, including festivals, fairgrounds, theaters, amphitheaters, and alternative locations. Similarly, promoters buying the package include Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE), Jam Productions, and House of Blues (HOB) Concerts.

"We're being very careful about where we're putting the show and not just throwing it into the sheds," Paul Zukoski says. "A lot of the independent [promoters] seem to take a little more care with the festival, where the amphitheaters are bombarded with so many shows it's hard to pick one."

In markets like Chicago, Memphis, and St. Louis, where blues have a year-round profile, producers have to be even more protective of the festival.

"This year in Chicago, we're playing the [4,249-capacity] Arie Crown Theater," Zukoski says. "Some of these markets have blues all the time, so you have to put this in a special room where people will go see it. Part of my job is to pick the right venues for this show."

Don Sullivan will promote the Aug. 26 show in Chicago for Jam, and he is optimistic about its drawing power. "It's exciting to see Jeff Beck out there, and he has historically done very well in Chicago," Sullivan says.

"We're also doing the festival [Aug. 23] in Madison, Wis., as part of the Madison Blues Fest," Sullivan adds. "This is the sixth year for the Madison festival. We've had B.B.'s package three of those years, and we've done a minimum of 10,000 people each time."

Jason Miller, senior VP of HOB Concerts in Denver, bought the package for the 16,000-capacity Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre. "I think it's a great package this year," Miller says. "This is a very strong market for Galactic, and Jeff Beck is one of the world's greatest guitar players."

Beck and B.B. together "expand the musicality of the package," Miller says. "B.B. King and Jeff Beck [play] two different styles of music, but they're both pioneers and legends. We do this festival every year, and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Past acts who have played on the tour include Jimmie Vaughan, Buddy Guy, the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, George Thorogood, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. The trek also provided early national showcase platforms for then-new blues acts Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, and Susan Tedeschi.

Tickets range from $10 to $75 in some markets. The tour is booked by Jody Wenig and Paul LaMonica at Associate Booking Corp.