Blues guitarist B.B. King apologizes for St. Louis concert, cites travel, diabetes

ST. LOUIS – Blues guitarist B.B. King wants his St. Louis fans to give him another chance after an erratic performance led to a stream of audience catcalls and early departures.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer issued a public apology on Tuesday for what his publicists called “a bad night for one of America’s living blues legends.”

The written statement says King, 88, and his band had returned from a four-week break before the April 4 show at the Peabody Opera House. The band drove straight to eastern Missouri from Las Vegas, a 24-hour, 1,600-mile trip each way. And King missed his daily dosage of diabetes medicine, which elevated his blood sugar.

“The combination of the rigours of the very long drive and high blood sugar due to his medication error resulted in a performance that did not match Mr. King’s usual standard of excellence,” reads the statement, which was issued on behalf of King by the St. Louis venue. “Mr. King apologizes and humbly asks for the understanding of his fans.”

Concertgoers said King’s rambling set featured just a handful of complete songs amid meandering musical snippets, long-winded soliloquies, an 8-piece backup band that missed its cues and a 15-minute sing-along of “You Are My Sunshine.”