I love live music. I always enjoyed hearing artists perform renditions of their best songs in front of a live audience. In fact, most of my MP3 collection is live versions of my favorite songs rather than the studio recordings. So when a friend of mine offered me tickets to see Edgar Winter live at BB King’s in Times Square – Lisa and I jumped at the chance – and had a really enjoyable time listening to a truly amazing artist.

Before we get to the talent of Edgar Winter, let me take a moment to describe the perfect ambiance of BB King’s Showcase Room, which contains a 40-foot bar and a 30-foot stage separated by a few dozen booths and tables. With velvet curtains hugging the walls and very dim lights providing just enough illumination to see your drink – the place reminds me of the blues clubs of old, where on any night of the week, the place was packed, the liquor was good – and the joint was always jumpin’.

After a meal and a few drinks, Edgar Winter and his three-piece band; Chris Frazier, Mark Meadows and Doug Rappoport, came on stage and from the first note, brought the house down. For someone who is close to sixty years of age, Edgar Winter still has it. From Dying to Live, which was recently redone by Eminem for Tupac: Resurrection, to New Orleans – to his two most famous and my two favorite of his songs – Frankenstein and Free Ride – the audience was as loud and as excited as if we were in a packed Madison Square Garden.

The audience was comprised of both casual fans like myself – as well as Edgar Winter’s obvious die hard fans who came sporting T-Shirts from the man from Beaumont, Texas’ many tours over the years. But no matter the length of your devotion to Edgar Winter, everyone in the audience leapt to their feet at the end of each song. And of the songs he sung, my personal favorite was his encore of Tobacco Road, because he not only snuck in a few verses of Shout – but actually scatted notes to all three of his band members – who perfectly played back to him the exact notes he spoke on their respective instruments – amazing. Speaking of instruments, in addition to singing with amazing musical perception, Edgar Winter played the piano, organ, saxophone and drums – all while jumping around the stage like a man who’s age is based on his love for Rock ‘n’ Roll and not his year of birth.

If you ever get a chance, go see Edgar Winter live, or pick up one of his albums, because either way – you are in for a great evening of music.

Bravo Mr. Winter, Bravo.