Thousands of empty seats

Cape got treated to the kind of concert that's a once-in-a-lifetime event last week when Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy came to the Show Me Center.

I know we've driven the point home time and again in these pages, but this Guy is really a living legend, inspiration for scores of Brit blues rockers in the 1960s. Without him, no Cream, no Clapton, no Hendrix.

Guy's live show is how he made his name. It's electric, both literally and figuratively.

Just check out what a Southeast Missourian blogger, libra7, who was at the show had to say about it:

"... Buddy Guy. Wow! what can I say, ABSOLUTLEY INCREDIBLE!! Watching him bleed the blues from his guitar while working the crowd was amazing. I loved when he went down into the crowd and played or sang to fans. Anyone who was lucky/smart enough to see him work his magic knows they got to witness something special."

Unfortunately, there weren't many who were "lucky/smart enough" to see Guy.

Attendance figures given to us on show night by the Show Me Center put the crowd at 973. That's pretty small in a venue that seats more than 6,000. He probably could have sold out the Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus -- definitely could have with the same attendance.

Libra7 asked the question, "What does it take to get people to attend more concerts???"

Good question. Maybe it was the $40 tickets, or the fact it was on Sunday night, or having two concerts within a week of each other that kept people away.

Libra7 also speculated that Daughtry's performance tonight will probably draw a bigger crowd than the KISS Army tribute band show at the Arena Building last Saturday and Guy's performance combined. Libra7 is probably right.

Maybe Daughtry will get a sell-out tonight. That would sure brighten my spirits. But we'll see. Tickets for that show, unless you're a college student, are more than $30.

But when a legend like Buddy Guy only draws 973 people, can we really complain about the offerings at the Show Me Center? Remember, Bob Dylan only drew 2,800 back in 2001.

Maybe Top 40 acts and their Nashville cousins are the only ones that can do well here. But thanks for trying, Show Me Center. For those 973 people, it was a great show.