I first saw B.B. King perform live in 1997, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Longtime collaborator and blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland was also on hand as the opener; he eventually joined King during his set.
It was also King's 72nd birthday, and he celebrated by throwing a party—the entire audience was invited. (Little did I know this was the way the bluesman put on a show every night.)
King and his trusty axe Lucille delivered classics like "The Thrill is Gone," "She Don't Move Me No More" and "All Over Now" with the gusto of a teenager. His iconic solos permeated the air with crisp reverberation, while his voice channeled every emotional experience hidden deep within his soul.
King enticed the crowd to get up and dance and join in on the standard "You Are My Sunshine." King lobbed souvenirs, including signature guitar picks, out into a sea of grabbing hands; he'd carry on some back-and-forth banter with some of the more vocal female fans.
It went on, nonstop for over two hours. And it was the first of two shows that evening.
That's how B.B. rolled.
I may have only been 18 years old, but I was aware that I was experiencing a legend in his prime. A prime that lasted 70 years.
You could fill a small novel with all his achievements: the 15-plus Grammys, an honorary Doctor of Music from Yale, a Blues Hall of Famer, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the NEA's National Heritage Fellowship and prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
President George W. Bush awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. He also scored an honorary doctorate in music from Brown University that same year.
King was given the keys to the city of Utica, New York, in 2008, and the mayor of Portland, Maine, declared May 18 "B.B. King Day" in the city.
And so on.
Following King's death yesterday at 89, he doesn't leave a void that will be impossible to fill ever again.
He leaves a treasure trove of influence, memories and love that will shine on forever.
The thrill has certainly not gone away. It never will.
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