James Brown and B.B. King Performing At the Beverly Theater

I found this great clip of music legends B.B. King and James Brown performing together in concert in 1983 at the Beverly Theater in Los Angeles. I taped the concert years back when it first aired on HBO, but lost it awhile ago. And I would always miss it whenever the channel aired it again. So I was ecstatic when I recently found that someone had uploaded the entire show on youtube. The video contains amazing performances from both artists. The concert kicks off with a terrific set by B.B., which includes the classics "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Let The Good Times Roll."

Following B.B.'s set, James tears up the stage with some of his biggest hits. The Godfather showed he hadn't lost a step and delivered a powerhouse performance, which featured some of his dazzling footwork. He kept the audience on its feet with his raw funk and unrivaled charisma. Some of the tracks he performed included "The Payback," "I Got the Feelin'," "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," "Doin' It To Death," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine."

This is the legendary show where Michael Jackson and Prince were in the audience. James invites MJ onstage to sing and perform briefly. The look on his face when MJ does "the James Brown" is priceless. Prince was also invited onstage to perform that night, but unfortunately his part was edited out of this video. For the show's finale, James and B.B. perform the blues classic "Sweet Little Angel" as well as James' hit track "Jam." It was an epic concert.

Related blog entry: James Brown Wows Soul Train Audience With Dynamic Performance