The unannounced show-opener, Bobby "Blue" Bland, was a welcome surprise. At 77, the blues legend is getting frail – he had to be helped onstage – and his once mighty voice has grown soft (a poor sound mix didn't help).
But he persevered, filling "Every Day I Have the Blues" with an unearthly falsetto and spicing up "Stormy Monday" with his famous guttural "love snort." Mr. Morrison has been known to emulate Mr. Bland's trademark sound, but his snort has nothing on the master's.