POP MUSIC WEEKEND : Vaughan, King Reign in Downpour of Blues

It’s almost a shame that it didn’t rain on the Benson & Hedges Blues concert Saturday at the Pacific Amphitheatre.

A continuation of the downpour and blustery winds that started the afternoon would have provided an ideal setting for the inclemency classics offered during the show. Hearing Irma Thomas’ emotion-drenched “It’s Raining” or Stevie Ray Vaughan’s storm-driven “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” in their natural element would have been well worth a soaking. As it was, the sold-out crowd was forced to make do with a perfectly sunny afternoon and warm evening full of splendid music.

Dr. John started the show with a spicy set of R&B; done New Orleans style, including a rollicking version of the late piano master Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina.” Thomas, with one of the finest voices R&B; has ever produced, triumphed over an awful sound mix to deliver soulful, aching versions of “Sorry Wrong Number,” “It’s Raining,” Bobby Bland’s “I’ll Take Care of You,” and two other songs.

To really experience John Lee Hooker, it is necessary to see him perform solo. Not to detract from his tight band, but the 72-year-old singer/guitarist’s genius becomes most evident when he’s free to create his abstract meters, dictated by pure emotion rather than musical consensus. Saturday’s band performance yielded a rousing, if somewhat rote, set from the boogie master. But pumped by the band, his classic “Boom Boom” showed Hooker could still teach young rappers a thing or two about injecting menace into a lyric.

Vaughan turned in a typically spectacular set centered on his masterful synthesis of Jimi Hendrix’s and Albert King’s guitar styles and his expressive, gritty voice. The only thing a frequent listener can fault Vaughan for is failing to challenge himself more. Still, it’s hard to quibble with perfection, and his 14-song set was just about that, particularly on the torrid Guitar Slim blues “Things That I Used to Do” and the atmospheric instrumental “Riviera Paradise,” with its lush jazz chording, unbelievably fast runs and choked cries.

In an uneven 14-song set, Joe Cocker’s power-sander voice did indeed take some bluesy turns, notably on Randy Newman’s salacious “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” But he also delivered such bloated generic pop as “Up Where We Belong.” Still, it was big fun to hear Cocker unleash that tortured Woodstock gargle on “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and he still plays the most polluted air guitar on the planet.

After more than 40 years in music, headliner B.B. King remains a revelation. With his numbing rounds of Vegas shows, TV appearances and fairs, he could well be expected to be a complacent showman. Instead, King’s singing and playing have stayed as fresh and emotional as when they first inspired a generation of British bluesmen in the ‘60s.

King’s eight-number set included an instrumental where his guitar work’s finger-vibratoed singing tone, horn-like phrasing, blue-bent jazz runs and voice-like cries combined, with each chorus topping the last in invention and feeling. His set closed with a joyous, celebratory version of his U2 collaboration “When Love Comes to Town,” giving a pounding, shouting example of inspiration.

Closing the show, King, Vaughan and Cocker joined to jam on “Everyday I Have the Blues,” and, like many such events, it was marked more by the players’ staying out of each other’s musical way than by any heated interaction among them.