Buddy Guy 2025When Buddy Guy completed his farewell tour last year, I feared I would never again see him perform. Luckily, he continued his annual residency at his "Legends, " the Southside Chicago club he has owned since 1989.

Guy has performed four nights a week every January for years, featuring a different warmup act each evening. Wayne Baker Brooks preceded Buddy on stage when I attended on Saturday.

Brooks is the son of legendary Chicago bluesman Lonnie Brooks. He told of "my journey," paying respect to his late father with songs by Lonnie and the previous generation of bluesmen before launching into his own songs.

Buddy Guy belongs squarely to a previous generation of blues artists. He is among the last of that group, and on this night, he played many classics such as Muddy Waters's "Hoochie Coochie Man," BB King's "Five Long Years," Al Green's "Take Me to the River," and "Chicken Heads" by Bobby Rush, one of the few active blues singers born before Buddy. He also included songs of his own, including "Damn Right I've Got the Blues," with which he opened the set.

As always, Mr. Guy surrounded himself with first-rate musicians. I was especially impressed by Dan Souvigny, who replaced the longtime Buddy Guy keyboardist Marty Sammons after Sammons's 2022 death.

Buddy Guy and David 2025We bought standing-room tickets because all the tables sold out months ago; however, a host offered us seats next to the stage shortly after Guy began his set. Of course, we grabbed them. As a result, we could see the legend work his magic up close.

I have seen Buddy Guy many times over the past thirty-five years. In the 1980s, he sported a Jheri curl and moved about the stage with a wild abandon. These days, his movements are more controlled, but he still brings energy and he still winds his way through the audience during a guitar solo.

I caught Guy during his residency last January, and this year's performance differed little from that one. But it did not matter to those of us who love to see him do what he does best.

At eighty-eight years young, Buddy Guy has earned the right to do what he wants. I hope he decides to continue playing for us.