George Thorogood looked up from his frantic guitar solo and shouted to the Arcada Theatre crowd, "Somebody stop me!"
Nobody did.
Nobody wanted to. His guitar playing has made Thorogood a legend in the music industry for five decades.
I discovered George when I was in high school and bought his sophomore album, "Move It On Over" - one of the first LPs I purchased with my own money. The energy he poured into his music captivated me, but I waited many years before finally witnessing him live.
I was not disappointed.
I was delighted that his setlist featured three songs from that album from my teen years: Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?", "Cocaine Blues" (made famous by Johnny Cash), and the title track - a Hank Williams cover.
He hit the ground running, opening with "Rock Party" and "Mama Talk To Your Daughter" - two hard-driving numbers that brought the crowd to its feet.
Although best known for his interpretations of other songwriters' music, Thorogood performed his own compositions, "I Drink Alone" and "Bad to the Bone", the latter of which was his highest-charting hit.
Four excellent musicians rounded out the band: Jeff Simon (drums), Billy Blough (bass guitar), Jim Suhler (guitar), and Buddy Leach (saxophone and piano). Together they brought electricity to a crowd that stood and danced throughout the show.
Lucky for us, nobody stopped George Thorogood when he asked.