It seems once they informed mrs. Pres they were shooting down the front of their dresses, it spoiled her mood a bit.  Loved the serious tux on Buddy motherfucker Guy and shemekiahs powerful voice.
I bet Cant Turn u Loose doesn't make the final cut

When you are the greatest, you're the greatest. Mick is as good as it gets. He sounded like he had a bit of a cold or something but he still sounded great. To see him play with Jeff Beck after so long was a great thrill. He has the greatest little stories on stage. That bit about Sonny Boy Williamson was hilarious. It's amazing, whether he's in a small room, in a stadium, or in a club, he still plays the hell out of every place and puts the same effort into all of them. There is no one else in the world who can do that.

Obama Sings 'Sweet Home Chicago' During Blues Concert At White House

By NANCY BENAC, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The president just couldn't say no: Mick Jagger held out a mic almost by way of command, and soon Barack Obama was belting out the blues with the best of them.

The East Room of the White House was transformed into an intimate blues club on Tuesday night for a concert featuring blues all-stars of the past, present and future - and the president himself.

The surprise performance by Obama came at the end of the playlist when the blues ensemble was singing "Sweet Home Chicago," the blues anthem of Obama's home town.

Buddy Guy prodded the president, saying he'd heard that the president sang part of an Al Green tune recently, and adding, "You gotta keep it up."

Then Jagger handed over the mic, and Obama seemed compelled to comply.

"Come on, baby don't you want to go," the president sang out twice, handing off the mic to B.B. King momentarily, and then taking it back to tack on "Sweet Home Chicago" at the end.

That was how Obama ended the night.

This was how he began it: Obama said sometimes there are downsides to being the president. You can't just go for a walk, for example.

And then there are the times that more than make up for all those frustrations, he said, like Tuesday night, when Jagger, King, Jeff Beck and other musical giants came by the house to sing the blues.

"I guess things even out a little bit," Obama joked at the start of a rollicking East Room concert that was electrified by Jagger and the rest.

"This music speaks to something universal," Obama declared. "No one goes through life without both joy and pain, triumph and sorrow. The blues gets all of that, sometimes with just one lyric or one note. "

King, 86, arrived in a wheelchair but rose tall to kick off the night with a raucous "Let the Good Times Roll," quickly joined by other members of the ensemble. And he followed with "The Thrill is Gone."

From there, Obama and his wife, Michelle, were swaying in their seats and singing along to an all-hits playlist including "St. James Infirmary" and "Let Me Love You."

Beck slowed things down with an instrumental "Brush With the Blues," as anticipation built for the arrival of Jagger, who did not disappoint.

The longtime Rolling Stones frontman delivered on "I Can't Turn You Loose" and then teamed up with Beck on "Commit a Crime." Jagger got the president and his wife up out of their seats, swaying and clapping to the music, and picked up the pace with "Miss You," performed with Shemekia Copeland and Susan Tedeschi.

Obama was clearly savoring the moment, closing his eyes at times and nodding his head as he lip-synced the words.

The president rose at the end to introduce the ensemble as the "White House Blues All-Stars" for the final song of the night, "Sweet Home Chicago."

"For Michelle and me," the president said, "there's no blues like the song our artists have chosen to close with - the blues from our hometown."

With that, the ensemble wrapped up the evening with "Sweet Home Chicago." And then Jagger handed off the mic to Obama for his presidential coda.

In advance of the concert, Grammy-winner Keb Mo had joked during a rehearsal break that Obama himself would perform, and there could even be a record in the works. He joked that Obama's record would be called, "After the second term, now I can finally get my groove on."

Maybe he wasn't joking after all.

The lineup for Tuesday's concert spanned multiple generations, from legends like King and Guy to young faces such as 26-year-old Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Gary Clark Jr., whose style blends hip hop, contemporary soul and indie rock. Also performing were Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, with actress Taraji P. Henson as the program host and Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader.

The blues concert will be part of the "In Performance at the White House" series that airs on PBS. This one, designed to recognize Black History Month, will be broadcast on Monday on PBS stations and aired later on American Forces Network.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/obama-sings-sweet-home-chicago_n_129257...

Please, Riffy, tell us how you really feel....

(do you think he has any real power anyway?  I dont.  and I agree that he and the Mrs. look like a coupla Presidential Posers in that White House.  One story that stuck with me in a bad way--I think I heard him saying he played basketball with some friends while the Osama takedown was being deployed, got to that room where that photo was taken of them all watching it go down on a TV, and there was not a seat left--seems he was kinda late due to the game, and he was squatting on the floor in the corner.)

Other human observations:  Mick brought his two young sons to meet the President of the USA--good parental touch.  And those two clueless twats in the audience who decided to speak to Mick in the middle of the show!!  WTF?? (I think there was a brief break cus Buddy G. broke a string, and Mick took a quick seat to stay outta the way while waiting for his cue to go on the stage).  Mick was so polite to them and tried to hear what they were saying, even adjusting his earpiece!

Gazza wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2012 at 10:21am:



LOL! Point taken Gazza, but I didn't start it. I just responded to it.

All I have to say is this----->


The USA burns and Obummer fiddles. Some here seem to think that his fiddling is a sign of "hipness". I think it's a sign of great disrespect to the nation he is actively and intentionally destroying. Pardon me while I go pay 70 bucks to fill my car so I can go to the store and pay 67% more for groceries than I did a mere 18 months ago. He's great! And he sings! KEWL!!!


That is all. For reals this time!


Riffy

Gazza wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2012 at 10:40am:


I really thought Mick was pretty good. I especially liked his choice of material. The Howlin' Wolf cover, "Commit A Crime" was quite appropriate given the company he was in at the time! 



Riffy

Did anyone mention that great piano player? He rocked!






Remarks by the President at "In Performance at the White House" Blues Event
East Room

7:22 P.M. EST                     

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Everybody, please have a seat.  That sounded pretty good.  (Laughter.)  I might try that instead of ruffles and flourishes.  (Laughter.)

Well, first of all, I want to wish everybody a happy Mardi Gras.  I hear Trombone Shorty brought some beads up from New Orleans.  And I see that we've got some members of our Cabinet here.  We’ve got some members of Congress.  And we have elected officials from all across the country.

One of the things about being President -- I've talked about this before -- is that some nights when you want to go out and just take a walk, clear your head, or jump into a car just to take a drive, you can’t do it.  Secret Service won't let you.  And that’s frustrating.  But then there are other nights where B.B. King and Mick Jagger come over to your house to play for a concert.  (Applause.)  So I guess things even out a little bit.  (Laughter.)

In 1941, the folklorist Alan Lomax travelled throughout the Deep South, recording local musicians on behalf of the Library of Congress.  In Stovall, Mississippi, he met McKinley Morganfield, a guitar player who went by the nickname Muddy Waters.  And Lomax sent Muddy two pressings from their sessions together, along with a check for $20.

Later in his life, Muddy recalled what happened next.  He said, “I carried that record up to the corner and I put it on the jukebox.  Just played it and played it, and said, I can do it.  I can do it.  In many ways, that right there is the story of the blues.

This is music with humble beginnings -- roots in slavery and segregation, a society that rarely treated black Americans with the dignity and respect that they deserved.  The blues bore witness to these hard times.  And like so many of the men and women who sang them, the blues refused to be limited by the circumstances of their birth.

The music migrated north -- from Mississippi Delta to Memphis to my hometown in Chicago.  It helped lay the foundation for rock and roll, and R&B and hip-hop.  It inspired artists and audiences around the world.  And as tonight’s performers will demonstrate, the blues continue to draw a crowd.  Because this music speaks to something universal.  No one goes through life without both joy and pain, triumph and sorrow.  The blues gets all of that, sometimes with just one lyric or one note.

And as we celebrate Black History Month, the blues reminds us that we’ve been through tougher times before -- that’s why I’m proud to have these artists here -- and not just as a fan, but also as the President.  Because their music teaches us that when we find ourselves at a crossroads, we don’t shy away from our problems.  We own them.  We face up to them.  We deal with them.  We sing about them.  We turn them into art.  And even as we confront the challenges of today, we imagine a brighter tomorrow, saying, I can do it, just like Muddy Waters did all those years ago.

With that in mind, please join me in welcoming these extraordinary artists to the White House.  And now, it is my pleasure to bring out our first performer to the stage, the King of the Blues, Mr. B.B. King.  (Applause.)

I'm going to sidestep all the politics and say that it's really nice Mick, BB King, Buddy Guy and others could share the stage together for a night honoring a truly American artform.

Riffhard wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2012 at 11:10am:

Riffy, while I am not on the side of Obama, and strongly disagree with things he's done & not done, I put it away last night.
He finally had class acts performing @ The WH.

Some Guy wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2012 at 11:26am:

Stay Frosty, now.

"Riffy, while I am not on the side of Obama, and strongly disagree with things he's done & not done, I put it away last night.
He finally had class acts performing @ The WH"

Can't put it away; tarnished the entire event for me. Just being honest.

That said, I missed the live feed (was watching a PBS special on Bill Clinton) so it's nice to see the Header clip.

Mick looks great and sounds great. A little concerned about the shortness of breath but that could easily be chalked up to many non serious issues.

Disappointed in his choice of Miss You as it is not a blues song and He had so much more to choose from but all in all (aside from certain members of the audience) it seems to have been a great night. I look forward to watching the entire show on the 27th.

ps. Mick sounds a tad hoarse. Maybe he has a chest cold or something.

Yes, FPM (newly crowned King Of Visuals) there have been other noteworthy acts @ the WH.
IMO, they all pale in the presence of Jagger, hands down.
I express my opinion on politics because I want to.
It's how I feel, and usually I speak how I feel.
I do not expect to influence anyone here, as I am just a normal schmoe who will work until I'm dead
no matter who is in the WH.
LJ, what would you have done differently?