BLUES FESTIVAL and B.B. KING BLUES CLUB
Moscow, Russia
7/1 and 7/2/06
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The Chris Duarte Group went to Russia to perform at an outdoor featival and also to play at B.B. King's Blues Club in Moscow, where they also had a press interview and gave a guitar clinic! Chris BARELY made the trip at all, picking up his passport at FedEx mere hours before his flight (of course, many of you have seen the band blow into a club straight off of a long roadtrip and set-up to perform mere moments before showtime, so living by the skin of his teeth is nothing new to this veteran of the open road!) Passing shoeless through customs, CDG was on its way. The weather in Moscow was cold and rainy and the band went to B.B. King's Blues Club for a press conference after arriving. The outdoor featival was a chilly event, but the Chris Duarte Group raised the temperature a bit when they hit the stage, tearing it up for the Russian crowd and even playing two Beatles songs. a rousing "Back In The U.S.S.R." and "Cry, Baby, Cry". Chris, who normally doesn't drink, even had 6 shots of vodka after the gig! The next day the band played at B.B. King's and also gave a guitar clinic. Chris even played a balalaika, shaped like a ukelele if Albert King owned one! The band got to go to Red Square and partake of Russian food (and drink). All around, a quick, yet long, trip to a part of the world the band has never been, bringing their sizzling music to fans that is best experienced LIVE. The organizers of the event said they would like to bring the band back again next year. I hope to get some reviews of the shows from some Russian fans here soon to post. Big thanks to Oleg Pavlov, a longtime fan, for help in making this happen.
