There is nothing more interesting than a crowd of patchouli wearing hippies packed into a small venue for a Garcia tribute. BB Kings, a relatively small venue, was packed to the gills last night for the celebration of the lead Dead (no pun intended) guitarist's 66th birthday.

Upon arriving, my buddy Matt and I decided to sit at one of the tables that occupy the perimeter of the dance floor. And since there is a $10 minimum per person per set, we figured why not. And just as we sat, the music started and the place broke out into a whirlwind of dancing and swaying.

For those of you who have never seen the Zen Tricksters (www.zentricksters.com), I would suggest definitely checking them out. Rated as one of the best Grateful Dead cover bands around, these guys really put on an entertaining show. The quartet really knows how to play to the audience and have a good time themselves while doing it.

As our beers arrived from our waitress (the service was great) the show was getting into full swing. The Tricksters can play to the point that if you didn't know the Dead broke up, you would assume that this was them. As the show roared on, the crowd really started to get into it, with people dancing like spinning tops and windmills, it was crazy. It was like a ritualistic séance emanating from the underworld of New York City. There was one guy, I swear he was out of it, spinning around in circles from the start of the show to the end, 3 straight hours of spinning in circles watching his hands and the lights; not a truly uncommon sight for a Dead show. 

The best part of any New York Tri-State area jam band show is Will Denson, Jr, the craziest man ever set in motion. With long white blond hair and a full matching beard, this guy takes the cake. He can be seen everywhere with his traveling backpack and that urge to dance. And when he dances, you know it. He gently places his bag down and then proceeds to dance his ass off without a care in the world. Then picks up his bag and leaves to places unknown until the next show causes him to reemerge. 

The show was amazing and the Zen Trickster put on one hell of a show. So, if you can check them out (they do a lot of free shows throughout the year) or just check out BB Kings for the ambiance.

Located right in the heart of Times Square, BB Blues Club & Grille is one of Manhattan's most unique bars. The marquee outside, resembling an old movie theater, is constantly updated with its daily show schedule. The first floor is a basic souvenir shop selling any BB King trinket one can think of. The basement is where the magic happens.

On any given night, the line outside for the featured show can run all the way to 8th Avenue. Make sure, on big named nights, that you have a ticket already; otherwise there are tickets for sale downstairs in the lobby. If the crowds aren't your thing but good food and live music are, there is a free show every night of the week in Lucille's. Aptly named after King's famed guitar, Lucille's is an intimate bistro-type setting with a live band playing free blues music.

For the larger named shows, you will be ushered into ticket collected room off to the left. In here, if you get early enough, you can get a seat at one of the many circular tables and benches, otherwise, there is standing room both in front of the stage and behind the seats. The shows that come here are some of the best around for two reasons; one, the venue can afford to pay these big names to come in, so there are a lot of big acts and secondly, the venue is small and intimate so every show rocks. One of the greatest shows I had the pleasure of seeing here was George Clinton and the P-Funk All-stars. Never in all of my life have I seen such an elderly man so energetic and smoke so much pot. No joke, he probably smoked three of four blunts by himself in the course of an hour and a half.

However, the shows here are great and the names stopping by are ever increasing in popularity, so give it a shot. The drinks are a bit pricy, but it's Times Square, so you have to expect that. The ambiance is great and I go back as often as I can. You’ll love it.

B.B. King’s Blues Club is located in the heart of Times Square. We saw a concert of Edwin McCain on May the second this year (2006). I ordered the tickets at TicketMaster.com earlier this year. We picked up the tickets at the office box of B.B. King’s Blues Club. This place is perfect. It has an intimate setting. About 1,000 people are allowed in the Showcase Room. The concert was great! It’s a small space, so you’ll get up close and personal views of all performances. I recommend everybody to see a show here. The ambiance is fantastic. We love Edwin McCain, so it was great to see him in New York at B.B. King’s Blues Club. It was a unique experience.

Many famous musicians has performed at B.B. King’s like (of course) B.B. King himself, Erykah Badu, Macy Gray, Robert Cray, James Brown, Little Richard, the Neville Brothers, the Wailers, the Beach Boys, and many more. From Rock, Soul, Funk, R&B, Rap, even Punk; many artists get a change to perform at B.B. King’s and they all love it!

It’s a great place to see live music!