“Sitting with the King.”

        The four-way blues package at Riverbend Thursday night wasn't called that. It took the name of some barbecue-sauce sponsor instead. But no other name would have been more fit, because headliner B.B. King fronted his band from the comfort of a folding chair.

        The blues-guitar icon's playing was as enjoyable as it could be, with his usual clear tone ringing out. But his overall passive performance seemed to sap the life out of a crowd that was rocking out to Buddy Guy and John Hiatt in the preceding sets. Only opener Tommy Castro, master of the blues cliche, put on a duller show.

        A similar lineup came to Riverbend last year. Mr. Hiatt replaces Susan Tedeschi this year.

        A person might argue the 75-year-old star has earned the right to sit if he chooses, which is fine if that person wants to pay to watch. But with all due respect to Mr. King, he was smoked by Mr. Guy, the wildest of the wild Chicago blues men, and Mr. Hiatt, whose surefire roots rock on this particular night leaned to the blues side.

        Mr. King's set began without him. His combo, which included a four-man horn section, played 15 minutes of big-band swing and blues instrumentals.

        When he emerged, he began with an up-tempo “Let the Good Times Roll.” From there he played a set similar to last year's, full of classics, with a recited version of “Key to the Highway” a high point.

        Mr. Guy's set was one big high point. It was just about the same as last year's, too, but it was worth seeing again. The same dirty ditties, the same turn-on-a-dime dynamics, the same Muddy Waters tunes and tribute, the same lap around the pavilion. Why change? It's one of the best hours of the Riverbend season.

        Mr. Hiatt and his band managed to put on a show pleasing to his longtime fans and alluring to the hard-core blues crowd.

        He played the three best tunes from Bring the Family: “Memphis in the Meantime,” “Thing Called Love” and “Have a Little Faith in Me,” the last done on keyboards as a solo.

        For the blues crowd, he did “Riding with the King,” his song covered by Mr. King and Eric Clapton as the title track of their duet album last year.

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