Bobby Rush on Porretta day 2

At 89 Bobby Rush remains the consummate entertainer with energy, boundless enthusiasm and humour. He played with Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and many other blues greats but is now the oldest of that blues generation still around, with Buddy Guy following on behind. His headlining show at Porretta last night was a masterclass of holding the audience in the palm of his hand. But he's more reflective these days. No more giant pairs of knickers or Elvis and Michael Jackson impersonations. Instead, among the humour and comic poses, there's an anger about how he, as a black man and a blues player, has been treated over the years.'I wonder why the world don't treat me right. Is it because I'm black?' he asks. He also gives far more of the limelight to his on stage companion and dancer of 25 years Mizz Lowe, who has recently released her first solo album 'Classy Woman'. Many of the old Bobby Rush favourites were included, such as 'Chicken Heads' his acoustic 'Garbageman' with some great harp playing, and the Grammy winning 'Porcupine Meat', with participation from Mizz Lowe, the Norman Sisters and members of the audience. There were also duets with Mizz Lowe, looking glamorous as ever, on 'Your Love Is All I Need' and 'Take My Love', and an extended blues monologue about his life which began with 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' and ended with Bobby saying he wanted to move to the other side of town. The whole set was a delight and long may Bobby keep on singing the blues as only he can.

This second evening began with the Italian band Groove City, clearly very popular with locals, whose singer Daria Biancardi gave it her all on familiar songs such as 'Proud Mary', Laura Lee's 'Dirty Man', 'You Can Have My Husband But Please Don't Mess With My Man' and 'Nutbush City Limits'.

After a break the show continued with the backing band for most of the acts this year the Bo-Keys, led by Scott Bomar with the great Hi keyboard player Archie 'Hubbie' Turner. After a vocal by regular MC Rick Hutton and a couple of instrumentals featuring Archie's excellent Hammond organ playing, he was inexplicably replaced by another keyboard player, the singer/songwriter Charlie Wood. Charlie is best known at Porretta for the festival's theme song 'Rufus Thomas Is Back In Town' and sang several of his own songs including 'Back To Where I Was Before', 'You're My Lucky Charm', 'Never Gonna Stop New Orleans', and 'To Memphis With Love'. His playing and singing was fine but the set was a bit flat and lacking in excitement. It ended with a 'One More Time' encore of Otis's 'These Arms Of Mine' which the band didn't appear to know.

There was rather more excitement with the next act Katrina Anderson, who was introduced as the (new) Queen of Beale Street. She looked great and had a lively stage act and it was a pity that three of her songs had already been performed by other acts at the festival, 'Proud Mary', 'Breaking Up Somebody's Home' and 'I Can't Stand The Rain'. Not her fault though and they were all performed well along with 'Mighty Good Man', 'I'll Take You There' and 'Chain Of Fools'. A name for the future I think.