BB King's band launches into its pre-amble of big band-style jazz tunes, featuring solos from all and sundry. And, while this certainly sets the scene for what is to come, it's not what the crowd is here to see. Patience is soon rewarded however, when BB ambles on to the stage. This is all it takes to bring the house down, such is the respect reserved for this great bluesman - a standing ovation greets him even before he has picked up 'Lucille', his famous guitar.
The man then takes his seat - his band has told him that at 75 years old he has earned the right to sit down and that is just what he is going to do. He kicks straight into 'Let the Good Times Roll' and encourages the crowd to "Shake what you got". The tempo is brought down a notch with a heartfelt version of 'I'll Survive', but quickly re-energised with 'Bad Case of Love'. The audience enthusiastically returns the chorus - it's a mark of the performer that, by this stage, King has already broken through their inhibitions.
As this larger-than-life character leads us through a show reminiscent of a spiritual revival, there is certainly an evangelical air in the auditorium - blues worshippers have flocked in numbers to salve their longing for the blues. There is no disputing that BB is the erm... 'King' of the Albert Hall tonight.
The great tunes continue as he launches into 'Three O'Clock Blues' and 'Key To The Highway', from his recent album collaboration with Eric Clapton, 'Riding With the King'. While Clapton doesn't show, much to the dismay of both BB King and the audience, very little is lost due to BB's own band, who have been playing with him for over 20 years and feature the funkiest horn section in existence.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the night for the classic blues fans in the crowd is 'How Blue Can You Get'. This is vintage BB King and to hear him roar "I gave you seven children, and now you wanna give 'em back" is worth the admission price alone. The audience can't help but leap to their feet yet again, staying up for the classic 'The Thrill Has Gone' - although this more up-tempo version doesn't have the emotion that made it BB's signature tune, the audience goes crazy just the same.
As he gets older BB King is deferring more and more to the musicians in his band, and who can blame him. This means that the classic BB moments, the inexplicably soulful guitar licks and the raw resonance of his voice, are no longer constant. But the fact that you have to wait for them makes them all the more special when they arrive.
By the end of the show seats are abandoned as BB King signs autographs and shakes hands at the front of the stage. Just when he looks like he may expire from the heat, he ambles off the stage as leisurely as he had come on - and we are left with the afterglow of having seen a true legend of the blues.
