This year I was a little worried because he threw his back out a few weeks ago. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it. I was crushed. It just wouldn't be the same without him there. Thankfully he was able to make it, a little gingerly, but able. He would have to pretty much be bed bound to not come to this festival that we love so much.
So, this year we went on Sat and T joined us for the VIP experience. We got there at our usual early time to park our chairs in the growing line before the doors open. Even though we have VIP and are let in a bit before the GA, there is still another level ahead of us and you have to grab your spot in the VIP section as well. So we parked it, visited with our neighbors, people watched, drank our coffee and chilled.
Since Dad was down in the back and I would be carrying all of his stuff, we assigned T the job of getting in and getting our spot. We had a bit of a scare at 1st because Dad realized he couldn't sit in his chair. When he got up I thought we were going to be going back home he was in so much pain. He tried out my chair and it worked better. So we traded. FYI - his chair is weird and uncomfortable. Time to re-invest. I digress...T did a great job getting our spot. Here was our view:
Once we got settled we got our one shot of the 3 of us. I love it!
Sunblock applied, our spot set up, we had about an hour to kill before the 1st band - so we headed out for grub. Dad and I got some yummy burgers and T got herself a sandwich. Dad decided not to drink this year since he was going to be taking some pain meds so T grabbed herself a beer and I hit the Wine Lounge. One of the other things I like about this festival is they have wine. It's decent wine too! The drawback is the glass is like shot size it seems and is way overpriced, but still. Wine.
Then on our way back to our spot we of course got our Doheny Blues staple:
1st up on the mainstage was Lynwood Slim and Friends. He hails from California and when he picked up a harmonica in his teens he found his calling. A Blues man was born. He had a voice like Elvis and put on a great set. The brass section in his band was great and of course my favorite - the stand up bass was awesome. He even whipped out a flute at one point!
Also check out the sea of chairs! I love the way it looks out here for Blues on the Beach!!
Now usually we wander over to the 2nd stage and check out parts of the other bands, but this year no one really caught our fancy so in between sets we found ourselves checking out the vendors, eating, etc. T and I between here and there found a great little vendor called TeaTime. The gals were giving out samples of these drinks. They were glass bottles of water that when you twist the top, the tea shoots out into the bottle. That way your tea is always fresh. They had Pomegranate/Acai, Citrus/Mint and Peach/Ginger. They were so good!!! She gave us free chapstick and said if we buy a bottle at the beverage stand we get a free tank. Um, hello? You know what a nerd I am for free shit - so bam - I have a Tea Time tank.
Next up on the stage was Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt a Whirl Band with Lou Ann Barton. He's got a huge amount of album variety. The bio even mentions that he doesn't believe in too much of a good thing! They were fantastic. A mix of blues and swing and rock and roll. He also had an amazing brass section. My favorite was the trombone player. You don't see many trombone solos out there and this guy was incredible!!! Lou Ann came out to sing a few songs and although she was a woman of no expression, her voice was a perfect grumbly low bluesy voice. She was terrific. There were a whole mess of musicians up there and they put on a great set!
At this point I think we went for round 2 of food. I got me some Pad Thai this time! It was actually pretty good! More wine of course as well! Now was our 2 favorites coming up and we headed back with anticipation. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is phenomenal. Susan Tedeschi has a voice that sounds like Janis Joplin, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt made a love child. When she talks she has this adorable little girl voice but when she sings - Holy Shit. She's brilliant. She also shreds on the guitar! That's right folks - a chick who shreds on the guitar! Derek Trucks is a guitar god. He plays that thing like it's an extension of his body. Well - these two were amazing as solo artists but a few years back they married and formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band. That's right. Two ridiculously talented people merged and made one big ass brilliant band. And they did not disappoint. I didn't take many pictures of the last two sets because I was so enthralled by the performances. The Tedeschi Trucks has a huge band - I think there was about 11 of them and they all got their moment. The stand out for me (aside from Derek and Susan of course) was this guy that shredded on the flute. That's right - Shredded ON A FLUTE! Not only that - the dude skatted at the same time!!!! It was absolutely amazing to watch. They had a longer set since they were one of the bigger artists and it wasn't enough time. I wish I could have watched them for another hour. Just brilliant.
Now over on the 2nd stage I heard a bit of Mark Hummel's Blue Harp Blowout and they sounded pretty incredible. I do regret not getting over there to see their set, but I have the name in mind and plan to keep and eye out for them. We got some more food, this time I got myself a chicken/mozzarella/basil/tomato crepe. YUM!!! More wine of course and we hung out for awhile.
Some more pics for your viewing pleasure:
We took one last wander around, dad bought me a tye dye dress! Squeeall! We bundled up for the night shift and anxiously awaited the headliner. Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper. Now - I have seen Ben Harper live before. I saw him perform at Coachella. He was amazing. I am familiar with Charlie Musselwhite but have never seen him live, I just know he kills it on the harmonica. When I heard that these two got together and made an album I about died. My dad wasn't familiar with either but did some research before we went and was quite excited to see them perform. T is a HUGE Ben Harper fan so needless to say we were all on the edge of our seats. One thing I will say that I was disappointed in was the amount of people that left before they went on. I know probably not as many are familiar with Ben Harper, but they sure missed out. I felt bad for the performers but it certainly made for a more intimate performance for us. They began. Oh. My. God. I don't think I can ever put into worlds the brilliance of this performance. Ben Harper played I don't know how many different guitars throughout the set including a slide guitar and his voice. Oh his voice. And Charlie!!! Charlie Musselwhite is seriously the best harmonica player in the world! I could not get over how he made that instrument sound. Their performance was beyond brilliant. My dad said it perfectly at after their first couple of songs - "If you look up Blues in the dictionary you will see this show". They were just phenomenal. You felt every note that came off that stage. It was if they were singing directly to each and every one of us and stroking our soul with sound. The encore set was as good if not better than the main set. The last song actually brought me to tears because the way Charlie played that harmonica and the way Ben felt every note that came out of his mouth. My God. It was epic. I could have listened to them all night.
As always this festival did not disappoint. Every year it seems to surpass my expectations. The Blues is not dead my friends. It is alive and well.
People ask me all the time what my favorite music is, knowing what a big music fan I am, and I always answer with - "I don't really have a favorite, I just like good music" but I have to say, I've been misleading because Blues is my favorite. There is just something about the Blues. I only have a couple of friends that I know truly love the blues and of course my dad and I'm always surprised more people don't listen to it more. I don't know how to explain it but Blues just gets in you. Gets in your soul and swirls around a bit. You feel them. Taste them. Know them. The world is a better place with music that is for damn sure.
Thank you to my dad for raising me with such an appreciation for music and for always spoiling me rotten on one of my favorite days every year. I love you!
1 comment:
Sounds like an amazing show!?,
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