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Paramount Blues Festival
Sep. 23rd, 2007 08:57 pmCyn and I went to the blues fest yesterday. We sat in the late summer air and sun, and heard a few blues bands. First was a guy called Hawkeye Herman. Apparently, he does a lot of talks at schools, and it seemed like he was talking to kids. Some people appreciated this. Rory Block was after him. She also knows a lot about the blues, but her delivery is conversational rather than lecturing. And she's a great player. After her, we heard Honeyboy Edwards. I was less impressed by his music than I was to just be in the presence of a living legend. Then we heard Steve Cohen, Jim Liban and Stokes (and two other guys). They are among the great talents on the Milwaukee Blues scene. Then we went home, skipping Billy Flynn and Zac Harmon. We went back for the headliner, Nora Jean Brusco. She's a Chicago area blues/soul singer. Very energetic crowd pleaser.
Before we left, I was trying to decide how cool it was going to be. I decided on jeans an a t-shirt, with a light jacket just in case. We set up our lawn chairs in the sun, and we baked. There was little breeze and not a cloud in the sky - low 70s. Fortunately, Cyn brought sunscreen. After about four hours, the sun dropped behind the tops of some trees. Strangely, at that time the breeze picked up and it got a little chilly. I put my jacket on and stayed reasonably comfortable. After we went back, it had gotten downright cold. It was around 55. We had dressed warmly, but were still cold. Should have gone up and danced.
The show was in a big tent, and the tickets for seats inside the tent cost more. We sat outside, far enough back that we couldn't see anyone very well, especially from our seats. The sound was good, though. There are all kinds of people at these outdoor festivals. The ones who are there to hear the music. The ones who are there to sit out on the grass and have a good time with their friends. And the kind who are there to have a good time and hear some good music (and whose idea of having a good time is getting drunk, and then forgetting about the music). Some of them annoy me, when they're really not paying attention to the music at all, and distracting those of us who are nearby. When you're at a concert, and your kid has a kazoo, do not encourage him to make noise.
Before we left, I was trying to decide how cool it was going to be. I decided on jeans an a t-shirt, with a light jacket just in case. We set up our lawn chairs in the sun, and we baked. There was little breeze and not a cloud in the sky - low 70s. Fortunately, Cyn brought sunscreen. After about four hours, the sun dropped behind the tops of some trees. Strangely, at that time the breeze picked up and it got a little chilly. I put my jacket on and stayed reasonably comfortable. After we went back, it had gotten downright cold. It was around 55. We had dressed warmly, but were still cold. Should have gone up and danced.
The show was in a big tent, and the tickets for seats inside the tent cost more. We sat outside, far enough back that we couldn't see anyone very well, especially from our seats. The sound was good, though. There are all kinds of people at these outdoor festivals. The ones who are there to hear the music. The ones who are there to sit out on the grass and have a good time with their friends. And the kind who are there to have a good time and hear some good music (and whose idea of having a good time is getting drunk, and then forgetting about the music). Some of them annoy me, when they're really not paying attention to the music at all, and distracting those of us who are nearby. When you're at a concert, and your kid has a kazoo, do not encourage him to make noise.
