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Thanks for making the 18th Santa Cruz Blues Festival a tremendous success
It was an historic weekend in beautiful Aptos Village Park, from the debut of a new Supergroup to extra-long sets by performers who loved playing so much, they didn't want to leave the stage.
There are so many highlights, it's hard to list them all. Buddy Guy played like a teenager, throwing out impossibly fiery guitar riffs, masterful showmanship and reminding fans why he is still an influence on every guitarist who has followed, from Jimi to Stevie to Eric. For anyone who has picked up a guitar, or just loved the instrument, he was thrilling.
Ben Harper played and played, an hour longer than scheduled, a rare thing in the world of big venues. Here in the park, before a devoted audience, he played from his heart, rounding out brilliant originals with surprsing covers. His version of Bob Dylan's "Meet Me in the Morning" was classic, as was his salute to Led Zep. Yes, the blues has a strong future. Taj Mahal played a strong bluesy set, even throwing in a local reference to Lexington Reservoir before "Goin' Fishin'" and instructing men to learn to dance to keep up with their women. In stage craft the blues world has surely never seen before, Joseph Arthur painted canvasses while singing. You had to be there.
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk built an infectious wall of groove over a double-bass foundation and soaring guitar by cousin Ian. People, most of them women, were coming up to the artist's merch booth long after Eric Lindell quit signing autographs, hoping to get a word with him. His set had star power written all over it.
Buddy Guy rocked it so hard you couldn't help but wonder how he still does it. His set had so many powerful moments, it was hard to take them all in. And, yes, he ran through the crowd--but the big question was: how did he come up with all those maniac guitar licks?
Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi gave birth to a Supergroup, one we hope will be around for a long, long time. What do you get when you mix award winning vocals and guitar with a tight family band and two drummers? Something that sounded like the second coming of the Allmans, mixed with Derek and the Dominos, mixed with Aretha. This was history in the making. Eric Burdon displayed another kind of history. He played hit after hit and still didn't cover them all. He stretched them and jammed and built layer upon layer of excitement and showed the new guys how it's done.
If anyone in the audience hadn't already been a fan of Coco Montoya, they were after his set showed them what the blues is all about. His guitar and vocals screamed authenticity and made you dance. Never content to just be great, he invited Randy Jacobs on stage to trade licks and push it way over the top.
Was (Not Was) showed up at the park early, and not wanting to sit around, they took the stage an hour ahead of schedule to jam for fans walking down the hill. We've seen a lot of shows in our lives, but can't remember an opener who couldn't wait to start playing, and didn't.
It was moments like that which make a Festival special. It's also an appreciative audience that really drives the performers to play their best. Thanks for your positive energy, your warm smiles and all the thank you's we've been hearing.
We're already getting excited for next year.
Yours in Music
The Santa Cruz Blues Festival
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