Audience drinks from fountain of blues music
Audience drinks from fountain of blues music
May 11, 2009
Brett Gifford
Spartan Daily
San Carlos Plaza was a sea of beach blankets, lawn chairs and blues lovers from the stage in front of the A.S. House to the entry gate in front of Sweeney Hall on Saturday during the 29th annual Metro Fountain Blues Festival.
The blues festival - a yearly event hosted by Associated Students - drew a diverse crowd of students, families and hard-core blues fans from around the Bay Area and beyond.
From 12:30 to 8 p.m., SJSU was filled with the sounds of bands such as John Wedemeyer and Friends, The Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of All Stars, The Candye Kane Band featuring Laura Chavez, Lurrie Bell's Chicago Blues Band, The Tommy Castro Band with Chris Cain and headliners The Derek Trucks Band.
The beer and wine garden was a popular spot for students burning off the pressure of upcoming finals.
"The food is very affordable," said Darhisha Bishop, a senior public relations major. "The booze is affordable. Finals are coming up too, so it's like, 'Let's get some food, get drunk and listen to good music.'"
Steve Lilak of Dublin, which is 25 miles north of San Jose, said he came with his daughter to experience the festival for the first time after a friend told him about it on Saturday morning.
"I'm hanging out with my daughter, introducing her to the blues," Lilak said. "You can't beat it."
Lilak's family was just one of many at Saturday's festival.
Wade and Holly Dotson brought their son with them from Pine Grove, northeast of Stockton.
"I love it," Wade Dotson said. "We see these guys a lot, listen to them a lot. So to be able to come out here for five bucks and see all the bands is great. And it's somewhere we can take our family, too."
Holly Dotson said her family is visiting the Bay Area for The Dead show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sunday, but the festival was a good warm up for the concert.
Billy Clotere, from Eugene, Ore., was also in town to see The Dead and said he found out about the blues festival on Saturday morning while in the airport in Seattle.
"I landed at the San Jose airport at 11 (a.m.) and got here at two and I'm having a perfect day," Clotere said. "It's a beautiful thing."
Clotere, who was wearing a psychedelic top hat, said some of his friends wanted to spend the day at Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, but he opted for live music in San Jose instead.
Richard Harris, from Santa Cruz, said he was at the festival for the first time and called it the best $5 he has spent in his life.
"I go to a lot of blues festivals," Harris said. "Just the venue, the smallness, the availability and everything else - it's really a great, great concert."
Campbell resident John King, who was leaning up against the fence in front of the stage, said he was looking forward to seeing The Tommy Castro Band with Chris Cain.
"He's my favorite," King said. "Tommy Castro's the man."
King said he thought the festival would be better if it was held in Plaza de Cesar Chavez, noting the narrowness of San Carlos Plaza.
Despite the setup, King said the festival was still worth it.
"For five bucks, you can't lose," King said.
Evangeline Mix, from San Carlos, said she was excited because the blues festival signaled the start of the 2009 summer concert season.
"It's fantastic, and it's the first one of the summer," Mix said. "Every group has been just great. Everybody here was good, from the beginning until the end. And this is just the beginning."
Votes:5
Comments: 0