Our city hosted the annual Blues Festival this past weekend. It has been so successful in the past that extra stages were added this year in the downtown area so three gigs could run concurrently. The main street was closed and vendors sold food, music and handcrafts under tents between the stages. Friday night's weather was perfect but Saturday was a very rainy day. But the show went on regardless and die-hard fans enjoyed their favourite performers.
We went down on Sunday afternoon and the rain started as we arrived. People sat in the audience with umbrellas and full rain suits. We stood in the shelter of the nearby city hall where we could listen to the music and keep dry.
Blues music makes use of blue or worried notes:- flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th notes of the scale. The African American style is a lament expressing a desire for a better life. But by putting sad feelings to music, the blue feelings are overcome and successes of life are celebrated. The blues have been a great influence in modern music.I like the mellow sound of the blues and live performances with real instrumentalists (rather than sound tracks) always interest me. Even with the rain, the mood was festive, not blue. Music is very powerful.
The Becka wrote a post about the festival and included a short video clip here.
Hate that it rained on the festival, but how neat that everyone turned out just the same. :c)
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that it rained, but it did make a few really cool pictures.
ReplyDeleteMusic is VERY powerful.
ReplyDeleteI rarely listen to blues on my iPod, although I have plenty of it. However, I LOVE live performances.
ReplyDeleteI love the reflections in that last picture ... it looks like glass, the wet concrete.
ReplyDeleteWe listen to the blues every now and again but I do need to be in the mood!
Sorry that it rained...But that didn't keep people from having a good time...Michelle
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the blues a whole lot.
ReplyDeleteHow fitting that you had rain--and the photos are so great--rain pouring, and then the reflecting puddle (not pool)!
Ruth,
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that it rained for the festival. I'm sure that it didn't stop the die-hard fans though.
I agree that the Blues has had a great influence on modern day music. Wish I had known that the festival was on. I'm a bit behind with all the events because we're busy with the renovations. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Take care.
Blessings,
Mary
Thanks for your comments. It has rained pretty much every weekend here (and most of the week too). If we didn't go out in the rain, we would miss summer this year.
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