Text and photos by Carey Eyer
ROAD TRIP!!! It's as American as the BLUES. Summer is here, weather gets hot and blues lovers want to GO! Grab the
kids, hop in the car and hit the open road for a summer music experience. There are a lot of options in the region worthy
of a blues lovers road trip. Here are a couple of things we look for in a festival:
Quality. Top quality music. Performers we love already and gems to discover.
Big. If you're going to put in some diving time, make it worth the miles. Who wants to drive a good distance for an
afternoon show? Three and four day festivals seem to work best for us. The advantage of large festivals is they can
showcase variety, which is great for seeing many different acts in a short amount of time. Settle in and take in a few
days of tunes.
Family friendly. Can kids access all stages of the festival? Are there shaded areas to retreat to when it gets hot? Are
bathrooms well managed and accessible? If so, we want to go.
Travel time from the Inland Northwest. (Far enough, but not too far) With a kid in tow, we prefer four to six hour
regional drive days.
When you're bringing the kids, don't forget to be liberal with sunblock, hydration and ear protection. The stages can
get loud, especially right up front. Be prepared and keep those ears hearing good music for years to come. They will
thank you someday. It's helpful to bring earplugs for yourself too if you're the "up close" type.
Recommendation
The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/
July, 2-5, 2010
Check out the lineup!
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/performances/performer.html
Portland, OR offers up an amazing 4th of July experience for music lovers at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival.
This event is the major fund raiser for the Oregon Food Bank. When you go to this festival, you are literally helping to
feed the hungry. Have you ever had a TON of fun helping people? You should try it. Two cans of food and a $10
donation go to help feed the hungry, but also get you a full day of rump shakin' fun. Everyone wins.
This is a very well run festival with three music stages and a workshop area. Most of the action takes place on two large
stages facing each other in a large grass field right on the river. When one stage stops, the other starts up leaving no
downtime between acts. You can boogie till you drop or relax and listen on the plush grass. Soak in the tunes and the
river where the bigger bands preform. There is also a third and somewhat more intimate A&E Front Porch stage just on
the other side of the bridge. This stage hosts solo artists, acoustic music, party bands and and our favorite, the Zydeco
Stomp Romp.
Saturday July, 3rd is the Zydeco Stomp Romp. This is an all day party where SIX Zydeco and Cajun bands are playing
the A&E Front Porch stage. A dance floor is set up to the side of the stage with periodic dance instruction for those
wanting to kick up dust to a Zydeco groove. You'll need that dance floor. You won't want to sit down. There are large
canvas panels over the dance floor and seating, providing partial shade to some areas. That's good when the weather and
the music get hot.
Bring your mobile device to help you keep track of all the artists you are hearing. Free wifi blankets the festival area.
You're out having fun but don't worry, you're still connected.
The festival's workshops are intimate and fun, with a very small stage and grass seating. Want to ask a question or just
kick back and learn something? Head on down and learn about the music.
You can also opt in to various blues cruises on the river. Check the schedule to see if tickets are still available. They
tend to go fast.
.
Added bonus: On July 4th you will LOVE watching the fireworks. They seem to last forever and blast high and colorful
above the river. Not a bad seat in the park for watching fireworks.
Bottom line is the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is a worthy road trip destination that meets our criteria for
FUN. If you're looking for a road trip to the blues, you know where to go.
ROAD TRIP!!! It's as American as the BLUES. Summer is here, weather gets hot and blues lovers want to GO! Grab the
kids, hop in the car and hit the open road for a summer music experience. There are a lot of options in the region worthy
of a blues lovers road trip. Here are a couple of things we look for in a festival:
Quality. Top quality music. Performers we love already and gems to discover.
Big. If you're going to put in some diving time, make it worth the miles. Who wants to drive a good distance for an
afternoon show? Three and four day festivals seem to work best for us. The advantage of large festivals is they can
showcase variety, which is great for seeing many different acts in a short amount of time. Settle in and take in a few
days of tunes.
Family friendly. Can kids access all stages of the festival? Are there shaded areas to retreat to when it gets hot? Are
bathrooms well managed and accessible? If so, we want to go.
Travel time from the Inland Northwest. (Far enough, but not too far) With a kid in tow, we prefer four to six hour
regional drive days.
When you're bringing the kids, don't forget to be liberal with sunblock, hydration and ear protection. The stages can
get loud, especially right up front. Be prepared and keep those ears hearing good music for years to come. They will
thank you someday. It's helpful to bring earplugs for yourself too if you're the "up close" type.
Recommendation
The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/
July, 2-5, 2010
Check out the lineup!
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/performances/performer.html
Portland, OR offers up an amazing 4th of July experience for music lovers at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival.
This event is the major fund raiser for the Oregon Food Bank. When you go to this festival, you are literally helping to
feed the hungry. Have you ever had a TON of fun helping people? You should try it. Two cans of food and a $10
donation go to help feed the hungry, but also get you a full day of rump shakin' fun. Everyone wins.
This is a very well run festival with three music stages and a workshop area. Most of the action takes place on two large
stages facing each other in a large grass field right on the river. When one stage stops, the other starts up leaving no
downtime between acts. You can boogie till you drop or relax and listen on the plush grass. Soak in the tunes and the
river where the bigger bands preform. There is also a third and somewhat more intimate A&E Front Porch stage just on
the other side of the bridge. This stage hosts solo artists, acoustic music, party bands and and our favorite, the Zydeco
Stomp Romp.
Saturday July, 3rd is the Zydeco Stomp Romp. This is an all day party where SIX Zydeco and Cajun bands are playing
the A&E Front Porch stage. A dance floor is set up to the side of the stage with periodic dance instruction for those
wanting to kick up dust to a Zydeco groove. You'll need that dance floor. You won't want to sit down. There are large
canvas panels over the dance floor and seating, providing partial shade to some areas. That's good when the weather and
the music get hot.
Bring your mobile device to help you keep track of all the artists you are hearing. Free wifi blankets the festival area.
You're out having fun but don't worry, you're still connected.
The festival's workshops are intimate and fun, with a very small stage and grass seating. Want to ask a question or just
kick back and learn something? Head on down and learn about the music.
You can also opt in to various blues cruises on the river. Check the schedule to see if tickets are still available. They
tend to go fast.
.
Added bonus: On July 4th you will LOVE watching the fireworks. They seem to last forever and blast high and colorful
above the river. Not a bad seat in the park for watching fireworks.
Bottom line is the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is a worthy road trip destination that meets our criteria for
FUN. If you're looking for a road trip to the blues, you know where to go.
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