GOOD TIMES: Blues on the Fox 2009

We had a blast at the 2009 Blues on the Fox festival last Saturday. The weather was perfect, as opposed to the downpour which forced the cancellation of the Friday night festivities.

Our special thanks to Dave Glynn for scoring a press pass for us. We were up close the whole night and got some great photos which you can see in our flickr group. Feel free to share your Blues on the Fox photos there as well.

We arrived during the Sugar Blue set. He was working hard and sounding great. While I was talking with Scott 'Hambone' Hammer (host of Hambone's Blues Party on 90.9 FM WDCB) in the press area, Mr. Blue launched into an intense harmonica solo. The sound system started to feed back pretty bad. Instead of flipping out at the sound guys, Sugar Blue simply looked at them and said, "I'm gonna need a little help here, fellas." An extremely decent way to handle that situation.

After that we decided to grab dinner at Ballydoyle before Los Lobos came on. It was our fortune to be greeted by owner Phil Cullen as we walked in. Also, rockabilly band The Neverly Brothers were onstage playing some great classic tunes. A video of one of their song performances will be forthcoming in our YouTube group.

After demolishing a plate of chicken wings, fried pickles, mushroom caps, and a chopped salad, we headed back to the festival. Los Lobos took the stage and the crowd showed their appreciation by singing and dancing along throughout the whole set.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the impromptu jam session featuring Los Lobos and the Hix Bros Junior All-Stars. The youngsters definitely held their own with the rock legends, and the crowd ate it up.

Overall, the event seemed to go off without a hitch and good times were had by all. Can't wait for the rest of Downtown Alive! 2009 and ultimately Blues on the Fox 2010.