Waterfront Blues Fest 2008 - Photo Essay

Every year on the 4th of July weekend you can find me at the Waterfront Blues Fest.  This festival has been held for 21 years in Portland's Waterfront Park.  I have been attending for the last 6 years.  This festival is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Oregon Food Bank.  $513,000 and around 100,000 pounds of food were donated this year.  Admission is $10 and 2 cans of food.  Or you can purchase a pass that gets you in all 4 days for $30.  There are four stages where you can find new bands or old favorites.

The Miller Stage is the main stage where you will find the biggest acts.  This year it featured performers like: Isaac Hayes, Canned Heat, Phoebe Snow, Duffy Bishop and Curtis Salgado.

The Credit Union Stage is on the opposite side of the grassy hill.  Music alternates between this and the Miller Stage to ensure there is never a moment without music.  The A&E Front Porch Stage is on the other side of the grounds and they usually have some kind of Zydeco or good dancing music playing.  There is actually a dance floor set up to the side of the seating area.  Kind of tucked away in a corner is the Fedex Workshop Stage this is a more interactive stage and there is a children's learning bus parked there so the kids can try out making some music of their own.

Boats drop anchor in the Willamette River and spend the weekend listening to the music.  If they donate $50 or more they get a flag to fly with the logo of the Oregon Food Bank.

For $20 you can take a cruise on the Portland Spirit.  I would highly recommend doing this.  There are three floors of musicians playing in a very intimate setting.

Something about the Blues seems to make tiedye an appropriate clothing choice.

 Unique hats seem to be appropriate as well.

A lot of dancing happens all over the festival grounds.

This band is one of my favorites to see.  About five years ago when I was leaving the festival with some friends we saw these guys playing on a street corner near the festival.  The next year Hillstomp was invited to perform at the festival and now they are playing all around the country.  It is really neat to have watched them grow.  I don't know why the banjo player is wearing goggles though.

Of course on July 4th there is a firework show.  This year they had two barges of fireworks in the Willamette River instead of just one.  The fireworks are choreographed to music by a local radio station.  Next year I will have to take my tripod because I really liked the way they were lighting up the Hawthorne Bridge.

The Curtis Salgado Band closed the show down on Sunday night.  This is a local group that I really like to see.  This man puts so much into every song he sings that it is a really great one to see in person

And what would a Blues Festival be without a couple autographed souvenoirs?