Show Review

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Portland Oregon was a gracious host to the Waterfront Blues Festival. In its 18th year of existence, this ever-expanding festival seems to annually grow in both numbers of attendees and the name power of its headliners. With a beautiful setting that is shadowed one side by Portland’s skyline, and on the other the Willamette River with all of its unique bridges, this extended weekend of celebration was quite the feast for both the eyes and the ears.

This year’s festival was a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank and it was announced that they had raised more than $540,000 and more than 50,000 pounds of canned food. When a city can come together to celebrate the best of blues music from around the country, and raise money and food to help those in need, it is indeed a reason for communal revelry.

The Wild Magnolias are a sight to be seen. They played on the first night of the festival, and they brought their unique Cajun funk party up from New Orleans. Even without front man Big Chief Bo Dollis leading the charge, who is recovering from illness at his home, these musicians on stage brought the party to the masses. I’m sure the Big Chief would have been proud. Once the “Indians” led a parade through the crowd, the band grabbed hold of the audience’s attention, and wouldn’t let go until their set concluded.

Following the Wild Magnolias, was the incomparable Dr. John, who headlined the first night. He possesses one of the most recognizable voices in rock and roll, and I felt honored to have finally gotten the opportunity to bear witness to his gritty vocal testifying. He also brought a reminder to the audience about the fact that New Orleans still needs our love and support to continue the healing process, and the message was heard loud and clear. This message was repeated throughout the festival by many of the performers in one way or another. A true bluesfest needs some form of collaboration, and Dr. John obliged by welcoming the Wild Magnolias on stage to close out the first night of the festivities in style.

Day two continued the trend of having a high-energy band leading into a more classic blues act to close out the night. Rebirth Brass Band held down their end by bringing out the brass in a big way. As their name suggests, other than the lone drummer in the back, this is a brass band with no other types of instruments on hand. Together they create a rich sound that is infectious in its groove. They also have high-energy vocalists that tried their best to get the audience up and dancing.

Rebirth’s set was followed by a powerful set of music led by John Hiatt and the North Mississippi Allstars. If imitation is one of the sincerest forms of flattery, John Hiatt must be blushing, because he is one of the more covered artists around these days. Yet he still seems to fly just below the mainstream radar. He is a powerful lyricist and vocalist, whose songs just scream for attention. Dr. John was backed by the Allstars who are a powerful touring force of their own, and often lead their fans through a balanced musical attack of high-energy southern blues and rock. Yet for these shows, they eased back some of their fire, to allow John’s vocals to soar, and they all just gelled so well together.

The third day featured one of Zydeco’s premiere acts, as Buckwheat Zydeco is a band that just feels good to the bone. It is danceable, contains a positive message, and at times is just plain old comforting to the soul. Led by Buckwheat and his sweet accordion sound this band felt almost like a southern revival at times. Buckwheat even invited a group of children on stage to dance and frolic with him, which was a beautiful site at this community event.

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk was the third night’s headliner, and they really knew how to get the crowd moving. With a family tree that whose roots grow deep in the funk, it is no wonder that Ivan’s band knew how to get the audience moving. They brought out cover songs (including a small James Brown medley) that were high energy, and had a deep and dirty feel. Any band that has the word funk in the title, better live up to their moniker and the Dumpstaphunk surely did that.

The Greyboy Allstars are a powerful collaborative effort of musicians who were a touring band about a decade ago. They separated and accomplished some amazing musical feats on their own. Over the past year they have reunited for some tour duty, and it does feel so good, as their powerful mix on funk, rock and, blues was more than enough to live up to expectations.

Little Feat closed out the fourth night, and they were backed not only by a strong light show from the stage, but by an even more impressive lightning storm. The storm was close enough to see, but far off enough to keep everyone dry. Although their song list mirrored their last performance in Portland quite closely, it was still a fun time dancing under this natural display of nature’s beauty.

Throughout the festival there were a variety of riverboat cruises that allowed the featured performers a chance to stretch out their wings, in a more intimate environment. For the Fourth of July the power combination of P.B.S. - George Porter Jr/Russell Batiste Jr/ Brian Stoltz - led an afternoon excursion down the Willamette River. Joining P.B.S. on this Blue Bayou cruise was The Rhythm Council with Papa Mali, Henry Butler, Kirk Joseph and Rob Kidd, Dylan-Thomas Vance and Kelly's Lot.

Irma Thomas’ powerful vocals concluded the festivities on Sunday night, which were immediately followed by a colorful fireworks display over the river. This was a perfect way to ring out the wonderful weekend in style.

The highlights I focused on reflect my own musical preferences, but in asking other festival goers, you may get a completely different list of highlights. With children and seniors dancing to the same music, where everyone in the Portland community is welcome, it makes a festival like this all the more enjoyable,