HERITAGE BLUES FEST - WHEELING, WV
I had been looking forward to this weekend for months and hoping that all would work out with the weather. The Weatherman was being negative: 'possible thunderstorms- some severe ALL 3 DAYS.' Just like with Pittsburgh Blues festival. There were so many acts here that I wanted to see, I hoped for the best... NO rain-outs
please.
We got to Wheeling Friday at 3:00 P.M. They had moved our booth from its usual spot. Good or bad? ...we'd have to see. We unloaded and went to the McClure Hotel where we learned of more changes. The after-jam was no longer there. It was moved three blocks away to the River City Inn. That was an inconvenience. Also, they lost their food license and the breakfast was no longer there. Bigger inconvenience.
please.
We got to Wheeling Friday at 3:00 P.M. They had moved our booth from its usual spot. Good or bad? ...we'd have to see. We unloaded and went to the McClure Hotel where we learned of more changes. The after-jam was no longer there. It was moved three blocks away to the River City Inn. That was an inconvenience. Also, they lost their food license and the breakfast was no longer there. Bigger inconvenience.
We strolled to the Park to set our booth and enjoy some music. Guy Davis opened the show with a nice acoustic set. He played some guitar and harp. He sounded good on both. It was an excellent way to start the weekend. John Lee Hooker, Jr. followed and then John Hammond, who I would finally get to see and hear. He didn't disappoint. Great choice of tunes and a great skill with his guitar and vocals. Friday concluded with Tab Benoit, who was incredible again. He later came to the After-jam and played both guitar and drums. It was a wonderful way to end the first night. AND no rain! Also at the After-jam led once again by Billy the Kid was Shakura S'aida. Perry Salati played some harp with Tab Benoit and sounded great, as did Jimmy Adler on his guitar. Many people got photos with Tab, and if you look closely at the picture of Tab, Sheila and Diane, you'll notice an odd look on Tab's face. Both of the ladies' hands are missing behind Tab's back. I can't say where they were for sure but the photo speaks for itself.
Saturday came and was hotttt! ...and so were the bands. Grady Champion, the IBC winner in 2010, opened the second day. Playing some nice harp and spreading his finesse all over the stage and into the audience. He is a natural .It just got better from there. As always there's a surprise band that comes from out of nowhere to blow me away. This year it was Cedric and Malcolm. A duo, but the likes of which I'd never seen. Cedric Burnside, R.L. Burnside's grandson, plays drums as few can. Lightning Malcolm, plays a mean guitar and sings like he's lovin' every second on stage. There was a weather scare at 7:00 PM. Announcements were made that a major storm with strong winds was headed our way. We looked at a weather map and saw ominous red and yellow splotches 10 miles from Wheeling. We closed up the tents, tied off the posts and roamed away. Fifteen minutes later we checked the weather map. The storm had miraculously split! It went right around Wheeling to the north and to the
south, like something out of a cartoon! It was incredible. We got ten minutes of moderate rain and nothing else. A friend told me his sister was ten miles south and had to pull over due to high winds and torrential rain. I'll tell you later what one person had to say as an explanation.
The festival continued and with the booth closed, we all got to watch the rest of the show. Janiva Magness came out and showed why she won B.B King’s Entertainer of the Year. She had a powerful voice with a talented band. She looked great in her short, black dress and sounded better. The only disappointment came when it was announced that Hubert Sumlin was ill and would not be at the festival. Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith played an extra long set. After an hour, the 98 year old Pinetop Perkins came out and played. Amazing!
The after-jam that night started with Damon Fowler and Sean Carney playing together! Wow! What a sight and sound to behold. It got better! Later, Bernard Allison came on. What a night! Another problem we had was finding a good place to eat breakfast. Wheeling had become another city to feel the economic crunch. Many places were closed. We had been told to try the Casino. We were heading there to lose a few dollars anyway, so decided to try it. I highly recommend it! I saw about eight of us there and everyone was thrilled with whatever they ordered, and the quantity was there as well as quality.
Sunday featured quite a few acts that I was anxious to see. I went to the stage to watch Anders Osborne up close. He played extremely well. Including a ten minute version of my favorite love song, “Stoned, Drunk and Naked." Next, Super Chikan with his all-girl band, "The Fighting cocks." He told us his drummer was his daughter (that's what his wife told him). He was quite entertaining. "Shoot that Thing" was his cry after each song. Duke Robillard played his usual professional set, sounding as clean as anyone that I had heard. He was followed by what many thought was the best band of the weekend. Drums, bass, keyboard and guitar all sounded incredible- the Bernard Allison band. The drum solo was as good as any I had ever heard. There was some kind of problem with John Mayall and the promoter, but after a delay, John came on to conclude a wonderful weekend of music .
Oh, I told you before that I would explain what someone said about the miracle of the storm splitting around and missing Wheeling. It was Bruce Wheeler, the festival organizer, who said to us, "I think Jim Weber had a hand in it. He talked to God and told him 'they're having a blues festival, can you spare them from the storm?"
I don't know how many of you were at the Pittsburgh Blues Fest in 2009 when Ron 'Moondog' Esser took the microphone on the stage and said in the wake of storms heading for the area..."Jim Weber is smiling down and talking to God making sure we avoid the storms". In both cases-we avoided the storms!
The after-jam that night started with Damon Fowler and Sean Carney playing together! Wow! What a sight and sound to behold. It got better! Later, Bernard Allison came on. What a night! Another problem we had was finding a good place to eat breakfast. Wheeling had become another city to feel the economic crunch. Many places were closed. We had been told to try the Casino. We were heading there to lose a few dollars anyway, so decided to try it. I highly recommend it! I saw about eight of us there and everyone was thrilled with whatever they ordered, and the quantity was there as well as quality.
Sunday featured quite a few acts that I was anxious to see. I went to the stage to watch Anders Osborne up close. He played extremely well. Including a ten minute version of my favorite love song, “Stoned, Drunk and Naked." Next, Super Chikan with his all-girl band, "The Fighting cocks." He told us his drummer was his daughter (that's what his wife told him). He was quite entertaining. "Shoot that Thing" was his cry after each song. Duke Robillard played his usual professional set, sounding as clean as anyone that I had heard. He was followed by what many thought was the best band of the weekend. Drums, bass, keyboard and guitar all sounded incredible- the Bernard Allison band. The drum solo was as good as any I had ever heard. There was some kind of problem with John Mayall and the promoter, but after a delay, John came on to conclude a wonderful weekend of music .
Oh, I told you before that I would explain what someone said about the miracle of the storm splitting around and missing Wheeling. It was Bruce Wheeler, the festival organizer, who said to us, "I think Jim Weber had a hand in it. He talked to God and told him 'they're having a blues festival, can you spare them from the storm?"
I don't know how many of you were at the Pittsburgh Blues Fest in 2009 when Ron 'Moondog' Esser took the microphone on the stage and said in the wake of storms heading for the area..."Jim Weber is smiling down and talking to God making sure we avoid the storms". In both cases-we avoided the storms!
Thank you, God! Thank you, Jim!
~Don Vecchio
