Red, White and Blues

Brian Austin, lead singer for the band that bears his name belts out the last tune in the band’s set at “Red, White, and Blues,” a benefit concert at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 4, 2012. The freshening breeze flying the flag was the precursor of a thunderstorm which swept through the area about ten minutes later.

Click the pic for the start of the story.

Despite relentlessly attacking heat, sloppy humidity, and an untoward thunderstorm, the performers and attendees at Red, White, and Blues, left with a smile on their faces. The music was great and the following fireworks show was spectacular. Furthermore,  given that it’s July in LA (lower Arkansas), expectations of anything less than wet heat and plenty of it are far removed from the realm of reasonable anticipation.

While you will enjoy this story and collection of pictures, you may enjoy it more by visiting the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com where it all started. We’ll wait here.

The concert featured three bands, The Brian Austin Blues Band and The Saints of Yesterday, both hailing from Arkansas; and The Hadden Sayers band from Houston, Texas. Sayers, a talented composer and guitarist was a performer at the Blues Music Awards. The audience makeup reflected the storied demographics of blues fans — a duke’s mixture — they come from all corners. Blues slices well through demographic strata.

If there had been a coiffure contest for the event, this blues fan would have won it hands down. Others need not apply. He sat on the front row.

As the night wore on the crowd increased exponentially, mostly coming for the fireworks. Once the latecomers were on the scene, the spirited performers drew them close to the amphitheater. Call it the blues magnet. They’ll probably come earlier next time.

Blues for a Cause, a Helping Hand, a non profit organization which produces blues concerts and festivals to benefit cancer and other catastrophic illness victims produced the event in cooperation with the Pine Bluff Festival Association and the Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Department. Our hats are off to them for their good work.

Saints of Yesterday rhythm guitarist Dennis South, and bass player Robert Lamb do their part to light up this end of the planet with rollicking blues while drummer Mike Parrish bangs out the rhythmic foundation for the tune. They enjoy their work despite dripping with sweat.

Keyboardist Dave DeWitt, Hadden Sayers, and drummer Tony McClung made more music than one would expect from three people. Who’s to argue with greatness.

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All in all, it was a great July the Fourth celebration. There were lots of folks, lots of music, lots of fire works and lots of photo ops. Speaking of which, I have posted 40 pictures of the event in a special gallery.

You will see the shots on this page in a larger format plus 36 other pictures. In some of those you can feel the sweat. In any case, you can enjoy the sights and imagine the sounds in the air conditioned comfort of your own space.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html