It's been a week since I enjoyed the weekend long Riverwalk Blues & Music that took place downtown Fort Lauderdale. What I like about attending music festivals is the variety of music and the variety of people enjoying the music with me. This event was no exception. Although I recognized some of the acts, most were ones which I had never seen or heard before. The people too, seemed to be a crowd with which I was not familiar. Many of the blues fans were baby boomers. The music seemed to bring back memories of their childhood and forget about their present day realities. Sound familiar?
As someone who was born after the baby boomer generation, I still enjoyed the toe tapping entertainment. Unlike many rock shows I see, the lead singers were easy to understand. They all seemed to make you feel good for being there and supporting their favorite charities. There was also a lot of attention paid to remember Don Cohen, the founder of the festival 22 years ago, who recently passed away of a brain tumor.
Having observed parts of the festival starting from the "Will-Call" party at the Downtowner Saloon where volunteers were being trained the night before the official start to the "After-Party" taking place at Bourbon on 2nd, I learned to admire how much work went into putting on this event. As with other outdoor events, uncontrollable factors such as rain and cold temperatures threatened all the efforts. Luckily, the grounds dried up just in time and people brought blankets, ate spicy Jambalaya and drank more beer to stay warm. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Darlene and Gerardo Lopez for all the hard work they put into making sure that we could count on in this festival to continue for years to come.
If nothing else, this event brought to my attenition two new spots to watch for great entertainment which I had not visited in the past. As I am sure Don Cohen would have wanted, I have discovered both new music and new places to enjoy the music. So, join me each weekend as I support the local music scene and help keep the dream alive!
