Live Review
Bayfront Blues Festival 2001
Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, Minnesota
August 10-12, 2001
Part 1 of 4
by Michael Evan
Photography copyright © 2001 by Tom Asp, all rights reserved.
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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It is interesting to think how many of us perceive the number thirteen to be an unlucky number. The 13th annual Bayfront Blues Festival may not have changed anyone's perception of lucky or unlucky numbers, but it certainly proved that festival founder / producer Chris Mackey didn't need any mojo workin' to make this year's festival a success. The festival marked the opening of the new Bayfront Festival Park, following a long awaited and much needed facelift that was completed just this summer. The Park prominently features the Lois Palucci Pavilion, a huge concrete and metal structure that served as the main stage for the festival. The multi level roof allowed occasional slices of sunshine to peer down creating an interesting array shadows across the deck of the Pavilion, while serving as the ideal canopy for the musicians. The area around the Pavilion is paved in decorative earth tone bricks, with black top paths extending left and right of the pavilion and reaching around to meet up with the crescent shaped brick path that served as the back drop for food, beer, and other vendor sales. This area also served as the front entrance of the festival with a huge patio area with a brick surface, matching that which is around the pavilion. The landscaping consists of several small areas of shade trees, pines, and a fair amount of rose bushes. Anyone attending this years festival early on opening day would have seen the lush green grass that covers the entire park. Perhaps not very impressive to most, but as any past Blues Festival patron will tell you, this new surface beats the hell out of dirt, rocks, pits, holes, and twisted ankles. Best of all, "no more mud." Of course all went well with the weather this year as each day was near perfect, maybe "Mojo" Mackey used a little magic after all.
All involved with the new Bayfront Festival Park construction have reason to be pleased with the end result, "It's Beautiful." To all those involved in the design and planning, "It's Too Small" was the message repeated by many, especially those attending during Saturday's huge turnout. It goes without saying that this beautiful new park was created with the express intent of enhancing what has become one of the city of Duluth's premier annual events, and with this festival in the past it's time to begin working out the bugs, and oiling the squeaks. See you next year.
Bayfront Blues Festival 2001:
Bayfront Festival Park 2001 by Michael Evan
Bayfront Blues Festival 2001 Day One by Rich Benson
Bayfront Blues Festival 2001 Day Two by Terry Marshall
Bayfront Blues Festival 2001 Day Three by Al Rohweder
Fan Pictures
Chair Marker Pictures
This review is copyright © 2001 by Michael Evan, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.
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