World's Largest Blues Band Midway Stadium, 6/14/98 Photo © 1998 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved

To start with, free limousine rides to the stadium and back were available from Gabe's Bar in St. Paul, although not many people seemed to know about it or take advantage of it. (It was advertised as "shuttle service" on KQRS, so it came as a fun surprise to find out that it was actually a limo). Thanks to Gabe's owner Tim, chauffeur extraordinaire.

The first act to take the stage was Jimi "Prime Time" Smith. And Scotty Reed. And Steve Babbitt. And Charles "Chaco" Andre. And John Roy. And John Schroeder. And Greg Shuck. And Big John Dickerson. And over 90 other musicians from the twin cities blues community who squeezed onto the stage to form "the world's largest blues band." This attempt to get into the Guinness Book of World Records was the brainchild of Dwight Dario, staff producer for Compass Entertainment and drummer for Big George Jackson. This "band" was first assembled at this event last year; there were 83 musicians participating. This year the count topped out at 104. There were a lot of guitar players, harp players and singers; some horns; and at least three bass players. Several drummers switched off during the band's one and only song, a 38-minute version of "Sweet Home Chicago". From my perspective behind the stage, it was obvious that the drummers had the toughest job. Can you imagine trying to keep 104 musicians in sync? It was just a hoot. Dwight has submitted the accomplishment to the Guinness Book so we'll see if it makes it in.

Big George Jackson Midway Stadium, 6/14/98 Photo © 1998 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved

Big George Jackson and his band were next, featuring Jeremy Johnson and Phil Schmidt on guitar, John Schroeder on bass, and Dwight Dario, the "two-piston engine" on drums. They got the crowd going with some standards including "Ball and a Jack" and "Hard Hearted Woman" as well as a Big George original, "St. Paul Woman".

It was pretty clear that most of the people at the festival were there to see Corey Stevens, and they quickly staked out their spots for his performance as soon as Big George finished. Corey rolled up in a huge custom tour bus and wasted no time getting started with his set. He opened with "Blue Drops of Rain", the title cut from his first release, and followed it up with "One More Time" from The Road to Zen. He also played "Blues Are Here to Stay" and "My Neighborhood", but it was "Crosscut Saw" that really made the crowd go nuts.

Corey Stevens Midway Stadium, 6/14/98 Photo © 1998 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved

Corey started out on his trademark beat-up Strat and later switched to a pale green Strat. He wore his ever-present hat, boots, and a pair of tan polyester pants that only a musician can get by with. Bass player Mike Riojas was super-funky and he knew it, at one point light-heartedly demanding more praise from the crowd after a kickin' "duet" with drummer Joey Goff. Later in the day I saw two women with Corey's autograph scrawled across their bare bellies. Guess a good time was had by all!

Toward the end of Corey's set I thought it would be wise to watch for the arrival of Robben Ford, a guitarist so talented he defies proper description. I was determined to talk to Robben and I seized the moment when he stepped out of a van with his drummer. I thought it was the highlight of my day ... until I heard him play. Whoa! Playing one of his Signature Custom Shop Models, he opened the set with a few tunes from Handful of Blues, including "Top of the Hill" and "Chevrolet". He later switched to a Strat and played "Freedom" from last year's Tiger Walk album. Another highlight was the swinging "Tired of Talkin'", an old Paul Butterfield song if I'm not mistaken.

Robben Ford Midway Stadium, 6/14/98 Photo © 1998 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved

So what can one say about Robben Ford? He is just mesmerizing. With his long dark hair blowing across his face and dimples a mile deep, he played with the confidence of a lion and the grace of a swan. He proved what a class act he is when, while giving several solos to the keyboard player, he left the stage entirely so that all attention would be focused where it should be. His set was a good mix of instrumentals and vocals, blues and jazz fusion for lack of a better term. Some of his songs can't really be categorized; when I talked with him he described it as, "You know ... that ... stuff we do." If you are a real guitar freak and have never seen Robben live, don't even think about missing his next local performance (he'll be at Bayfront in August). He will send you to the moon!

Jimmie Vaughan Midway Stadium, 6/14/98 Photo © 1998 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved

Poor Jimmie Vaughan. Not only did he have to play on the same bill with someone he reportedly dislikes (Corey Stevens), but he had to follow Robben Ford AND he broke a string right off the bat. Despite the fact that Vaughan is a true legend and a very tasty player, his set just didn't have much luster. He played a white Strat and wore black pants and a fire-engine red shirt. His band included both a Hammond B3 player AND a piano player (at the same time). He also had three male backup singers with tambourines, maracas and what-not. He played several songs from Out There, which was released just five days earlier, including the title track and "Like a King". He sent "Texas Flood" out to Stevie, but even that one didn't pack much of a punch. Quite a few people left during his set.

Proceeds from the KQ Blues Fest went to benefit the victims of the St. Peter tornadoes. And that's all she wrote!

This review is copyright © 1998 by Ann Wickstrom, all rights reserved.

E-mail Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com

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