From: Vol. 1, Issue 9, May 18-24, 2006
By Kaerie Ray
San Clemente Times
B.B. King headlines this weekend’s blues blowout
Blues legend B.B. King recently turned 80, and the Doheny Blues Festival is just one stop on his 80th Birthday Celebration Tour. On May 20 and 21, King shares the spotlight with G-Love and Special Sauce, Etta James and Los Lobos, among others. In its ninth year, the festival introduces a blend of blues, soul, rock and roots to a new generation of fans. But don’t call it a comeback, those in the know have been listening for years.
“This year’s festival is a standout because of the amazing lineup of talent,” remarks Paul Hernandez of Omega Events, the company that has organized the Doheny Blues Festival since its inception. “We have so many different kinds of artists this year, and each of them brings something special to the festival. We’ve got John Hiatt and the North Mississippi Allstars, Tommy Castro and you don’t want to miss Tower of Power.” The festival suits a generation of listeners that suffers little over the reinvention of the sounds of yester-year.
But don’t misinterpret that: there’s a respectful nod to the past that makes the festival especially appealing. Just stop in at the MGD Stage for King, winner of 14 Grammy Awards. King has just released his album B.B. King and Friends-80 featuring duets with Eric Clapton and Elton John. In the past, The Wildcat Blues Band, handled by FiveStar Talent in San Clemente, has played alongside B.B. King and a host of others. This year King’s complemented by the incomparable Etta James, fresh off the recent release of her album All the Way. James will also perform the Storyteller Session on the Backporch Stage. The Backporch Stage is Omega’s self-described “intimate setting where fans can experience acoustic sets and Storyteller Sessions from many artists” and is one of the festival’s most popular attractions.
Don’t think the festival is limited to the genre’s classic performers. There’s sure to be an exciting set of new sounds from the likes of G-Love and Special Sauce and Los Lobos. G-Love and Special Sauce are presented by Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label. Johnson met G-Love while surfing just south of Malibu in 1999, and there’s little doubt that the festival’s proceeds beneficiary, Surfrider Foundation San Clemente Chapter, is a top priority.
Since the Doheny Blues Festival began in 1997, it has been a vehicle for support of the San Clemente Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Doheny State Beach, like San Clemente State Beach, benefits from the tireless work of Surfrider Foundation volunteers, who frequently staff the festival to ensure respectful use of the site and promotion of the foundation’s chief environmental goals. A portion of the proceeds of this year’s Doheny Blues Festival, the largest fund-raiser event for the South Orange County Surfrider Chapter, will be donated on behalf of Omega Events.
This year the event includes an international food court, Vendor Village, sponsor displays and a Fun Zone for kids. Yes, kids. It seems that the festival draws fans of every age, and the bulletin forum at www.OmegaEvents.com is interactive proof. Event-goers from all over log on to discuss various artists, travel and lodging, and tips on how to make the event fun for toddlers. Some covet memories from past festivals, some share stories and all daydream about what’s in store for this year.
Hernandez offers the young fan base drawn by these bands as proof that the event organizers are right: blues can be the preferred genre of the next generation. Even the club-hopping 20- and 30-something set is discovering the sentiment evoked by a soulful bass or melancholy saxophone, hypnotic guitar or drumbeat. They’re appreciating the feeling that comes from the characteristic down-home sound. These new converts, like their parents before them, are celebrating the comforting effect that rhythm and blues has to offer. And the next generation is figuring out how they can apply their own personality to the revered classics. It’s not a revival, not a comeback. It’s blues, soul, rock and roots…with a modern twist.
General admission tickets are $40/day, $65 for a two-day pass and $10 for kids ages 6 to 12. VIP and backstage passes are also available. Tickets for the event are on sale at all Wahoo’s Fish Taco locations, as well as Renaissance Dana Point, Doheny Visitor Center, www.OmegaEvents.com and Ticketmaster. It’s held rain or shine: May 20-21. Doheny State Beach, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, 949.360.7800
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