Now in its 18th year, the preeminent award-winning Tampa Bay Blues Festival brings the hottest artists of the genre to Vinoy Park for three days worth of slow-burning sizzle and furiously wailing fire, along with a few nights of late jamming after parties at Palladium Theater.
Each day delivers strong offerings. Heading up the Friday festivities is Dickey Betts & Great Southern, the blues rock band’s namesake singer, guitar pioneer and songwriter best known for his tenure with the Allman Brothers (he wrote “Jessica” and with co-guitarist Duane Allman, helped pioneer the melody and counterpoint guitar sound for which the band became so well-known). On Saturday, blue-eyed smoky-soulful rocker Jonny Lang closes out the night, while "New Orleans" Sunday gathers up a group of Crescent City talent for the fest’s climactic finale, among them, the soulful side trio, Royal Southern Brotherhood featuring Cyril Neville (The Meters), Devon Allman (Honeytribe) and Mike Zito; the indomitable Cajun guitar whiz, producer and singer-songwriter, Tab Benoit; and the hip hop, jazz and funk-fused blues grooves of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, which concludes the weekend.
DETAILS: Tampa Bay Blues Festival, April 12-14, 12:30-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-10 p.m. Sun., Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg, $35 single-day tickets in advance/$40 at the gate, $90 three-day advance passes also available: Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Janiva Magness, Lucky Peterson, Dave Fields (Friday); Jonny Lang, Curtiz Salgado, Sugar Ray & the Bluetones, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Marquise Knox (Saturday); and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Tab Benoit, Royal Southern Brotherhood Feat. Cyril Neville, Devon Allman and Mike Zito, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys (Sunday)
Tampa Bay Blues Fest After Parties, April 12-13, 10:15 p.m. nightly, with Lucky Peterson, Janiva Magness, Dave Fields (Friday) and Sugar Ray and The Bluetones, Curtis Salgado, Marquise Knox (Saturday), Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $20 per show.
Get further details, tickets and complete schedule and lineup info at tampabaybluesfest.com.
This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2013.