Day One Friday October 6^th, 2017 Daytona Blues Festival

Ladies Day! The festival was cancelled last year due to Hurricane Matthew so we were especially glad to be here.

On the main stage: Vanessa Collier – an absolutely fabulous set. Collier graduated high school in 2009 and was the point guard on her high school basketball team. I had never seen her do a complete set. You could see why she was a 2017 Blues Music Award nominee for Best Instrumentalist – Horn, and in a field of veterans. She conveyed her joy while performing. I will never miss her again. Long Tall Deb with Colin John – another wonderful set by an artist I was seeing for the first time. I will be sure to catch her again.

Sena Ehrhardt – another first for me and another excellent set by a beautiful woman.

Carolyn Wonderland – I had seen Wonderland once before but this quirky wonder out did herself. And she performed as a trio. She is another added to my never to be missed list. Sakura S’aida – I had previously seen her and she knocked me out again.

The guys who played on the Riverside stage are Bing Futch and George Worthmore.

The after party was at the Bahama Breeze and The Bridgett Kelly Band with guitarist Tim Fik closed the evening. Bridgett has the most beautiful smile and Fik who held a guitar workshop earlier in the day is an extremely talented guitarist. The small club was rockin’. Then Carolyn Wonderland took the smaller stage. What a day!

Richard Ludmerer