Along for the ride: 2014 Santa Cruz Blues Festival

The annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival is held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. To kick off summer, we attend Saturday's show.

Jeeze - long line to get in. We need to get here earlier

Finally we find ourselves a good spot

Not too far back with a clear view of the stage

Good line up this year

The first to play is Nikki Hill from Durham, North Carolina. Like many musicians from the south, she grew up singing in church gospel choirs. She now specializes in American roots music.

The beer/wine stands are all open and doing a brisk business.

Humm - time to get a drink

Line at beer stand

These people stick close to their beer source

My favorite of the groups playing today is Dave and Phil Alvin. The brothers hail from Downey CA. They have just put out their first album - "Common Ground" - together in over 30 years and are on the road to give it a good kick off. It's working as all their CD's have sold out by the time I get to the booth to buy their new release. Oh well, there's always Amazon.

Lunch time! Let's go hit up the food booths.

At least some of the choices are healthy

Don't understand why so many people like this stuff

Our neighbors are having a good time

Tab Benoit is next up. He's a Cajun born and raised on a Louisiana bajou and brings rock and roll to the traditional Cajun sound.

Time for a restroom break. The organizers have provided enough johnny-on-the-spots to keep the lines short. Some of the guys in this area are firm believers of maximizing input and output.

Two fisted drinker

One fisted

Blues lady shows off her outfit

People watching is great at these kinds of outdoor concerts. Hawaiian shirts and tie dyes are common this crowd. Hey - this is Santa Cruz! What did you expect?

The tie dye people tell me they are refugees from the Strawberry Festival, which was cancelled last year due to the devastating Rim Fire in the Sierra foothills. They are trying to make up by attending the Blues Festival.

Peter is delighted when his favorite Trombone Shorty takes the stage. A child protege, he got his name playing the trombone as a young boy when his instrument dwarfed him. Now he delivers a high energy show bridging music's past and future. He's a well respected musician, considered a virtuoso on trombone and generous with his time with young music students.

We pick out our own "virtuosos" from the crowd at the festival. Here's our prize winners as best of show:

Best tattoo

Best shirt

Best tee

Last up is the concert's headliner Greg Allman, a veteran rock and roll icon who recently announced he'll be retiring at the end of this season. A biopic entitled "Midnight Rider" was due out soon, but the production has been delayed due to a tragic accident on the set. Greg and his band give us a great show.

With the concert winding up, people are busy picking up their souvenirs. It's been a successful show and many of the CD's have sold out, but there's still tees, balloons and statues available.