The 2019 festival’s first day in downtown Kalamazoo drew blues devotees for everything from local faves Out of Favor Boys to Nikki Hill, Duwayne Burnside and Gatorboys. Browse the Local Spins photos.
Electrifying Rock ‘n’ Blues: Nikki Hill at the Kalamazoo Blues Festival on Friday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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The Kalamazoo Blues Festival is under way again this afternoon (Saturday) after an impressive opening day on Friday.
Despite the early 4:30 p.m. starting time on Friday, many of the blues faithful were already at Arcadia Creek Festival Place, taking advantage of the shade while Cricket Creek rolled out a set that attracted folks from the Friday night Kalamazoo Art Hop crowd.
Local Heroes: The Out of Favor Boys. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Kalamazoo’s own Out of Favor Boys followed, lighting up the stage with a set full of their originals old and new, and a couple tracks yet to be recorded.
Later in the night, Out of Favor Boys’ “T-Bone” Tony Sprout pulled double-duty performing alongside North Mississippi’s Duwayne Burnside throughout his entire set, with lighting up the stage with his fiery guitar work.
The Nikki Hill Band with Laura Chavez on guitar followed with a high-energy set that had the crowd up on the rail dancing throughout. Hill later gave West Michigan a shout-out, saying that Michigan music fans are great and complimenting venues ranging from Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill to Buttermilk Jamboree at Circle Pines Center (where she was a headliner earlier this summer) to the Kalamazoo festival site.
With a Friday night crowd of about 1,500 on hand, Gatorboys closed things out with their organ-based blues. – By Derek Ketchum I
CHECK OUT MORE BLUES FESTIVAL COVERAGE ON SUNDAY AT LOCAL SPINS
Photo Gallery: Kalamazoo Blues Festival 2019 – Day One
Photos by Derek Ketchum
