The people came prepared! Blankets and umbrellas covered the ground as far as the eye could see. Later on, due to the overwhelming size of the crowd, the fire marshal made an appearance in attempt to regulate attendance.

Image: Heather Zinger, Heather Zinger

The 22nd Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival (July 2–5) began with a bang–a scintillating set by Robert Johnson acolyte ‘Keb ‘Mo. The rest of the performers were as hot as the 90 degree weather; the sultry testifying of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Johnny Winter’s Hendrix-like rendition of “Red House,” and the irresistible rhythmic pull of Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie were among the fest’s more memorable moments.

The four-day soiree saw nearly 30 performances a day on 5 stages and raised $544,638 and 76,363 pounds of food for the Oregon Food Bank.

Here are some choice shots of fans and musicians alike, all soaking up the best of the blues in our web-exclusive slideshow shot by photographer Heather Zinger and reported by Megan Udow.