Slideshow: Waterfront Blues Festival
Joe Lewis of Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears brought a little bit of Austin, Texas to the festival on the 4th of July with sizzling songs from their new album, Scandalous.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Donating a minimum of $10 and two items of non-perishable food allowed music enthusiasts and firework lovers admittance to the Waterfront Blues Festival. Festivalgoers who were positioned in-between the Miller Main Stage and the First Tech Federal Blu
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Booming bass lines put a groove in the collective step of the all-ages crowd.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter, Lucinda Williams performed heartfelt songs from her extensive discography on the Miller Stage Saturday night.
Photography by McKenna Johnson and Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/MCT
Maceo “The funkiest saxophone player in the world” Parker, performed some iconic James Brown and Ray Charles material with his trademark soulful saxophone on Friday. Fans could catch him again at the Marriott Hotel at 10:30 that night if they really n
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Former Portland resident and five time Grammy Award winner, Robert Cray, excited the crowd during his first Waterfront Blues Festival.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Among the five stages at the festival, The Front Porch Stage was a crowd favorite due to its checkerboard dance floor.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
On the 4th of July, red, white, and blue was taken to another level as beaded headpieces were found throughout the festival.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
In the crowd, on the bridge, or on the waterfront, the shirtless waving flagman became somewhat of a celebrity throughout the festival.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
A kayaker navigates through the fleet of boats, which had been there weeks in advance to get the perfect riverside view of the stages.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Guitarist Julie Strange from local combo the Strange Tones—her bass-playing husband Andy Strange is also pictured—was a crowd pleaser with an energetic performance featuring go-go dancers and the band’s house party, surf-inspired rock.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk brought the flavor of thumpin’ Big Easy funk all the way from Nawlins.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
The only way to properly end a Blues Festival on the 4th of July is to shoot off fireworks while “Born in the U.S.A” blasts through the sound system across the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
