Waterfront Blues Festival lineup highlights blues-adjacent musicians
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Waterfront Blues Festival kicks off on July 4 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Quigley
The 37th annual Waterfront Blues Festival kicks off on Independence Day next week, but it's not too early to start making your game plan.
Why it matters: As one of the marquee events of summer, the Blues Festival brings downtown alive for four days over the holiday weekend, against the backdrop of the sparkling Willamette.
The big picture: This year's festival features over 100 acts across four stages, plus a daily Blues Cruise series on the river itself, from Thursday to Sunday.
Zoom in: The festival is leaning on blues-adjacent genres of music for headliners, as the old guard of blues musicians retires, artistic director Peter Dammann tells Axios, referencing artists such as Buddy Guy, who played his final Portland show at last year's festival.
- Thursday's headliner is the eight-piece band St. Paul & the Broken Bones.
- Friday night belongs to Lucinda Williams, the Patti Smith of alt-country music.
- Saturday's headliner is Ben Harper, considered the next generation of American/blues interpreters. "He's got his own spin on what the blues genre really means," Dammann says of the three-time Grammy winner.
- On Sunday, a bluegrass band headlines for the first time as Greensky Bluegrass closes out the festival.
What we're watching: Leyla McCalla, who is bringing the African-American string tradition back.
- Margo Price, a neo-country star who crosses into R&B.
- Lo Steele (LaRhonda's daughter) and Igor Prado, the Brazilian guitarist she toured Brazil with.
Pro tip: The official Spotify playlist is a good place to explore the bands and plot your movements between the stages.
What they're saying: "I can't tell you how many times headliners have gotten off the stage and said to me 'I think I'm gonna move here.' They look out at the boats on the river and the bridges and the big crowd, and they just go, 'What could possibly be any better than this?'" Dammann tells us.
The vibe: Tickets range from $50 a day to $495 for a gold VIP 4-day pass with upfront seating.
- There are food vendors and free re-entry, but outside food and drink is no longer allowed.
If you go: Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4-7, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 4-day pass $150, 1-day pass $50. Kids 12 and younger free.