It’s called the Waterfront Blues Festival , but Portland’s 37th annual music event has evolved from its roots.
Nowadays you’ll hear Americana, country, bluegrass, Afrobeat and more at the festival, which takes place Thursday-Sunday, July 4-7 at Tom McCall Waterfront.
Peter Dammann, longtime artistic director, said the evolution stems from two things. A lot of fans want to hear different kinds of music. And, frankly, a lot of blues musicians have stopped touring and/or passed away. The great Buddy Guy, 87, finished his touring days last year, including a visit to the Waterfront Blues Festival.
“We’ve always pushed the boundaries to some extent,” Dammann said. “I figured right from the beginning, if I’m going to go down there for many years, it had to be compelling to me (and others).
“And, the reality is, especially because many of the pioneers of the genre have passed on … acts have aged out to some extent. You have to keep reaching out to new audiences. We’re more aggressively pushing the envelope.”
Of the top acts on four stages at the Waterfront Blues Festival, St. Paul and the Broken Bones (July 4) has been known for its soul music, Margo Price (July 5) performs in the Americana/country space and Greensky Bluegrass (July 7) has been a longtime bluegrass attraction. Even Portland’s MarchFourth (July 4), a “kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy,” according to its website, doesn’t exactly fit into the blues realm. Charlie Hunter (July 6-7), a jazz guitar virtuoso, manages to play guitar and bass on the same instrument.
But, oh, the blues does still reign supreme.
Tickets have been going fast for Saturday, July 6, which includes Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals.
“He’s kind of a big deal,” Dammann said of Harper, a multiple Grammy Award winner. “He comes out of being rooted in blues tradition.
“He grew up in a musical family, they had a music store, and he was hanging out with legendary blues guys that schmoozed with family. He took that influence and reinvented it as part of the next generation of interpretatives of that genre. He’s worked with Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite, straightahead blues musicians.”
Bobby Rush & North Mississippi Allstars haven’t made many appearances out west , but they’ll play Waterfront Blues Festival on the same day as Harper (July 6).
“He’s about 90 years old and still jumping around on stage,” Dammann said of Rush.
Lucinda Williams headlines the Friday, July 5 lineup.
Local stars include Norman Sylvester, Mel Brown and Curtis Salgado, along with the Steele family, including Oregon Music Hall of Famer LaRhonda and daughter Lo.
Lo Steele toured with Igor Prado in Brazil, and they’ll take the stage again together on Saturday, July 6.
Portland’s Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters make their WBF debut — and Dammann’s daughter Isabel plays violin in the band.
Ticket sales are up from last year, said Christina Fuller, festival director, and more tickets should go during festival week and day of shows.
As far as the festival, there have been some changes.
There is a bag size limitation — 18 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches — which allows security to easily look through them. Patrons can bring in as many bags as they want, Fuller said.
There won’t be any outside food allowed, for the first time — along with no outside beverages. It helps on-site vendors, Fuller added. And there are more vendors, serving anything from fresh fruit to falafel to vegan.
Tickets are still available — $125 for a four-day pass, $25 for a one-day pass. More than 45,000 people attended in 2023.
Time was Waterfront Blues Festival was a free event in which music fans could bring their own food and beverage.
“There is a lot of nostalgia of the way festivals and events were,” Fuller said. “In 2024, we’re producing a major music festival. The economic and safety/security realities are different than 15 to 25 years ago. All these changes were thoughtfully considered.”
It’s not all about music.
There is a kids’ area with programming all day, and a new Popsicle Happy Hour. Wellness classes return and a live fitness class with live music takes place 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
“We have eight acres (at Waterfront Park), and we’ve learned to maximize every nook and cranny,” Fuller said.
Music fills the air at Waterfront Park from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. each day. And, there’ll be Blues Cruises.
And, remember, there’ll be fireworks at about 10 p.m. Fourth of July.
More: waterfrontbluesfest.com .
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