concert review

It was your typical biker bar up in the mountains. Except it wasn’t a typical day, it was 4th of July weekend and the whole area outside was set up for live blues music and fun in the hot sun. We, meaning my son, daughter and I, didn’t exactly look dressed for the scene. Having made the thirty minute drive up to town from our camp site, which was nestled deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains alongside the majestic Stanislaus River, we were dressed in our shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. Our lack of leather vests and Levis made us stand out a little in the biker filled joint, but we were no ordinary patrons. My kids weren’t there to hang with the bikers, they were there to see the band. They were there to see daddy play for the very first time live on stage.

Their excitement increased as they saw daddy’s guitars set up on stage and as soon as my son figured out that the crowd was there to see his daddy he immediately sat down at a table, leaned over with his little hands on his knees and began to sing. He was singing Black Sabbath so clearly that the bikers around him looked at me and asked smiling, “Is your son singing Sabbath?” I, being the mom that I am, answered proudly, yes. I was curious as to why he was suddenly sitting so seriously singing a Sabbath song to himself, so I asked. He answered quite seriously, “Because mom, if daddy needs me to come up and sing a song with him, I have to be ready.” Well, you can’t argue with that.

Finally the crowd settled and daddy took the stage. All eyes were on him as he began his trademark repertoire of vintage Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Albert Collins, and the other blues tunes that always get any crowd jumping. As he tore into “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” the kids starting going crazy dancing and having a great time watching daddy smile at them from the stage. It’s funny, because they didn’t seem too surprised to see their daddy up there. In fact they acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I guess because it is.

The set ended with the funky blues staple, “Chicken Shack.” The sun was beating down and, in spite of the excitement, my little five and three year old music fans heard dinner beckoning back by the the river. Before we left, daddy escorted them around the place with the tip jar (no one says no to my blue-eyed babies) and then gave us all some hugs and kisses and we were back on our way.

I don’t know who enjoyed the day more. My husband, who finally got a chance to share this part of himself with his kids. My kids, who finally got to see how daddy plays music for people, and how much those people love him for it. Or me, for getting to see my husband play and watch him watch his kids dance to his music, or to simply see the looks on my kids faces when their daddy started singing.

This won’t be the last time we all get to see him play this summer and I’m sure, like me, my kids will never tire of watching their dad play the blues. If you’re in Northern California and want to hang with the kiddies and me while we watch their daddy play, check out his myspace page for upcoming gigs, http://www.myspace.com/allenvega.

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