Nearly 25,000 people attended the 21st Annual Telluride Blues & Brew Festival last weekend. Most agreed: Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Guy stole the show.
“We have had so much feedback about Buddy Guy,” said festival spokesperson Bill Kight. “He is a legend, as you know, and can really get the crowd going.”
The multi-Grammy award winner’s performance on Sunday, Sept. 14, was his third time on the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival stage. Guy also performed in 2003 and 2009.
“The third time was a charm for sure,” added Kight. “It was an incredible performance.”
The Chicago bluesman’s latest Telluride performance included a rendition of Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man” and Cream’s “Strange Brew.” The 78-year-old Louisiana native also played his 2008 track, “Skin Deep,” a soothing call to end narrow-minded bigotry.
“I’ve been around a while, I know wrong from right, and since a long time ago things been always black and white,” Guy sang. “Just like you can’t judge a book by the cover, we all gotta be careful how we treat one another.”
Festival attendees from America, Canada, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Portugal, Brazil and Austria were treated to headliners Peter Frampton on Sunday, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic on Saturday and the Violent Femmes on Friday.
Reminiscent of a James Brown performance, Charles Bradley and His Extraodinaires also hit the stage to serenade thousands during the festival’s grand beer tasting at high noon on Saturday. A total of 56 microbreweries offered their latest beer samples, including Telluride Brewing Company’s Face Down Brown Ale, Sweet Water Brewing Company’s 420 Extra Pale Ale and Sierra Nevada’s Flipside Red IPA.
Tasters were encouraged to send a text to vote for their favorite brew. Roaring Fork Beer Company of Carbondale, Colo., which opened its doors just last year, was the crowd’s choice for Best of Fest.
Helping to alleviate any drunk drivers, the festival also hosted a sellout crowd of 1,600 campers. George of Grand Junction, who has attended nearly all of the 21 blues and brews festivals, said 2014 was one of the best, citing sunny days and cool nights throughout the three-day festival.
“The weather was just awesome,” he said. “I’ve seen it snow, and I’ve seen it rain. It was beautiful.”
The 22nd Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is set for Sept. 18-20. Tickets go on sale in March. For more, visit tellurideblues.com.
