Blues Fest

Remember I said that for me Blues is something you listen to sitting on the grass on a summer day? I lied.

I’m never sitting on the grass because I am always doing some kind of volunteer work. I guess my initial thought was that it would get me in free, but then by the time the shift is done, even if there was more to listen to, I need to get going. It also works well, because I tend to feel awkward in festival situations, and having something to do keeps me focused. And I like helping people.

I had thought initially that I would probably blog about Blues Fest, but that I would wait until both of my shifts were done, but then I realized maybe if I write about it today, more people will go, and if I waited until after my Saturday shift, that leaves them less time for that. So, music fans in the Portland area who are reading this, my craftiness is directed at you. (There are people who travel for this, but I imagine that would have to be less spontaneous.)

I’ve said this before, but the Oregon Food Bank is my local charity, and this is their primary fundraiser, so it’s a natural fit for me to be there anyway, but it’s also a really good festival. Last year I remember talking to someone during my shift who does travel for festivals, and he has been to a lot of different ones and he said ours is by far the most organized.

To be fair, I was working green team that day, which means I was helping people get their waste in the right bin based on whether it was compostable, recyclable, or none of the above, so he could have been referring to our green efforts, and that would be a fair compliment. They are very environmentally responsible. One of the cool innovations with that this year, is that they have used the old stage banners to make tote bags, so that is practical and cool, and green.

That being said, I think it would be fair to compliment the organization of the festival as well. One thing that amazes me is the acoustic setup, where you can walk the length of the area, and hear different performances, but they do not overlap. Flow works really well too, where people can find what they need and get there without a struggle.

It could so easily be utter chaos. There are multiple stages, tons of food and beverage booths, lots of people, most of them carrying around cups of wine or beer, and so you could expect utter chaos with stench and litter and fighting, and that’s just not what you get. Families attend together, and people from all walks of life, and it’s fine. It really kind of is the best of Portland.

I was in the merchandise tent last night, and you know, I am there because I believe the festival is a good event for a good cause, so I am there to help people, but then you end up literally helping people too. The layout is a little different this year. I think the organization is probably better, but it’s different, so my job, with one other person, was to greet people and answer questions.

There are smaller items like pins, magnets, and water bottles, but the big items are the t-shirts. It is the 25th anniversary, so there are three designs this year, and each one is available in a few different colors, and a few different styles. The standard is a unisex short-sleeved t-shirt, but there are some long-sleeve and tank options, as well as a few for women. They are all on display with a sign about what sizes are available, and then when you know what you want, you go to the register and they will get it for you. This means people do not have to hunt for their size, but it is new, and some people get a little confused.

The other thing that can add to the confusion, but again, it is cool, is that they have some retro shirts from past festivals for sale also, and those are in stacks on shelves. Those are $10 each, which is a great deal, but some people do come in and think that’s all there is, and there are limited sizes available there (nothing bigger than large). So we would help people know what was what, and also fold and organize the t-shirts as people rummaged through them. Not only did that help things look better, but doing so gave me a better idea of what we had, and where it was, which made me better able to help people.

There was one woman I could not really help. She was getting a shirt for a high school student and she did not think getting him one with the devil on it was appropriate. I found one without the devil, but then she was not sure about the color. I admit, the devil shows up on those t-shirts a lot. I was blaming Robert Johnson, but I can’t find that he ever said he did. Other people came up with that years later. They were probably mixing him up with Tommy Johnson, who did say that he had sold his soul, but it seems to have been more of a marketing ploy. Musicians!

I admit, I was pretty tired by the end of the shift, but it was fun, and we could hear Booker T Jones perfectly. I’m listening to him right now. Actually, he may not know it, but he made some friends in the merch tent, because at one point he asked if anyone in the crowd was hungry, and then he started talking about the food bank and how it only cost $20 for the show, and everyone reach into their wallets, and he called it the Portland Food Bank, but you know what, he’s still cool.

So give some thought to attending the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival: http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/

And even if you can’t make it, you can still give: http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/Donate

No one should ever have to go hungry.