Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival Day 1: Buddy Guy, Quinn Sullivan, and John Mayall

Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival Day 1: Buddy Guy, Quinn Sullivan, and John Mayall
@ World Financial Center Plaza
New York, NY - July 11, 2012

Nothing says the blues like the World Financial Center, in the heart of Battery Park City, with massive VIP pens of suits and their female equivalents. PJ Clarke's was too crowded for a nice blues-food meal to gaze upon this scene, so I had to go all the way to a typical fake Irish pub where the bangers in the bangers & mash were Jimmy Dean breakfast sausages (I am not making this up).

You don't need me to tell you really how this gig went. What can I tell you about Buddy Guy and John Mayall? These are padres of respective kinds of the blues. This is major historical legendary territory. Who am I to wax any kind of authoritative narrative about these men and what they do? I can tell you a little bit about Quinn Sullivan - 13 years old and plays the blues guitar (and the git in general) like another Kenny Wayne or D. Trucks. We can say we saw him when...I hope. Oh I can tell you one thing about Mr. Guy, who I think is still soloing on "Hootchie Cootchie Man" as I write this the next day (I am making that up): he had to sass the crowd for not even being with it to shout "son of a gun" during this top 5 blues classic. "I played India 3 weeks ago," he said, "and they didn't fuck it up as bad as you", he told the crowd.

My eye-fracking of the VIP corporates came to an abrupt halt when one of them, in a Hawaiian shirt (a kindred spirit perhaps?) asked me if I wanted to join the VIP's or at least be fetched a drink? I declined but shiiiiit....maybe these folks ain't so bad after all?

I left after that and walked my way to the subway but not before coming across Zuchotti (Liberty) Park and upon another scene of protesters and police. Was Occupy Wall Street back in business? The protesters were playing the part. An unharmed, even bored-looking woman was being treated by fellow protesters as if she just got whipped with batons.Then I saw the signs. Apparently it was a Crusty/Neo-Hippie/Anarchist protest for emotions (I am not making this up). There were signs about wanting to be able to love and protecting happiness. One Fawkes mask. Then I saw the sign that I didn't belong with this set. White folks in dreadlocks. I can't stand white folks in dreadlocks.