Every now and then, of all the music events and shows you head out to, you run into a gem! That is the way it was when my wife and I headed out to Virginia Beach and Blues At the Beach on Sept. 10. Initially, we went to take in a free Blues Dance lesson and to see and hear Michael Burks. At the end of the day, we were not let down by either and experienced so much more.
We arrived at Virginia Beach and parked in one of the municipal lots which cost $10 in the off-season, a bit expensive with most other beaches being about half that, and headed over to the 17th Street stage. When we walked up the Mike Lucci Band was finishing up their set so we only took a quick glance at them and headed to the beach some 50 yards away. With our umbrella, chair, and cooler in tow, we staked a claim to our little piece of paradise in the sand. It was perfect with a temperature that hovered just around 80 degrees, a soft breeze, and, get this, blues dancers everywhere. They were dancing in the water, in the surf, in the sand, on the boardwalk, and, of course, all around the stage.
After getting settled and enjoying a bit of the Mt. Gay rum punch that we had packed in our picnic basket, we headed up to the blues dance lesson that was being held just in front of the performance stage. It was put on by the folks at Dirt Cheap Blues and there were about 20 or so people, some experienced and some, like my wife and I, with none. They demonstrated some basic steps, turns, and movements of the dance. We learned that there is a leader and a follower and that those are very important roles to play in order to be successful. For every different movement that was introduced and taught the followers changed partners. This allowed us to meet a few folks that we otherwise would have not. It was a great experience and one that we will take advantage of in the future!
As the day was a beautiful one, we headed back down to the beach, but it was not for long as the sounds of Joanne Shaw Taylor caught my ear. It was like a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joss Stone, all in the same person. She is a hot commodity! Her vocals were spot on and her guitar playing was as clean as any that I have ever heard. She is a blue's player out of Great Britain and caught me by total surprise. Looks like she did a summer tour here in the US and Canada, I hope she will be back next summer so that we can enjoy a full show!
After enjoying the next couple of hours on our little piece of paradise and taking a picture or two, we stepped out and picked up a sandwich and ate it in front of the stage, while awaiting the start of the main event, Michael Burks and the Delta Guitar Slingers. 
At around 8 o'clock in the evening, Michael Burks took the stage with his signature up-tempo guitar-laden blues and he was as good as when my brother Ryan and I last saw him play at the Canal Club in Richmond, Va. His energy on stage is unmatched as he is a tireless worker and player and he carries bandmates that match that ability and work ethic. 
After playing for about 45 minutes, he introduced Lurrie Bell to the stage and accompanied him for a few numbers of Bell's classic Chicago Blues. I really like finger-picking blues players and Lurrie fits that to a tee. With his guitar held high and tight, he was a smooth player and displayed all the classic Chicago blues melodies and moves. Lurrie played for about thirty minutes, then, as Lurrie stepped off for a break, Michael introduced Sherman Robertson. Sherman brought some Texas blues licks to the stage and the personality to match. He challenged Michael on multiple songs as they traded solos and seemed to have a good time letting their guitars do the talking in some awesome duels. Another half-hour or so flies by and Burks finds himself alone on the stage for a couple more tunes.
Then, to everyone's surprise, and amazement that he still has more to give, he calls both Lurrie and Sherman back to the stage for a final couple of rip-roaring blues tunes. Once again, he and Sherman trade some unbelievable guitar licks and Lurrie adds some to boot. It was a little over 2-1/2 hours of non-stop music that had a good-sized crowd standing and dancing in front of the stage. Burks and company outlasted many of the dancers and I smiled as the drummer was having water poured from a bottle into his wide-open mouth while never missing a beat. It was a great time and we can't wait to go back to Blues at the Beach 2012!
We arrived at Virginia Beach and parked in one of the municipal lots which cost $10 in the off-season, a bit expensive with most other beaches being about half that, and headed over to the 17th Street stage. When we walked up the Mike Lucci Band was finishing up their set so we only took a quick glance at them and headed to the beach some 50 yards away. With our umbrella, chair, and cooler in tow, we staked a claim to our little piece of paradise in the sand. It was perfect with a temperature that hovered just around 80 degrees, a soft breeze, and, get this, blues dancers everywhere. They were dancing in the water, in the surf, in the sand, on the boardwalk, and, of course, all around the stage.
Blues Dancing
I first witnessed this type of dance while at BB's Jazz, Blues, and Soups in St. Louis, Mo. It intrigued me for a couple of reasons. The first thing that attracted my attention was that while watching the dancers, I could actually feel the music as they followed the slow rhythmic patterns. The couple moved as if the music itself was gently tugging them to and fro. They seemed to be dancing as if it were their last dance ever, like a loving couple saying their last goodbye. I have seen some couples dancing like this in many places and to many different musical genres, where the partners clearly admire one another and you, as an observer, can feel the love that one partner has for the other and that they share between them. I have always wanted to dance that way with my wife, but it is kind of hard to do at a rock show or dance club. But this Blues Dance was it. It was personal, sensuous, and beautiful for the love that it presented. It also presents a great amount of respect towards the blue's music, the performers, and its' deep history. It seems as if this is how Blues music should be experienced.After getting settled and enjoying a bit of the Mt. Gay rum punch that we had packed in our picnic basket, we headed up to the blues dance lesson that was being held just in front of the performance stage. It was put on by the folks at Dirt Cheap Blues and there were about 20 or so people, some experienced and some, like my wife and I, with none. They demonstrated some basic steps, turns, and movements of the dance. We learned that there is a leader and a follower and that those are very important roles to play in order to be successful. For every different movement that was introduced and taught the followers changed partners. This allowed us to meet a few folks that we otherwise would have not. It was a great experience and one that we will take advantage of in the future!
As the day was a beautiful one, we headed back down to the beach, but it was not for long as the sounds of Joanne Shaw Taylor caught my ear. It was like a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joss Stone, all in the same person. She is a hot commodity! Her vocals were spot on and her guitar playing was as clean as any that I have ever heard. She is a blue's player out of Great Britain and caught me by total surprise. Looks like she did a summer tour here in the US and Canada, I hope she will be back next summer so that we can enjoy a full show!
After enjoying the next couple of hours on our little piece of paradise and taking a picture or two, we stepped out and picked up a sandwich and ate it in front of the stage, while awaiting the start of the main event, Michael Burks and the Delta Guitar Slingers. 
At around 8 o'clock in the evening, Michael Burks took the stage with his signature up-tempo guitar-laden blues and he was as good as when my brother Ryan and I last saw him play at the Canal Club in Richmond, Va. His energy on stage is unmatched as he is a tireless worker and player and he carries bandmates that match that ability and work ethic. 
After playing for about 45 minutes, he introduced Lurrie Bell to the stage and accompanied him for a few numbers of Bell's classic Chicago Blues. I really like finger-picking blues players and Lurrie fits that to a tee. With his guitar held high and tight, he was a smooth player and displayed all the classic Chicago blues melodies and moves. Lurrie played for about thirty minutes, then, as Lurrie stepped off for a break, Michael introduced Sherman Robertson. Sherman brought some Texas blues licks to the stage and the personality to match. He challenged Michael on multiple songs as they traded solos and seemed to have a good time letting their guitars do the talking in some awesome duels. Another half-hour or so flies by and Burks finds himself alone on the stage for a couple more tunes.
Then, to everyone's surprise, and amazement that he still has more to give, he calls both Lurrie and Sherman back to the stage for a final couple of rip-roaring blues tunes. Once again, he and Sherman trade some unbelievable guitar licks and Lurrie adds some to boot. It was a little over 2-1/2 hours of non-stop music that had a good-sized crowd standing and dancing in front of the stage. Burks and company outlasted many of the dancers and I smiled as the drummer was having water poured from a bottle into his wide-open mouth while never missing a beat. It was a great time and we can't wait to go back to Blues at the Beach 2012!
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