As previously mentioned, this past weekend The Vinyl District got a chance to get down and dirty in Nashville, Tennessee for The Music City Festival & BBQ Championship. The festival was nothing but non-stop classic rock, BBQ, and beer brought about by some of Tennessee’s best musicians, vendors, and partygoers. Though Saturday’s BBQ contest and car show were pretty awesome, Friday night was definitely the highlight of the festival.
Around 5:00 Friday evening was when the festival started to kick off. All of 1st Avenue and Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville were closed off for the event. If you don’t live there, that’s kind of a big deal. The streets were lined with BBQ tents, dance stations, ice cream vendors, non-profit tents, and other related sponsors and VIP tents, but more on those later. I was headed straight for the source of entertainment for the festival, The Grand Ol’ Porker Stage.
First up was a delightful Beatles tribute band called The WannaBeatles. I’m not going to lie to you, normally cover bands just really aren’t my thing. The WannaBeatles, however, comprised a local four-piece ensemble with refreshing vocals, talented instrumentalists, and pretty damn good impressions.
All in all, The WannaBeatles played about twenty-five songs in total, including a crowd-requested encore of “Day Tripper.” Highlights of their set included a take on “Can’t Buy Me Love” with a wailing guitar solo thrown in, a beautiful rendition of “Something”—I’m pretty sure through the power of music, George Harrison himself was channeled to help sing it—and an impression of Ed Sullivan.
Then an Eagles tribute band aptly named 7 Bridges took the stage. At this point, the sun had gone down, and a nice-sized crowd was forming on the field in front of the stage. 7 Bridges definitely took advantage of the fact that most audience members had been draining the beer supply for the past two hours. It was one big party. By the fourth song, “Life’s Been Good,” it was so intense that you would have thought that was the finale. Air guitars were being played, women got up to dance in front of the stage… Basically, it was one big ’70s classic rock revival.
Highlights definitely included their rendition of the ever-beautiful “7 Bridges Road” and kick-ass guitar solos during the final song, “Life in the Fast Lane.”
Now for the good stuff—literally. Remember the BBQ vendors I mentioned earlier? Well, after 7 Bridges, I decided to see what all the talk was about and get my hands on some of the South’s finest BBQ. There were so many options, but I opted for a sampling from Optimus Swine. No disappointments there. Next was a visit to Maggie Moo’s mobile ice cream truck to finish the night right.
After I had gorged myself on the delicious eats of the festival, the headliner of the night The Marshall Tucker Band took the stage. At this point, it was around 9:30 and the crowd that gathered on the lawn in front of the stage averaged in the thousands.
Seeing The Marshall Tucker Band live in 2011 is probably exactly like you’re picturing it. Though most of the current members are aged well into their fifties and sixties, fans still go crazy with every guitar stroke and tambourine beat like it’s 1977 once again.
There was a nice balance of old and new as the band introduced American Idol’s season 4 contestant Bo Bice to help sing the classic “Fire on the Mountain,” a highlight of the performance .
Saturday’s acts were up to par as well. Musical performances from the 101st Airborne Military Band, Shelly Fairchild , and Ronnie Milsap left the crowds more than pleased. The BBQ Championship contest took place on Saturday, leaving Curly Tail Smokers as the grand prize winner, earning a spot in next year’s festival.
Well done, Nashville. You throw a pretty good party. We’ll be back next year.
Photo Credit: Caitrin Collins
