Wilson and company turned in a smooth set, jamming and laying back. Wilson's guitar was at the center of it all, trading riffs with harp man Dave Wittman and keyboard player Dennis Fura. They ended their time up-tempo to pass the torch to Dr. Z and the Blues Remedy.
Dr. Z took the stage dressed like a doctor on his day off, sporting a Hawaiian shirt and khakis. He made all the right "feelin' it" faces and hit all the right notes to get the crowd up and dancing, splitting vocal duties with saxman Pete Howard.
The Win, Lose, or Draw band came up swinging, and went down the same way. On one of their last songs, their guitar player wondered out into the crowd for an extended solo, getting lost for a while amongst the people. The band covered a host of familiar blues tunes, including Robert Cray's "Strong Persuader" and Lonnie Mack's "Leaving on That Midnight Cannonball."
By the time Win, Lose, or Draw finished their set, the rows of chairs had been cleared from the streets to make room for people to dance. Couples were doing the West Coast Swing and groups of people were circling together and getting in step.
One of the dancers, Ron Wright, 72, was there from the start and was on his feet for most every act. Why did he come? It seems a silly question after it's asked. "For the blues. I love the blues. And I've followed most of these bands."
In between bands, people mingled by the food stands and vendors or got away from the heat inside the Tap Room itself.
A departure from the first two festivals, this year's event was a one-day affair, capping off a weekend of events at the Tap Room itself. Friday and Saturday, guests like Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie and Bill "The Sauce Boss" Wharton played to highlight Sunday's event.
The shortened format didn't effect attendance. The Blues Festival presold a thousand tickets, and brought more than double that at the door, according to Tap Room owner and festival organizer Joe Silvaroli.
There was one more local band before the national acts took the stage. The Morvells played classic R & B and soul, handling vocals by committee. The mic was passed from Barbara St. Clair to Willie Schoelkopf to Gretchen Schulz, who sang the last tunes of the set.
It seemed to take the crowd a few minutes to get used to Harper and their updated, distorted blues. Harper, a band that hails from Australia, could fit comfortably into contemporary blues or alternative rock radio. Eventually, the crowd warmed to the sound and started swaying to Peter Harper's spiraling harp and rough vocals.
Michael Hill's Blues Mob offered a more subtly contemporary sound, punctuating a traditional vamp with quick runs and changes, or dancing between the boundaries of rock, soul, and blues.
Former Albert Collins sidewoman Debbie Davies and hard-working roadhouse band the Nighthawks ended the official show before musicians from the day's events retreated back into the Tap Room for an open jam.