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While the actual two-day Blues Festival has been put on hiatus this year due to the economy, a one-day Blues Bash is taking place at Cal State Long Beach.

Welcome to Long Beach Blues!
Music on Labor Day Fills This Seaside City

People pack Rainbow Lagoon park on Labor Day for the Blues Festival.

Labor Day in Long Beach can mean many things. The city, famous for the Queen Mary and its annual Grand Prix, has an extensive shoreline, marinas and two different areas of bars and restaurants.

Its also means music, for it's the weekend the city hosts the annual Long Beach Blues Festival. The 2010 event is Sept. 4, and while the actual two-day Blues Festival has been put on hiatus this year due to the economy, a one-day Blues Bash is taking place at Cal State Long Beach.

The Blues Bash will be concert headlined by the Keb’ Mo’ Band alongside a lineup that includes Guitar Shorty and Jon Cleary. Like the Blues Festival, it will be a ticketed event.

Blues (Sonny Landreth, above) and beer at the annual Blues Festival.

Looking back on the Blues Festival, which is due to return in the future, it has always featured several live jazz and blues performances throughout the day,cold beers by Budweiser and food booths. It is put on by KJAZZ 88.1 FM, the #1 full-time jazz and blues radio station.

Originally held at Long Beach State, the Festival's home is a seaside location at Rainbow Lagoon.

People lounge to acts like Flattop Tom.

And while the music is the blues, the people are feeling anything but the blues, for they are sitting outside in the California sunshine under a bright blue sky enjoying continuous live music on two stages with cold beers.just a few steps away.

Budweiser offers Bud, Bud Light and Michelob Amber-Bock in regular 16-ounce ($8) and large 22-ounce cups ($11 and $12) at two locations. On a warm day those waving Bud Light "teardrop" banners at the beer booths are a welcome sight and can wipe away any blues the music may have caused. The Bud tents also sell margaritas ($8).

With beach chairs, beer close by and BBQ, it's hardly the blues.

The beer stations – which also include Sierra Nevada – are part of a midway of sorts that also has food and craft/souvenir booths. Among the food choices are burgers ($5), dogs ($4), Phily cheesesteaks ($8), Cajun food and BBQ – ideal with beers at a blues festival – ($7 sandwich, $13 for ribs).

In its three decades of existence, the Long Beach Blues Festival has become one of the nation’s pre-eminent blues celebrations. As a major fundraiser for publicly-supported radio station KJAZZ, the event serves not only as an annual weekend devoted to a classic American music form, but to help keep jazz and blues on the air all year long.

The Blind Boys of Alabama bring gospel to the 2009 Festival.

Over its long history, the festival has featured a who’s who of influential blues and soul artists including Chuck Berry, Booker T, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Little Richard, Jerry Butler, Bobby Blue Bland, Otis Rush, Etta James, Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Robert Cray, Bo Diddley, Little Milton, Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Jimmy Smith, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Joe Liggins & the Honeydrippers, Big Joe Turner, Lowell Fulson, R.L. Burnside, John Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite, Eddie Floyd, Lonnie Mack, The Blasters, Son Seals, Irma Thomas, the Allman Brothers Band and the Black Crowes.

The bands are on two stages, side-by-side providing continuous live music. Each band plays for 50 minutes (except for the two final featured artists at night, which go for 90 minutes each), which kind of makes the early going a musical version of speed dating.

This setup has not only beach chairs but a wagon.

It's current location in Rainbow Park is compact but not crowded. A large grassy area in front of the Hyatt lagoon and just across from Shoreline Village encourages a picnic-style atmosphere. In fact, organizers allow people to bring in coolers and even small carts to the event with food, non-alcoholic beverages, blankets, towels and beach chairs.

People set up camp, so to speak, at any place they can spread out, which gives it a very intimiate New Orleans Jazz Fest type of feeling. Except it's not as hot, not as large and not as wild.

The lights aboard Queen Mary make a nice backdrop after the sun drops into the Pacific and night falls on the festival. The music starts at 1:45 p.m., and runs until approximately 10:30 both days.

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With that blue California sky as a backdrop, Sonny Landreth rocks.

BLUES FESTIVAL TIPS: Buy tickets early and save a bunle. Tickets are $55 at the gate but as low as $43.50 in advance (and they go on sale in late May). Plus there are various packages and VIP options, all of which are on the event's website: www.Jazzandblues.org ... Bring a blanket and binolulars...Plus sunscreen and it's okay to also show up with water in bottles.

The Long Beach Blues Festival is produced by Bill Silva Presents and Rum & Humble. Executive producers are the California State University Long Beach Foundation and Global Jazz, Inc.

Inside the picket fence is the VIP area, but people picnic on both sides.

Relaxing under a shade tree, just as they do in the South.

He was pickin' and the crowd was grinnin': Sonny Lambreth.

Look for those Bud Light teardrops banner to have beer & BBQ.

Flattop Tom goes flat-out on the harmonica.

In beach chairs and on blanets, the crowd relaxes to the blues.

The Blind Boys Of Alabama walk through the VIP crowd.

Day and night, the festival rocks the fans.

Just across Rainbow Lagoon is the Blues Festival.

Flattop Tom (top and Sonny Landreth play hard in '09.

As the festival winds down, people applaud the performers.

Related Article: Long Beach Bayou Festival