The Bessie Smith Strut for 2012 must have nine lives, because Mayor Littlefield couldn’t kill it, and neither could the weather. With it pouring buckets just an hour prior to opening the gates for the Strut, it looked like it might be a wash-out. Suddenly the skies cleared up and the rains stopped, as if on cue, and the Strut was on. The first notes were from Hadden Sayers down at the Trestle Stage, as stage manager Hayes Taylor said he had gotten wet so many times while setting up the stage, he felt like spaghetti. So, Strut number one of the “new age” is in the books and completed without any major hitches, just as it did in past years.
Tuesday night, Riverbend’s “Faith & Family” night, or “sweet-tea night” as some call it, features Christian star Chris Tomlin on the Coke Stage. He was awarded Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2006, 2007, 2008 GMA Dove Awards, and Grammy Award Winner for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2012. He had 4 Grammy nominations the past 4 years, plus 20 Dove Award wins in the past 7 years. He has 3 gold albums and 1 platinum album and his albums have reached number one status 3 times in the past seven years. As with previous years, Riverbend has managed to get the top act in the country for Faith & Family night.
Wristbands for Tuesday night are just $5 for over 10 year olds, and free for 10 and under. If you have a Riverbend Pin, it will gain you admission, too. Alcoholic beverages are not sold on Tuesday night at Riverbend.
For the entire line-up, go to www.riverbendfestival.com. Just click on “line-up”. You can then sort by day or stage or artist. A cool thingy you can get is a “pointsmap” for your smart-phone. It gives you a map of the festival grounds and who’s playing when and where. It’s free and available by clicking http://riverbendfestival.com/pages/pointsmap.
Don’t forget to check out lunchtime activities as Riverbend stars visit local establishments in town to sing a song or two and sign autographs. For a schedule just click on – http://riverbendfestival.com/pages/riverbend-outreach. Just look on the left side and click on any of the three for schedules, places and times.
For all the 411 on Riverbend, check out my Riverbend Survival Kit at http://chattanoogan.com/2012/6/6/227794/Chattanoogas-Live-Music-Scene.aspx . Just click and away you go!
See you there!
Email Bob Payne at davrik2000@yahoo.com or www.facebook.com/davrik2000