Austin Blues Festival Day 1 – Antone’s Celebrates 50 years at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park

It all started back in 1999, when Clifford Antone put together the first Antone’s Blues Festival at Waterloo Park. He wanted a space big enough to showcase some of his favorite artists—ones who were just too big to squeeze into his downtown club. During its three-year run, the festival brought in blues legends like Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, and Ray Charles.

Now, more than 20 years later, Antone’s celebrated 50 years as Austin’s Home of the Blues—having been revived in 2023 by present-day Antone’s co-owner Will Bridges and talent buyer Zach Ernst, who have brought the blues back to Waterloo Park in a big way again this year at the Moody Amphitheater with an amazing lineup of talent on stage.

Austin City Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri delivers a special proclamation on behalf of the city on Saturday, April 26, to honor the 50th Anniversary of Antone’s and its place as a cultural touchstone of Austin and beyond.

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I’d been getting ready for this shoot for weeks. I knew how important and special it was, plus I was super excited for the opportunity to be part of it in some way. I also wanted to be ready for whatever came my way—two full days, mostly on my feet, all my gear in tow, and the kind of weather that couldn’t make up its mind, but of course, that’s Texas, and it had already been raining on and off leading up to the weekend, so I was pretty much expecting anything.

Living on the outskirts of Austin in the Hill Country, I knew I had to leave early to pack my car and hit the road by 9 a.m. The drive went smoothly, which is rare in itself, and I made it without any traffic. I was still a little nervous about finding parking, but luck was on my side—I found a spot with no trouble.

I wasn’t sure where the entrance was, so I asked a security guard stationed near the street. She pointed me in the direction of the other side of the park, through a garden area with raised sidewalks. As I walked, I was in awe of the beauty and calmness of the place. The park—Waterloo Park—is well-connected to the Amphitheater, which hosts concerts, festivals, and cultural events year-round. As I was walking, the music started floating through the trees, and I knew I was almost there.

After a bit of walking, I finally reached the entrance and made my way through to the media booth for my badge and wristbands. The vibe was already picking up, with people streaming in, excited for the day ahead. I passed by a few vendors—food trucks, merch stands, and a couple of people setting up their booths. Then, I turned the corner, and there it was. The Moody Amphitheater. I’d seen photos ahead of time, just to get a feel for the space, but none of them did it justice. Standing there, seeing it in person for the first time, it was pretty impressive. The venue stretched out in front of me, the stage with lights and speakers already set up, while the lawn below was dotted with people sprawled out on blankets, enjoying the warm weather and soaking up the good vibes. The whole place had this laid-back yet electric energy, like everyone knew something amazing was about to happen.

I had arrived just in time for Gospel singer Elizabeth King, accompanied by Will Sexton on guitar. Their performance set the perfect tone for the day. After that, the Orchestra Akokan, from Havana, took the stage. They were absolutely phenomenal, energizing the crowd.

As the crowd kept growing, I knew it was finally time for someone I’d been waiting to see—Sue Foley. The moment she and her band stepped on stage, you could feel the love. People surged forward, singing along, swaying to the rhythm, totally in the moment. I grabbed a few close-up shots, then stepped back to soak it all in like everyone else. The whole vibe of the festival made that easy: laid-back, joyful, with folks just chilling and letting the music wash over them. What really stuck with me, though, beyond the amazing performances, was the sense of peace. Even with everything going on in the country, there was no drama, no rudeness, just good energy and pure enjoyment.

After Sue wrapped up her set, Lee Fields took the stage—and wow—you could feel his energy and experience in every move. He sang some classic tracks I hadn’t heard in years, and the crowd was absolutely loving it! I was working toward the back of the venue, focused on what I was doing, when suddenly those memories came flooding back. It was so much fun hearing those songs again.

After Lee, Taj Farrant and his band were ready to kick some ass and they certainly did. Taj is a 15 year old guitar ace from Australia. I got to snap some photos of him this past New Year’s Eve and do a write up for that, so I had been looking forward to shooting his photos again! Their set at the festival was insane—people were blown away by how good he is, and that is not unusual. He has already debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Blues Chart, hit No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Chart, landed at No. 8 on the ARIA Blues & Jazz Chart, and had six out of nine 9 original tracks debut at No. 1 on iTunes and Amazon

I was sitting there in the middle of the festival when I started hearing some music coming my way. I stood up to check it out, and there they were—the Cha Wa Band from New Orleans, making their way through the crowd. The energy was contagious, and the whole place started buzzing.

After the band finished, I was feeling a bit dizzy and realized I hadn’t eaten anything. So I walked around for a bit and found Antone’s Famous PoBoys booth. I ordered a turkey and swiss—and oh man—it was so freaking good! I couldn’t finish it right then, because they were setting up for the next show, so I stuffed half of it in my camera bag and saved it for later. Definitely knew I would need that second round when I had the chance, and I knew that it wouldn’t be for some time because the Antone’s 50th Allstars were getting ready to play, and there were several.

Every single artist that hit the stage was amazing—one after the other, just killing it. I am super lucky to have been there; truly amazing. Some of the ones I got to hear were Soul Man Sam, Kam Franklin, Eve Monsees, Lil’ Ed Williams, Ian Moore, Derek O’Brien, Jake Andrews, Scott Nelson, Jay Moeller, Rodd Bland, and several others. All of the performers play a lot around Austin, have their music out there online, and some also tour. Ian Moore was definitely a highlight for me. I’ve been a fan of his music for what feels like forever. Thankfully, he’s still out there touring regularly, and he’s got a new project that’s about to hit the road too.

After the Antone’s 50th Allstars finished, I had to run to my car and do something—I seriously don’t remember what, but it was important, lol. I grabbed something to drink from the Topo Chico booth and hiked back to the parking garage and had to eat the other half of my sandwich before I died. I didn’t want to do it, but it had to be done. I got back just in time to hear the last few of songs from the North Mississippi Allstars. They were super freaking cool—I hadn’t heard their music yet. One of the guys was playing some kind of trippy washboard thing and everyone was jumping up and down. You could tell that a lot of people knew them. I will definitely see them again.

When they were done playing, it didn’t take long to get the stage set up for the next performer, who I was really looking forward to see play live, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Now I have heard his music, so I was ready to roll!

Everything went blue and it was like the God of Thunder was about to walk out, and there he was. The sound throughout the whole show was fantastic. It was only the second time that I had to wear earplugs so far, and because I was right in front of the speakers, I could feel the wind blow my clothes. It was all very crisp and clear, the bass was killer, it was all just outstanding! He picked up his guitar and started playing, and it was something to behold. Seriously, the show was all very well done.

By this time I was getting packed up to head to the hotel and try to get some sleep. It was all such a huge adrenaline rush that I didn’t know if I would be able to sleep that night, plus I was super excited for day 2…

Austin Blues Festival is supported by: Airbnb; Antone’s Famous Po Boys; Austin Suburu; Big House Sound; Clifford Antone Foundation; Criquet; Hattie B’s Hot Chicken; ILIOS Productions; KUTX; LALO Tequila; Love, Tito’s; Marsh McClennan Agency; Oasis; Planet K Texas; ProGraphix; Q2 Holdings, Inc.; Still Austin Whiskey; Topo Chico Mineral Water; Usio; Akimbo; White Claw; Will Steakley