Beale Street Music Festival

This year, after four years and 60 million dollars of renovation, the 2023 Beale Street Festival reopened in Tom Lee Park along the riverside in downtown Memphis Tennessee. At the height of Beale Street's popularity in 2017, the event saw 37,000 fans crowd the park. Attendance numbers this year were smaller and saner, with crowds of around 10,000 daily. This was in part a deliberate effort to keep the newly planted park-plants from being trampled into oblivion.

The third day of the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival unfolded under crisp, clear skies after the rainstorms from the night before cleared away. The beautiful conditions encouraged music fans to arrive early for the final day. The musical lineup featured the most diverse of this year's gatherings. The Bud Light stage was again the focus of African roots music, but unlike the days before, the focus was not solely on the rap genre.

The second day of the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival got under away in the early afternoon under humid cloudy skies. The threat of rain persisted throughout the day but held off until the evening hours. During day two, there were so many impressive musical moments that festival-goers had to tailor their choices to their own personal preferences. The Zynn stage became the Hip-Hop stage for the second day.

The Beale Street Music Festival returned to Memphis after a nearly three-year pandemic-induced hiatus. One of America's oldest music festivals made its triumphant return marking its 44th anniversary. The three-day event, steeped in the polite mannerisms associated with the region's southern charm and gracious manners, overcame a plethora of obstacles, including those related to the Covid epidemic, logistical problems, and weather issues.

Hamish Anderson is a young singer/songwriter striving to keep the blues music genre alive and well. The talented guitarist produces music in the vein of some of the best 60's/70’s Blues rockers like Cream, The Rolling Stones, and even with a nod to Blues-rock legend T Rex. The Australian musician has already wracked an enviable career in the world of American blues music. We recently chatted about his bright career, the pandemic challenge to live performances, and his plans for the future.

The sun painted the final day of the 2019 Beale Street Music Festival in bright colors as puffy clouds floated about in the sky like cotton balls. It was a picture-perfect afternoon as the sold-out crowd began to fill the Tom Lee Park shortly after the gates opened. The music started early with the happy go lucky sounds of 24-year-old Memphis native Healy. The upbeat singer mixes musical genres like a Long Island Ice Tea of music.

The second day of the 2019 Beale Street Music Festival began on a soggy Saturday afternoon with a big surprise. Less than 24 hours earlier, one of America’s biggest pop stars, Miley Cyrus had tweeted that she was coming to Memphis to sing at the festival. There were no details on what time or which stage she might perform on, but the Facebook sponsored surprise appearance was big news for media outlets in the music world.

One of Americas oldest music festivals marked its 43rd anniversary, steeped in the polite mannerisms associated with the regions southern charm and gracious manners, during the first weekend in May. The Beale Street Music Festival is ideally situated on the banks of the historic Mississippi River, in downtown Memphis. The event is one of the most economical and eclectic music festivals in the country. The five-stage festival offers up music from nearly every pop music genre.

THE POP ENTHUSIASM OF MISTERWIVES

New York City based MisterWives played an early evening show on Sunday at the Beale Street Music Festival, a day that was a complete sellout.  Lead vocalist Mandy Lee clearly enjoyed playing to the young and enthusiastic crowd, jumping around as she sang .  The band performed most of their best known songs, including "Machine," "Drummer Boy," "Coloring Outside the Lines," and "Reflections."

Tav Falco & the Panther Burns is a legendary band who is relatively unknown outside of Memphis.  They played the first set on Saturday afternoon on the Bud Light Stage at the Beale Street Music Festival as part of their "Conamination" tour - what a treat it was, for both long-time fans who were happy to see their heroes again, and for the curious who had no knowledge about the band.

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