I just got back from a Blues festival and the coolest thing happened. So I thought I should write about it here. You know, I've been to quite a few Blues festivals and I can tell you that unfortunately you usually don't get to see too many kids at them. There are always some kids there, because some parents are wise enough to bring thier kids to witness a type of music that is far removed from the pop garbage that is currently being shoved down thier throats. But not enough young people...in my opinion. Anyway, tonight I did notice that one father brought all of his kids (at least I assume that they were all his)...five of them! One girl and the rest were boys, the oldest couldn't have been more than 7 years old. Quite a handfull, but he was having a ball with them. They sat right up front and he didn't mind if the kids ran around and had a good time durring each show. And of course, because this was a Blues crowd, no one else carred if the kids were just being kids, either. Including me...I was watching them almost as much as I watched the bands. And also, the bands themselves. Many times some of the band members were thrilled to see the young ones watching them and running around in front of the stage.

Anyway, when the headliner came on, I thought that maybe the father would pack up his kids and go home. No way. He must be quite a Blues fan because although it was quite late, he stayed there and let his kids have thier fun. Including his youngest son, who must have been about 5 years old or maybe younger. And then, right before my eyes, I witnessed something very special. The headliner was one of the oldest surviving greats of the Blues, although he had a bunch of younger guys as his band. They came on stage and all of a sudden the bass player saw that little boy watching his every move; the boy was standing right at the stage. So the bassist started playing with the boy, teasing him and messing around with him while he was playing. Of course the boy responded by making faces at him and jumping around and up and down every time the bass player looked at him, which was often. This went on for the whole show. After a whilke it became obvious that the two of them had this unspoken connection going on. Believe me, it was just the cutest thing to watch. So much so that my buddy that I came to the concert with even commented on it. I don't know what was more fun to watch, the blues legend that I have always wanted to see, or the interaction between the bass player and that little boy in front of the stage. It was obvious that they had this instant connection between the two of them.

After the show I went over to the table right beside the stage to get an autograph from the headliner (this is one thing I love about Blues concerts...the stars are so accessible and approachable). While I was getting my autograph (which I will always treasure), I looked over and here was the bass player holding that little boy in his arms, giving him a big hug. The boy's father was there with the rest of his kids running around and I heard him say to the boy, "You sure made a special friend tonight son." Then the bassist said, "He is a very special little boy." Wow! I couldn't help but wonder if maybe that guy is a Boylover. He probably is. What a cool night. It almost feels as good watching another BL have a great time with a boy in a good way as it does when I am doing it myself.