Easter arrives early at Byron

Easter arrived early at Byron Bay this year when Mavis Staples hit the Crossroads stage on Saturday. Where are we going? asked Mavis, and the crowd screamed To the Lord!!. By the time Mavis and her crackerjack band departed, there was no doubt as to who was Queen of this year's Bluesfest. Adoring acolytes sporting dreadlocks, thongs and cut off denim hollered to be saved. There's no turning back, I've gone too far down this road to be turning now and we submitted.

The usual advice for music festivals is not to try and see too much, but this appears gratuitous when you are presented with a program as outstanding as the 2011 Bluesfest. If this years' lineup is not the best in Australian history, then I would like to find out which one was better! Try to pace yourself, they say. Huh? To illustrate the impossible, ticking off Fridays' card left the following memories:

It could have been The Who on stage when Los Lobos finished their second set with a perfect My Generation. As Rhythms Magazine stated in the official program This may just be the best band in the world. I won't disagree.

There may be a thousand recordings of this perennial favourite, but Toots and the Maytals owned Louie Louie. Despite imperceptible feedback problems that offended his star quality, we were not disappointed by the man that gave us the word reggae. I don't know what journalistic licence the Herald's reporter was employing in their less than flattering review, but Toots wasn't holding back on delivering classics like Pressure Drop early in his set.

It was impossible to see BB King in the too small Crossroads tent. This was probably the only programming glitch encountered where a sardine would have cried out enough!. The larger Mojo tent occupied by Toots and subsequently Grace Jones should have been BB's space. James and Rhys did squeeze in and said they enjoyed some moments of brilliance. However, BB is no spring chicken, and it shows.

Every festival you find a new favourite, and for Kim and I, our Friday standouts were ex-Maverick Raul Malo, who, with his enticing mix of Tex-Mex and Cuban rhythms charmed the pants off us closing with the classic Dance The Night Away. Another Friday favourite was aussie bluesman Ray Beadle and his tight band.

In the tiny APRA tent Ray, resplendent in 3-piece suit, gave us a classic set of old school Chicago rhythm and blues. In between great songs and nifty fretwork, Ray regaled us of his previous life as an interstate truckie prior to taking up full-time musicianship ~ good vocational choice!. Now there may be some pretty impressive guitars on display at Bluesfast, but the totally white Telecaster sported by his rhythm guitarist wins my award.

In the massive Mojo tent Grace Jones belied her age with a performance that shrieked Diva!; but this was Grace Jones! With a new head-dress for each song and legs that seemed to have a life of their own, Grace's performance was part musical tour de force, part runway fashion show and part theatrical drama. Sated, we went in search of a closing act. A little Grace goes a long way!.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela and their stunning flamenco completed our Friday, and as we exited in search of homeward-bound buses the ringing interplay between Rodrigo's dazzling lead work and Gabriela's unique rhythms sounded a retreat.

All in all it was a massive Good Friday that also included further fine performances from Osibisa, Eric Bibb, The Dingoes and a ripper from Xavier Rudd, backed by the Innocent Criminals.

After such a huge Friday, Saturday was the day to wind down and be somewhat selective in our entertainment choices. Little Feat were scheduled to precede Mavis at 14.30 at Crossroads so a lazy a.m. was on the cards. Hobbit-like, a number of breakfasts were consumed before Rhys, James and I headed for the beach and a refreshing dip. By-passing the Saturday beach-side markets, we dumped our towels and hit the surf. Glorious!. You can see why people opt for a Byron lifestyle.

Entering Bluesfest, we immediately encountered Julia and the Rockwiz Orkestra who had attracted a big audience of early-afternoon rock know-it-alls. The Orkestra, supported by guests Tim Rogers of You Am I and Broderick Smith, performed a Dingoes' classic to an enthusiastic crowd. Satisfied we had held up Canberra's reputation in the know-it-all status, we moved on in search of the Crossroads tent.

Little Feat ambled on and eased into a performance dominated by a predominantly older crowd. From our vantage point close to the stage, we noted a not-surprising number of middle-aged men sporting pony tails. Baby-boomers rule and when the familiar opening chords of Time loves a hero rang out, the audience shuffling had noticeably picked up. It's marvelous what a pacemaker can achieve. Willing and Dixie Chicken had us pumped and we were disappointed when the hour-long performance ended. An hour is not near long enough for all Feat's hits and we will have to return tomorrow to get our fill.

Anticipating Mavis, and drinks in hand, we wandered along the midway checking out the various stalls and crowd. At the APRA stage Louis King and the Liars Klub had encouraged some shuffling that would normally have raised dust. The heavy conditions put paid to that and gumboots were still the preferred shodding. Heading back we encountered the best t-shirt yet: former meat tray winner!.

Following Mavis' topnotch show, we decided we required sustenance and returned home for a seafood feast. King prawns followed by barbequed snapper, Chris' dill sauce, goat-cheese enhanced green salad and spuds really hit the spot. As Kim and Paulette had decided to stay in, Chris and I had the dubious pleasure of catching the same festival shuttle as the most obnoxious passengers possible. It takes all types!

All afternoon we had been picking up the vibe that Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi were not to be missed and so it proved. Two ace guitar slingers backed by a monstrous two-drum eight-piece band. Fabulous, with a great version of Sly's Everyday People. We're going back tomorrow fer sure!.

Next up: The BAMBOOS!!. Wow, they rock!!! and everyone dances!!!. 'nuff said.

Not wanting to miss out on some of the headliners I sampled John Legend and Michael Franti, but no competition - The BAMBOOS!!!! for me.

Heading for the exit, we noticed a lot of people were having a really good time at Jambalaya where the Melbourne Ska Orchestra were presenting My Boy Lollipop and a unique version of the Theme From Russia With Love!.