One gargantuan weekend

QFEST WAS .... HUGE. Massive. Gargantuan. Extremely big. If you catch the license plate on the rock and roll truck, let me know, cuz we got flattened over the weekend, and we loved every minute of it.

The weather cooperated, the artists were interesting and our music in the Washington Park gazebo went really well. Loved the Quincy Community Theater's "Mama Mia" flashmob. Loved the little Fifth and Maine sidewalk jam before the street concert. And, as for the street concert itself .... yeesh.

Jared and the Gentlemen opened. In all the years I've been in Quincy, I don't think I've heard or seen a better local band, period. They'd crank out the usual cover band staple and come back with a Rush or Zeppelin tune that just floored the big crowd on Maine Street. They. Were. Amazing.

Jared and the Gentlemen KILLED IT Saturday night! (Photo/Mike Sorensen)

Griffin and the Gargoyles were spot on, too. There are more than a few bands which could take notes from watching a well-oiled party band like Griffin. They played for three hours and didn't take a single break, and most of the time one song seamlessly meshed into another. By the time they started the crowd was packed halfway down Maine Street to sixth, and geesh, it was fun. Frank Haxel and I kept the left side of the stage safe and the trombone player appreciated the beverages - hey, it was humid and you gotta stay hydrated, right?

Griffin himself came into the store just before taking the stage and bought a beautiful Gretsch ukulele for his 12-year-old daughter. He didn't have to do that. Lord knows there are bigger music stores in St. Louis, he has his pick, and he could have waited until he got home, but he supported a small local business and his bandmates couldn't have been nicer.

What a weekend. I slept for 10 hours last night, slept like the dead, and I might just live to tell about it. Of course there are two more gigs this weekend and a whole summer of fun ahead. Let's not call QFest a warmup, let's just call it a massive kickstart.

We are off and running!

On my way to the gazebo Saturday ... which guitar to use? (Photo/Chris Kelley)