Apologies to Edith Grove who has highlighted this in the main 'Ronnie' thread, but it's worthy of a thread of it's own, I thinkBluesFest takes place at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall from Tuesday 29 October – Friday 1 November. This is the first full-scale music festival of its kind to be hosted at the venue, with performances taking place not just in the main auditorium, but also in other spaces around the Hall during the daytime.
Throughout the day, four rooms will feature a variation of one-off intimate sessions with blues & soul inspired artists; James Hunter, Marcus Bonfanti, Georgie Fame, Huey Morgan, Dr Feelgood and Steve Cradock plus loads more. As well as performances, renowned music journalist David Hepworth will be conducting 'In Conversation With...' sessions, chatting to influential, passionate and renowned music fans, artists and broadcasters and sharing their 'ultimate vinyl collection' in our intimate and stunning surrounding.
North America Guitars will showcase some of the finest instruments from their unique collection of handmade acoustic and electric guitars. Plus a chance to see the instruments in action with some exclusive BluesFest sessions. In addition, the Royal Albert Hall will open its incredible vault of memorabilia from an unrivalled history that includes rock and roll artefacts from Eric Clapton, The Stones, BB King, Muddy Waters and many more.
In the evening there will be two concerts each night, taking place in the early and late part of the evening in the main auditorium. Headliners include Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Bobby Womack, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Chris Rea amongst others. BluesFest will also celebrate the music of the recently departed legend, Bobby Bland - this promises to be an unforgettable evening with an all-star line-up on Friday Nov 1st.
London, 28 August 2013: BluesFest 2013 announces that The Ronnie Wood Band will close the event in a huge grand finale on Friday 1 November. Natalie Cole is also announced as part of a special co-headline show with the sensational Gregory Porter, while Van Morrison and Mick Hucknall partner up for an All Star Tribute to blues and soul legend Bobby Bland. Other exciting additions include Steve Craddock, Big Boy Bloater and Huddled Masses for one huge celebration of Blues and everything it has inspired. BluesFest takes place at London’s Royal Albert Hall 29 October – 1 November 2013. Tickets go on sale this Friday 30 August available at www.livenation.co.uk.
Fresh from touring with The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood is announced for BluesFest 2013. Last year Ronnie Wood brought the house down with an incredible celebration of the legendary Chess Records. This year promises to go one step further, as Ronnie and his band return to perform a special tribute to one of the most influential bluesmen of all time – Jimmy Reed. Ronnie will lend his boisterous riffmanship and incisive vocals to some of his favourite Jimmy Reed tracks in an incredible grand finale to BluesFest.
Ronnie Wood commented: “Jimmy Reed was one of the premier influences on The Rolling Stones and all the bands that love American Blues from that era until the present day. It is my honour to have the opportunity to celebrate his life and legacy with this tribute.”http://www.bluesfest.co.uk/