A handful of legendary entertainers will headline the first “Grooves & Blues” International Blues and Afro-American Music Festival, to be held at the Foro Calle 2 en Zapopan on Saturday, April 29.
The quality of the U.S.-based musicians drafted into the day-long festival is impressive: John Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite, Jimmy Burns, Guy Davis and Missy Andersen will need no introduction to hard-core blues fans.
British-born guitarist Mayall (founder of the Bluesbreakers) has played with every star in the business and is still belting out numbers at the age of 83, while blues “Hall of Famer” Charlie Musselwhite, 73, is the undisputed king of the electric blues harmonica.
Add guitarists Burns and Davis, and blues, soul and R&B singer Andersen into the mix, and you have yourself a festival with a huge “wow” factor.
And the Mexican performers aren’t there just to make up the numbers. These are dynamic bands in their own right and know how to create a lively atmosphere: Los Mind Lagunas, Marcos Coll, Bad Boy Blues, Sara Valenzuela y los Outsiders, Las Horas Muertas, La Fachada de Piedra, Malverde Blues Experience, Los Villanos, Cadavieco Blues Band, Dirty Black Beans and Los Hermanos Cuchillo.
The April 29 concert at Calle 2 arena begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m.
Tickets purchased in advance cost from 390 to 465 pesos, or 500 pesos on the day of the event. A VIP ticket, costing 1,200 pesos, allows backstage access and other benefits (contact María González at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details). Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
On Friday, April 28, 12:30 p.m., prior to Saturday’s concert, a round-table discussion, “Blues, the devil and the crossroads,” is scheduled at the Hotel NH Collection (Av. Cristóbal Colón 73, Guadalajara Centro). There is free entry to all those who show a ticket for Saturday’s concert.
In addition, Musselwhite, Davis and Burns will be holding forth at three one-hour master classes on Friday, scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. at the host hotel.