Under gray skies in Boston, thousands of music lovers turned out to attend the Mixfest music festival held at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. The free event is produced by local FM radio station Mix 104.1. The Hatch Shell is a beautiful venue and of course, the production values were outstanding and the musicians were all stellar talents and performers.
On-Air Mix 104 radio personalities (do they still call them DJ's?) Karson and Salt interview the reggae fusion band Magic! before the show.
I had mixed feelings, no pun intended, about going to the Mixfest. I am outside their target demographic - frankly way outside it - but music, like all art forms, often defies demographic stereotyping. Good music performed well has a timeless appeal to people of any age from the hopping four-year-old child to toe-tapping octogenarians. From generation to generation, the performers may be different, the music may be different, but the desire and delight in humans to hear, see, and be uplifted by music transcends age and I think it always will.
But on with the show......
Opening act local Ashleigh Jordan of Harvard, Massachusetts, was the "15 seconds of Fame/ Open for Mixfest" winner this year.
Opening act local Alex Preston of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, was last year's "15 seconds of Fame/ Open for Mixfest" winner.
Then on to the Big Names: The international star Toronto-based reggae fusion band Magic! performed next.
Magic!'s lead singer Nasri.
Much to the delight of the screaming crowd, he strolled down closer to the audience during a song as a photographer captures the moment.
International star singer-songwriter United States based artist Christina Perri was next.
Christina Perri.
Unannounced and unpublicized until he took the stage was surprise special guest Jason Mraz with the band Raining Jane. Mr. Mraz is a highly successful and world renown United States based singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and multiple Grammy award winner. (And originally from my home state of Virginia, too).
Jason Mraz.
Jason Mraz and half of Raining Jane.
Many people may choose to deride the United States' music and star-struck culture. I see it a little differently. These top-notch musicians have, through sheer talent, grit, focus, and determination, risen to the top of the highly competitive music business and are deserving of any and all recognition they receive. These folks labor in obscurity in garages and basements and bars and coffee shops for years honing their craft and repertoire and hoping for a big break. There are millions of them all with the same dream. The odds are very long and those who do make it put their skills and talent on display and at risk every time they take the stage. Not many of us live a life with such stakes every time we ply our craft, trade, or profession. They have earned recognition and deserve to be compensated well. I thank them all for sharing their talent, passion, promise, and vision with us.
In case you've wondered what the performer faces when he/she stands at the microphone, here's the view before the show. (Panorama - click the image to view in full width). I'd say walking up to that spot and singing all by oneself must be an intimidating and heart-pounding moment for many people.
And yes, if truth be told, I often listen to Mix 104.1 on my car radio - wrong demographic or not - singing along way too loudly and badly. And wrong demographic or not, many folks my age do the same. Peace, love, rock and roll - we boomers invented it - or so we say.............
It was a great show, class act all the way - I look forward to Mixfest again next year. Maybe I'll color my hair other than white and lose the old man look and pretend I'm young again............
(Wimp that I am, when the rain arrived I left early without hearing and seeing the other star performers O.A.R. and Phillip Phillips. I am sure they were equally outstanding).
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