Blues Brews Pre-Party A Huge Success!

If you missed the Blues Burgers and the Brickyard party last Sunday, then you missed a ton of rockin' fun. Luckily you'll have a chance to make up for it this Saturday at the festival! :)

Our top three bands from Hartman Arena's Battle of the Blues took the stage again to entertain a packed house at the Brickyard in oldtown at the official Blues Brews & BBQ Pre-Party. Porterhouse, The Howlerz, and Josh Vowell & the Rumble offered up a pretty sweet taste of what's in store for the show on the 24th.

Every table was already filled up when the Howlerz took the stage first around 6 p.m. It was just flat hot outside at this point, so our friends at the brickyard brought out a bunch of wading pools for people to chill in. The pools definitely added to the already unique atmosphere of Wichita's favorite outdoor bar. But it was the Howlerz that were making the biggest splash as Clayton and company once again showed why they deserve to be on the big stage with the big dogs this weekend. Porterhouse came on next as things started to cool off a little temperature wise, but lead singer and guitarist Donnie Baker was quick to heat things up again with his high energy stage presence and deep guitar skills. Just when it was getting dark and a little cooler, Battle of the Blues first place winner Josh Vowell and the Rumble took over the stage to showcase the contemporary blues sound and savvy stage show that vaulted them to first place at the battle.

Overall the night was a huge success and just a ton of fun. Burgers were eaten, brews were consumed, blues was played, tickets were given away, water was splashed, and we all had a blast. If this is was just a taste of what it's in store for Saturday, then a really good time is on the horizon.

Special thanks to Uche from Uche and the Crash for organizing the pre-party and Robb Morrison from The Blues Brunch on 107.3 the Brew for being the event MC! Also a big thanks to the Brickyard and all of the bands that participated. I'm already looking forward to next year's pre-party!