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Hard times
The fourth annual Congressional Blues Festival went down on Wednesday night at the Mellon Auditorium, headlined by Derek Trucks, the young slide guitar master and jam-band favorite.
The lineup also included Adolphus Bell Mudcat and Sweet Betty — all artists sponsored by the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which provides assistance to struggling musicians.
The price of admission: nothing, if you requested tickets early enough. Your hard-earned nothing also got you free ribs, chicken wings, booze and even ice cream bars at the end of the night. Which could account for the eclectic mix of young congressional staffers, even younger high school kids and some long-haired musician types. It might also explain why one witness told us, “There was vomit in the corner at the end of the night.”
