Anguilla’s Shoal Bay is known as “the Queen of the Caribbean.”
When Michael "Big Mike" Aguirre took a trip to the Caribbean in March, he figured he'd probably stay for ten days or so, tops. A soul and R&B artist, guitarist and bandleader who, alongside his Blu City All Stars, serves as a staple of St. Louis' thriving blues scene, Aguirre was slated to perform at the 30th annual Moonsplash Reggae Festival on the tiny island of Anguilla, just east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The long-running event, organized by Anguilla reggae artist and cultural ambassador Bankie Banx, was set to run March 12 through 15; Aguirre, who has made multiple tour runs through the Caribbean in recent years, figured he'd do the show, visit friends on the nearby island of St. Thomas and then head home to St. Louis. COVID-19 had other plans.