The second annual Long Lake Conservation Center Nature Rocks Concert For Conservation was held July 22 at the Aitkin County Fairgrounds. Performers included Kat Perkins, The Cactus Blossoms, New Salty
Marah Evans
Thursday is traditionally Souptown night for the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival, with most shows happening in Superior and a pre-game soup potluck with music, dubbed #SoupB4Sup at 2104. In a way, this year’s Thursday activities were more like a normal Homegrown than previous nights, with a small gathering of soup-eaters and livestreams at 2104 plus live, in person shows across the bridge at Earth Rider.
The live shows started earliest, with the Misisipi Mike Allstars kicking off night two of what Earth Rider is dubbing “Starfire’s Unofficial Birthday Bash” during Homegrown week. The crowd trickled in as the evening went on, with some light sprinkles that did nothing to chase away the good vibes.
Black-eyed Snakes ‘grind it out until the end’ during festival week show at Earth Rider
The long-time blues rockers played the finale at Thursday night s Starfire Unofficial Birthday Bash, a Homegrown Music Festival-adjacent event. Written By: Christa Lawler | ×
Alan Sparhawk leans into the microphone while performing with the Black-eyed Snakes during the Starfire Unofficial Birthday Bash, a Homegrown Music Festival-adjacent event at the Earth Rider Festival Grounds on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Superior. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
Around the 45-minute mark of the Black-eyed Snakes set on Thursday night at Earth Rider Festival Grounds in Superior, Alan Sparhawk, dressed in a work jumpsuit, a mustache wrapped from one side of his chin to the other, his stocking cap long since fallen from his curtain of curls, admitted to a tent s worth of fans:
Christine Dean for KUMD
In recent years the mid-point of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival was dubbed “Westside Wednesday,” with music lovers fanning out to venues from Lincoln Park to West Duluth. This year, Soup Town night came early as Earth Rider Brewery in Superior kicked off their in-person series of shows dubbed “Starfire Unofficial Birthday Bash” that will continue through Saturday of Homegrown Week.
Feeding Leroy performs at Earthrider
Credit Christine Dean for KUMD
The evening’s festivities began at 5pm, with Black River Revue playing under Earthrider’s giant tent. Fans trickled onto the grounds throughout the evening, with a reasonably-sized crowd gathered by the time of Charlie Parr’s closing set. Whether inside the tent or outside on the grounds near one of the fires needed on a chilly May evening, fans still had space to spread out as needed. It didn’t quite feel back to normal, but it was obvious that vaccinations are making folks of all ages fe