new dawn of the derby eve jam
The debut of the seasonal concert celebrarion known as the Derby Eve Jam was staged in 1971 at the other Downs, the harness racing track known as Louisville Downs, which closed in 1990. The event’s first star attraction was the fabled blues and boogie band Canned Heat. The group had released its seminal collaboration with blues giant John Lee Hooker, aptly titled Hooker ‘N’ Heat, only four months earlier.
The Derby Eve Jam became a more visible happening in the mid ‘70s, when Freedom Hall became its home. The Allman Brothers Band (in a 1976 outing that came shortly before the first of two extended breakups), ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Foreigner and Lynyrd Skynyrd were among the Derby Eve Jam headliners before the event was discontinued in 1997.
Tonight, the Derby Eve Jam lives again in the great downtown Louisville outdoors of Waterfront Park. Steering it in a somewhat new musical direction, as well, will be the party band of a generation, The B-52s.
Though the Athens, Ga. foursome of (above, from left) Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Cindy Wilson are touring behind Funplex, the first album of new B-52s music in 16 years, audiences will undoubtedly be drawn to New Wave hits from the late ‘70s (Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster) and MTV-savvy pop confections of the late ‘80s (Love Shack, Roam).
The B-52s today are among pop’s most unlikely elder acts. Pierson, in fact, turned 60 earlier this week. And while the vibe of Funplex steers uncomfortably close to generic guitar hooks and electronica grooves, the group’s undeniably fun vibe is as inviting as ever. Veteran act though it is, The B-52s should prove an ideal pick to spark the Derby Eve Jam’s second life.
Eagle Seagull, a Nebraska outfit that sounds like a nervous variation of Arcade Fire, opens tonight’s performance.
(above photo of The B-52s by Pieter M. Van Hattem)
The B-52s and Eagle Seagull perform at 8 tonight at Waterfront Park Great Lawn in Louisville for the Derby Eve Jam. Admission is free with a Derby Festival Pegasus Pin.
I am a native Kentuckian and freelance journalist who has been writing about contemporary music for the Lexington Herald-Leader since 1980. I have not a lick of honest musical talent myself, just a pair of appreciative ears for jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, Americana, soul, Celtic, Cajun, chamber, worldbeat, nearly every form of rock 'n' roll imaginable and, when pressed, the occasional tango and polka.