Theme Thursday - Stage

Music is big in Newport, RI, and most of its musical stages are outdoors. Most famous, of course, are the Folk and Jazz festivals held every August out at Fort Adams. There's also the Sunset Music Series held over several weekends throughout the Summer at the Newport Yachting Center. Technically they're under a tent, but still...

There's also a summer-long musical festival, every Sunday from 3 to 6 pm, featuring local music acts. It's called the Newport Independent Music Festival, NIMFest for short. The acts play to assembled crowds in King Park from the Spencer Pavilion (pictured at left, also known as the King Park Gazebo). Usually there are two acts to a show, an opening act of a single performer or duo, usually acoustic, followed by the big act of the afternoon. Musical styles range from jazz to Irish (Jim McGrath and the Reprobates play every year) to rock to R&B to blues to zydeco and even, this year, to Tex-Mex (with Los Viejos Muchachos - The Good Ol' Boys in English). A good time is usually had by all.

I haven't been to any this year, but last year I went to most of the shows. for me, the highlight was the Maher Brothers Band, who play a great blend of rock, blues, and r&b. These guys were great, and I got busy taking pictures of them in action.

This week's Theme Thursday video is from one of my favorite movies, Baz Lurman's Moulin Rouge! starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. The whole movie is about performing a play being written by McGregor's character, but the following scene is from the time when everything seems to be falling apart, and Harold Zidler (played magnificently by Jim Broadbent) tells all involved - "The Show Must Go On". Enjoy!

Photos & text © 2008 & 2009 by A. Roy Hilbinger