The mystery is over; the lineup for the inaugural Orlando Calling music festival is here. Set to take place November 12-13 at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl Park, the festival will feature an eclectic mix of modern and classic rock, R&B, and country, with acts like The Killers, The Raconteurs, Pixies, The Roots, Kid Rock, and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band topping the bill.

The festival’s first day will feature mostly modern rock and indie acts. Joining The Killers, The Raconteurs, Pixies, and The Roots will be The Avett Brothers, Iron & Wine, Pete Yorn, Local Natives, Dr. Dog, Gogol Bordello, Jenny & Jonny, Drive-By Truckers, and The Felice Brothers.

Day two will offer a classic rock and country school slant, with Kid Rock and Bob Seeger performing alongside the likes of The Doobie Brothers, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Blake Shelton, Blues Traveler, Justin Townes Earle, Michelle Branch, Chris Isaak, and Brandi Carlile.

Check out the entire confirmed bill at our Festival Outlook.

General admission field and reserved seat tickets go Saturday, July 23rd at 10 AM EDT via the festival’s website. Prices are $85 for single day tickets and $150 for both days, and $165/$265 for VIP seats and amenities.

Other notables include The Roots, Peter Frampton, John Fogerty, Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, Huey Lewis and the News, Jennifer Hudson, Leon Russell, Rise Against, Dropkick Murphys, Tegan & Sara, M. Ward, Bootsy Collins, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Cage the Elephant.

Rounding out the lineup are Cheap Trick, Wanda Jackson, Shpongle, Infected Mushroom, John Butler Trio, Gomez, Josh Ritter, Galactic, Dawes, The Greenhorns, Neon Indian, Nicole Atkins, Ra Ra Riot, The Dirtbombs, Mother Mother, and Diamond Rings.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 am EST on April 30st.

If the bio tag is to be applied, then two songs in particular, the title track and the album opener, “74 Years Young”, are perhaps the most obviously autobiographical of all the songs on Living Proof. Guy gets it rolling in a very soft, laid-back approach on “74”. With barroom piano rolls filling the layer just above the drumbeat, the electric in his blues finally pops its head up at the two-minute mark, at which point Guy’s presence is fully announced. He explodes on his guitar, exhibiting some exhilarating finger work. Barreling through with a stomping kick drum on “Living Proof”, Guy even incorporates a couple backup singers to provide a nice harmony, including Bekka Bramlett, singer, songwriter, and daughter of famed folk duo (and Clapton influence/collaborators) Delaney and Bonnie.

“Stay Around a Little Longer” slows things down and adds a bit of BB King, one of two guest spots on the album. The slower pace is a refreshing breather after opening with three pretty decent smokers, but it ends up a bit lacking overall. King’s contributions include ol’ gal Lucille and some vocal work. The “singing” is mostly done in a rhythmic spoken-word dialogue, where the two are adding compliments back and forth, reinforcing their lifelong friendship, even after they’re “pushing up daisies.”

The slow, trudging blues beat progression that became almost clichéd within the genre provides the backbone for “Thank Me Someday”. Guy’s guitar sounds taut, enforcing his authority and playing wingman to his voice. His roaring, gravelly voice is sometimes sweet and smooth like a mirror of his younger self, but most of the time, he just belts out his pain.

In much of the blues, the pain most often experienced is at the hands of a woman. “Key Don’t Fit” provides one of the classic blues themes – trying to woo a woman…and failing. Utilizing not so subtle innuendo, Guy chimes that his key may not fit her lock anymore, but it won’t stop him from trying to stick it in the door. A little less vague than squeezing a lemon or putting sugar in a bowl, but the message is all the same. However, stopping short of any assault charges, Guy hollers, “I got this funny feeling you don’t want me ‘round anymore.” The flipside to “Key Don’t Fit” might be the rather humorous “Let the Door Knob Hit Ya”, which pops up later in the album.

Guy isn’t one to play the victim and answers rejection with “Guess What”, a song about a man reclaiming some power from his woman, who has been “accusing [Guy] of running around with other bitches.” Trying to calm her down, Guy simply tells her, “When you point your finger, you have three pointing back at you,” a beautiful turning of the tables that has Guy smiling throughout the confrontation. On top of some great lyrics, Guy is simply on fire during his solo, providing what is one of the album’s highlights.

In what was surely intended to be another high point on the album, “Where the Blues Begins” features Carlos Santana, and, to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. Of course, Santana’s playing is fluid, slick, and very clean, but for a musician like Guy who thrives in the mud and sludge, offering a slick second guitar to piddle on rhythm and offer a slight solo doesn’t do much to elevate the track above a simple guest-spot mention. It’s a real shame, too, especially when you stop and think about how these two performed a crazy version of Parliament’s “Maggot Brain” years earlier!

“Everybody’s Got To Go” is not a spiritual or gospel number in the traditional sense but certainly one indebted to the guiding hand of a higher power. Preaching on the inevitability of everyone’s eventual passing, the song is presented almost as if from the perspective of the wise, old sage who is well aware that his time is approaching. Not one to fear dying, but certainly not running to embrace it, Guy fills the track with a sense of calm, belaying any fears. After all, “Everybody’s got to go.”

A couple of other tracks such as “On the Road” (featuring the Memphis Horns) and a houserockin’ “Too Soon” round out Guy’s tour of the blues. Throughout the entirety of Living Proof, Guy’s guitar certainly holds center stage. However, on the final track of the album, Guy unleashes the instrument in all its fury. “Skanky” is a smokin’ instrumental piece that centers Guy’s playing atop a bed of heavy blues rhythm. The first half sears through, only to pull back the reins a little just to tighten up the unit. Once everything is pulled in and set, Guy unleashes a second wind that blows the roof off once again: a perfect way to end one of his tightest releases in recent years.

The first 10 dates of the band’s summer tour will be re-routed to September and October. Now, the band’s travels will launch on June 5th in Oakland, California. All dates between then and August 27th will go on as planned. What’s more, an additional show at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia has been added for August 1st, with more dates and cities expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.

Tickets for the rescheduled concerts will be honored on the new dates.  Refunds are available at the point of purchase if desired.  Complete ticket, tour and on sale information is available at LiveNation.com.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 2010 Tour Dates:
05/06 – Raleigh, NC @  Time Warner Cable Pavilion *
05/07 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
05/09 – Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum *
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center *
05/16 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *
05/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Arena *
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
06/02 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion *
06/03 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
06/05 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Pavilion *
06/08 – Vancouver, BC @ GM Place *
06/11 – Seattle, WA @ The Gorge *
06/12 – Seattle, WA @ The Gorge *
06/15 – Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome *
06/16 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place *
06/19 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Center *
06/22 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center #
06/23 – Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center #
06/25 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest %
07/10 – Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre #
07/13 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center #
07/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center #
07/17 – Chicago, IL @ United Center #
07/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center #
07/22 – Detroit, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills #
07/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagra Pavilion #
07/28 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden &
07/31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center &
08/01 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center &
08/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena ^
08/12 – Nashville, TN @ Sommet Center ^
08/14 – Darien Lake, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center ^
08/15 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live ^
08/17 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theater ^
08/19 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center $
08/21 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center $
08/24 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ IZOD Center $
08/25 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Center ^
08/27 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center ^
09/16 – Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
09/18 – Raleigh, NC @ Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek
09/19 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
09/21 – Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com
09/24 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
09/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Arena
09/28 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
10/01 – Los Angeles, LA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/02 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

* = w/ Joe Cocker
# = w/ Drive-By Truckers
& = w/ Buddy Guy
% = w/ ZZ Top
^ = w/ Crosby, Stills & Nash
$ = w/ My Morning Jacket

The festival was last held in 2007, also at Toyota Park, and originally for three days in 2004 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Both editions sold out, and sold multi-platinum DVD’s.

Clapton told Rolling Stone, “It’s a selfish thing. I can go to one place and hear all of my favorite musicians in one day.” Surely not that selfish, as the 2010 edition of the festival benefits the Crossroads Centre, the drug rehab facility in Antigua founded by Clapton.

Many of the 20+ performers Clapton has booked are repeats from the first two festivals, including B.B. King, ZZ Top, current tourmate Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Robert Randolph and slide guitar hero Sonny Landreth. There are some notable new choices, however: the Allman Brothers Band, blues singer/guitarist Keb’ Mo’ and Brazilian bossa nova legend João Gilberto, a booking as rare to American audiences as you’ll find at a 2010 festival.

Not surprisingly, Clapton’s excited about that one, too: “The whole thing was an excuse for getting him out of Brazil,” he told Rolling Stone. Don’t be surprised about his reverence for Gilberto, either. “A festival about guitar doesn’t have to be all heavy metal or all rock,” he said. “It would probably surprise a lot of people who don’t play that someone like me or Derek Trucks [of the Allmans] can admire and enjoy someone like Gilberto.”

Expect to see some collaborations, per the website. Expect another great DVD, also, per common sense.

This will be your last chance to hit up one of these, by the way. Clapton is quoted in the Rolling Stone interview as saying, “I’ve convinced the business guys this is the last one.” He added, “I’ve kind of said, ‘We’ll do three.’ I like three. I’m a ‘three’ guy.” Also notice this festival has been held every third year. He ain’t kidding. This might be the year to go though — the third time is, in fact, a charm, right?

Tickets are $100 for the event, which goes on sale February 20th on Ticketmaster, with a fan club pre-sale the day before.

Three days of music and beer were back again, with Saturday tickets selling out like they do every year. Three hours of free beer and Buddy Guy would excite anyone; I mean, would you say no? While there were some unfortunate last minute line-up losses with Xavier Rudd and St. Jude, organizers were quick to fill the gaps by grabbing Colorado natives Big Head Todd and the Monsters (and by giving Lubriphonic some stage time the day before their late night jam).

Friday, September 18th

Friday kicked things off with a little sunshine and some serious harmonica from Jason Ricci and New Blood. Looking like a scrawnier Billy Idol, Ricci showed his southern-fueled blues-rock chops with scorching harmonica solos, not to mention the huge guitar sound coming from Shawn Starski who was proving his 2008 ranking as one of the top ten new guitarists, according to Guitar Player. Everyone was riled up and enjoying the last moments of dryness before the field was swamped with rain.

Otis Taylor’s African Orchestra proved to be one of the best sets of the day. His African-inspired blues kept the Animal House-like atmosphere that was in full swing going, peaking with a harmonica battle between Ricci and him. At one point, he disappeared, only to show up again at the front of the crowd, leaning over the stage alongside Ricci, as the two passed licks back and forth.

By this point, the electrified masses were soaked, and the reoccurring mud pit-come-dance floor was forming in the right front corner of the field. Big Head Todd and the Monsters stepped up for the challenge of keeping everyone moving, and were quite successful. The clouds let up, but you could see your breath in the air as the temperature dropped. However, Todd’s blend of 90’s jam rock managed to keep everyone warm. Not bad for a band that until two weeks ago wasn’t even playing. In retrospect, they are local favorites.

Jackie Greene stepped up next with his sleek guitar moves and Dylan-like swagger. The rain returned, making Greene’s killer cover of The Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down” even more perfect. The set was awe-inspiring indeed, even rivaling the night’s headliner, Joe Cocker.

Joe is getting old. If you couldn’t tell that from his cameo in Across the Universe, you could Friday night. That didn’t matter to most, however. As the waterfall from above grew heavier, people bundled up and huddled together for a great moment: Cocker’s raucous rendition of “Feelin’ Alright”. He had it down, everything from the trademark shaking to the painful looks in his face during every gritty note and yell. And man, did he sound good. With another Beatles take, this time with a sleek rendition of “Come Together”, that heavy and infamous bass line rang out into the night. While he carried on, the weather grew worse, though many remained standing. Of course, for some, great songs can’t compete with warmer places.

Saturday, September 19th

Saturday would prove to be the unruly day that it always is — after all, it’s the actual weekend. This meant people thoroughly enjoyed the festival’s other half, the brews, which were flowing like a river. Over 150 beers in all kept patrons busy while the funk and R&B played in the background. Musically, the day would bring the best bands of the weekend. So, having said that, let’s put this in perspective, shall we? Lots of excellent, rare beer and lots of excellent, rare music. In other words, heaven for the greater majority, and boy did they treat it like that. In retrospect, Saturday felt like that toga party scene in Animal House, only for 9 hours and much muddier.

People were slipping and sliding from brewery to brewery, throwing mud, and sipping everything from oatmeal stouts to apple ales and I.P.A.’s galore. Over on the stage, however, one of the weekends best acts was in full swing. Coming from Mali (that’s in Africa in case you needed a globe), Vieux Farka Toure enthralled the audience, and milked the tame weather for all it was worth with their African funk jams.

Anders Osborne and his big old beard added a dose of psychedelics to the blues with a little help from a sousaphone and drums for the rhythm section. An interesting combo to say the least, with the unique piece of brass being a perfect base . That, along with his fancy fret work, sucked you in well enough and stole the show.

A little less blues, a lot more jam, Umphery’s McGee brought a mellower than usual set to the stage. With a little more focus on their earlier days, the set brought out some good old-fashioned rock and roll. It seemed to work, though, and everybody was getting into it, but then again, everyone was loaded anyhow. It made sense why Umphrey’s toned it down though. They would be saving the more progressive set for their late night show, where they busted out the heavy jams and electronics for all the noodle dancing hippies out there. Instead, the day was centered around the Buddy Guy side of music, which meant were longer, Guy-inspired jams, in addition to old school covers, all leading up to the night’s hero.

Buddy Guy is a beast. Not only can he steal a show, he can steel a weekend, playing all the right songs with all the heat of his hay day. He had soul, he had energy, and he played the style of blues-rock he set to stone. Talk about a perfect night for a well lubricated crowd. Sheesh.

Sunday, September 20th

The closing day would be one for the books, so a huge pat on the back for everyone that stuck around, which seemed to be, well, everyone. It rained like hell, and after a fleeting moment of blue skies, the clouds rolled back in, reflected the sunset, and followed with some pebble sized hail. Earlier sets lucked out, with the Lee Boys and Super Chikan and the Fighting Cocks bringing in some barnyard, delta blues. Steel slides and funky homemade guitars helped narrate the story telling and rowdy jams.

When the weather turned, however, so did the music. During the worst of it, Ryan Shaw had to step in for a quick line up change. Yes his voice was incredible, but what people needed was something to keep warm and move to — not slow R&B. As a result, people fled for warmer pastures. Even Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” couldn’t keep people from seeking shelter under tarps and in their hotel room just a couple blocks away.

Relief came with the weekend’s final spectacle, the Bontaj Roulet. Billed as such, it was a combination of Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal each playing solo sets, then coming together at the end for a Prairie Home Companion kind of stage show. Thus, the crowds returned.

While Mahal is indeed a legend, Raitt would blow his more traditional set out the water. The songs were technically impressive, but his energy took a while to kick in. Yes, both are very professional, but Raitt is a true performer, beckoning the crowd in her sassy country way. Even the old tired songs came to life with everyone in the house singing all the words. Her energy was huge, as it ebbed and flowed from her to the audience and back.

When it came time for the Bontaj, Mahal was much more alive, having put down the guitar (and opting for a lyric sheet this time). Throughout the set, he and Raitt would beckon and call eachother with classic country blues duets, and this collaboration bled into their solo numbers, as well. The duo proved to be a celebrated finish for the festival and a real treat for the weathered and muddy audience. It didn’t matter that it was 40 degrees, it was only a minor detail compared to the two powerhouses on stage.

Looking back, Blues and Brews really is a beautiful experience. There’s a dynamic between artist and patron that doesn’t seem to exist at any of the other festivals out there. It’s a meeting place for long time friends both in front and back stage. The music is chosen to fuel the party, and strays far from the summer festival pissing match. It’s about the music, and this year proved to be no different with headliners and day sets that brought all they had, even through some of the worst weather the mountains could muster. But that’s just how it goes at Blues and Brews, and the patrons, knowing this, return year after year. It’s true, you just can’t deny the Blues.

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