Blues at the Crossroads seeks pandemic rebound

Sep. 8—Blues at the Crossroads will once again preside over the intersection of 7th and Wabash on Friday and Saturday, and founder Connie Wrin's goal this year is to rebound significantly from the COVID-19 pandemic and entertain 10,000 music fans.

The Festival has been an annual event since it was inaugurated in 2001 — with the exception, of course, of 2020, when coronavirus shut it down. Last year's attendance, Wrin admitted, "wasn't great. But I think people aren't so afraid to go out in public now."

A total of 22 bands will perform during the two-day event. The acts will be spread across two outdoor stages and inside Wrin's Verve nightclub. Local restaurants will provide food, and there will be both an expanded kid-zone (where children can, among other things, play on members of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra's musical instruments) and an area for those 21 and over that will serve alcohol.

Ticket prices went up this year.

"I get it — money's tight for people," Wrin said. But, she pointed out, "I pay for all the bands, the staging, the police officers — it's well over $100,000 to put this show on. To see 11 bands in one day for $25 — it's insane."

While Wrin said, "I want every band to feel like the headliner," the Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band has been scheduled for essentially the headliner's slot, Saturday at 10 p.m. The band played the blues festival a few years, Peyton and Wrin recalled.

"We play a lot of blues festivals all over the world, and this one is a really solid, big, fun event," Peyton said. "It's good to be back. We don't play a ton of shows in Indiana even though we live here, so it's great to being playing this blues fest in Terre Haute."

Wrin returned the compliment. "Their energy is incredible," she said. "From start to finish, there is no downtime. They're a band who really captures your attention — once they start playing, you stop whatever you're doing and watch."

Peyton is touring to promote the band's most recent album, "Dance Songs for Hard Times," which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Blues Chart. (Previous albums have likewise charted.) The album, released last year, reflects the challenges of dealing with COVID-19 — Peyton wrote the songs during the first couple of months of the pandemic, in 2020.

"Hard Times" reflects those hard times: For a band that spends about 250 days a year on the road, taking such a detour was akin to culture shock.

"It was tough, especially at first," Peyton recalled. "When things really first shut down, imagine your entire livelihood being shut off like a light switch. The uncertainly made it hard." During the lockdown, the band created "Dance Songs for Hard Times" and performed livestream performances for its fans.

"We're like survivors — we've been doing this for a while now, and we've done it without any help from a major label or a rich daddy," Peyton said, noting that he didn't get unemployment benefits or take out any loans during lockdown. "Thankfully, our fans helped us get through because they supported our live streams."

Peyton — and his fans — are thrilled that he's back on the road. "People love live music — there's something that's special about it," he said. "You can listen to a record at home, and there's a certain sense of enjoyment, but there's nothing like the community experience of enjoying a live band."

He added, "The music business still isn't quite back to normal, but this year's been a real blessing. This is our life's work. When we put out a record, we have to really be touring to get the word out."

Nowadays, Peyton doesn't reflect much on the lockdown. "Your mind is so funny in how it can turn off bad memories — I almost feel like I can't remember the entire year," he said with a laugh. "The only thing I remember making this great record. That's the thing that's gonna stick with me."

Early in his career, Peyton suffered severe pain in his hands; doctors were not encouraging.

"They told me I was never going to play [guitar] again," he recalled. "I was young and it was pretty hard to take that. Luckily, they were wrong. That sticks with me. Two months before COVID hit, I broke my thumb, and a lot of those emotions really came back. I'd been down that road before and I was just absolutely horrified." Fortunately, his thumb healed completely.

Which means he can still play guitar and continue to indulge his habit of collecting the instruments.

"I am obsessed with guitars," Peyton confessed. "I'll never have enough guitars."

Blues at the Crossroads will be Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. at Wabash and 7th. Tickets are $20 per day for general admission, $120 for VIP tickets at https://bit.ly/3TRKV3x.

General admission tickets will be available for $25 per day at the gate.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.