Grandeur

Wow. That about sums up our Washington Theater Make It Happen Musicfest Saturday.

Every group and performer was awesome. Ben Bumbry's cool jazz drifted through the historic structure like a breeze on a warm summer day. Come to think of it, it was a warm (late spring) day!

Jason and Warren from SevenD2 played acoustic versions of their many original songs. You have a good song when you can strip it down and make it sound good.

Young Quincy High School band The Collapse had about 40 of their classmates and buddies show up and rocked the house. Learn more songs, boys! These young men are getting a taste of the power of a live performance.

Cheeks McGee and Big A showed up a few minutes late, then blasted through Cheeks' acoustic driven songs. Then came our buddy Roosevelt and Jon Barnard playing acoustic blues. Roosevelt drove down from Kalamazoo, Mich., to play and his beautiful voice boomed through the old theater.

The Funions had fun, as usual. That great big stage gives you lots of room to run around. Good for my chiropracter's bidness, too. Thank you, Gail and Gary. Thank you, Jamie, Angie and Evanne. Thank you to new Funions fans (hopefully) Dave and Glenda.

Fielder delivered a shortened but satisfying set (more in a minute). And PreDawn Hour roared through their set before a big crowd. Jorge Cate and the boys play a heavier style of music but they are tight and have great original songs, and when their fans sing every word, that has to be a cool feeling.

Thank you, Kristin Hoxie and Clint Begley. Thank you, Marianne Barnard and Rochelle Busby, troopers and promoters to the end. Thank you, Gaybos, for the awesome BBQ from the sidewalk in front of the theater.

Thank you, Chris Cornwell, drummer extraordinaire. He donated the sound system with his dad, Pat, from Vegas Music. Chris and I met at 8 a.m. Saturday and it was a long day inside the grand old place, but worth it.

After Chris finished his set with the Funions, he received word his grandmother was ill. He also plays drums for Fielder, which recruited Jorge Cate and Danny Mabie from Predawn Hour to play a few more songs.

Chris donated his time and lugged heavy equipment all day without one word of complaint. He is the guy who packs the punch in the Funions, always has a good attitude, for some sick reason actually likes playing music with a bunch of old guys.

We raised $500 for the Friends of Washington Theater. More importantly, we had hundreds of people actually get inside and see what was, sadly what is, and what could be.

"We gotta restore this place to its former grandeur," Jorge Cate said.

Amen.