Captain Squeegee
It was a cold, windy, rainy day -- probably the city's worst weather day of the entire year, unless you count some muggy monsoon in July -- which would have left a lesser event almost empty. But this is Strong Beer, the best fest, a very special festival where beer geeks can get a fix of special stuff they might never see again. So people huddled together under tarps -- each brewery having its own tent of varying dryness and warmth, plus two big tents in the middle and a tent for the band.
Critics Notebook:
Saturday Afternoon: Captain Squeegee at Strong Beer Festival
Personal Bias: I've thought CS is one of the more interesting local acts going for awhile now. Snake Burner was good at what they do, but I hate to see regular rock 'n' roll cover bands at these events -- hearing "Brown Eyed Girl" makes me gag, so I'm always thrilled to see organizers go out on a limb with a local band playing originals.
The Crowd: I was most impressed by how well everyone was dressed for the weather in Phoenix. I saw a few dudes in $1 plastic ponchos, sure, but most people seemed to actually have a legitimate rain jackets capable of confronting this sort of weather.
Overheard: Screw what I heard there -- check out these hilarious twitpics of people falling down/getting arrested/passing out.
Random Notebook Dump: Phone is gonna get fried if I take notes -- better try to remember what I can, which will be a challenge. Eek.