THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 2, 1995 TAG: 9509020406
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
``Wild Man'' Tom Gearhart, a Roanoke deejay, was on a busman's holiday at the Oceanfront Friday night.
He was in town to take in the American Music Festival, he said, and had just listened to Delbert McClinton belt out some rhythm and blues at the 24th Street Stage.
Now, at 6:15 p.m., he was on his way to the 17th Street Stage to ``catch a little Three Dog,'' as in Three Dog Night.
But before he left his 21st Street hotel, he stopped to see saxaphonist Robert C. Crawford II, who was wrapping up a solo performance next to the Boardwalk before a smaller, quieter audience than either McClinton or Three Dog Night faced Friday night.
``You were great, man,'' said Gearhart. ``I liked your stuff.''
``Thanks, man,'' replied Crawford, who by now was packing up his gear. Crawford, an Army musician, was doing a performance for Cellar Door Productions of Virginia, which organized the six-day music festival.
Crawford's quiet little gig typified the activity at the Oceanfront Friday, the beginning of the Labor Day weekend and the third day of the music festival.
A thunderstorm got the weekend off to a rocky start when it cut short the Three Dog Night concert, pouring buckets of rain down on the crowd at about 8:30 p.m. The show was to have continued until about 9 p.m.
Going into the weekend, hotel and motel bookings were steady but not out of the ordinary, said Henry Richardson, president of the Virginia Beach Hotel and Motel Association.
``We expect to fill up Saturday and Sunday,'' he said. ``There'll be some vacancies Friday, just like any other holiday weekend.''
Resort business this weekend will depend a lot on the weather, he added.
``Fridays have always been a little slow at this time of year,'' said Tony Kolantis, co-owner of the Golden Sands Motel at Pacific Avenue and 14th Street. ``We always fill up on Saturday and Sunday.''
Walter Wright who, with brother Nick Wright, owns and operates The Boardwalk Inn in the 2600 block of Atlantic Ave., confirmed the weekend outlook.
``We're not full yet,'' he said Friday morning. ``People might be looking at the weather before they come down here.''
``Weather is the big player in the whole thing,'' acknowledged Rick Anoia, operator of the Windjammer Motel at 19th Street and the Oceanfront.
A modest number of out-of-towners had booked rooms that included tickets to the paid part of the six-day music festival, motel operators said.
Dawson Sterling, owner of the Princess Anne Inn, at 25th Street and the Oceanfront, said festival packages were faring well with his customers.
``I picked up 50 packages and they're gone, and I'm going to pick 20 more today,'' he said.
Ticket sales for the music festival, which will go into its paid admission phase today, ``have been good,'' said festival organizer Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door Productions of Virginia. ``People can still get tickets at Ticketmaster, retail outlets or at the gate. There's space to accommodate everybody down here and we have food and beverage concessions.''
The music festival began Wednesday night with a free concert at the 24th Street Stage by rhythm and blues star Wilson Pickett. While the stage site was packed, sound problems plagued Pickett's performance, spectators said.
Free performances were given Friday night by Three Dog Night, darling of the 1970s set.
Last year, despite cool and blustery weather, crowds of 10,000 to 13,000 swarmed the beach at 5th Street to see national acts like the Beach Boys, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Temptations and The Four Tops.
Reid expects the crowds to be about the same as last year - modest to large and mostly baby boomers. MEMO: SCHEDULE - AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
Today through Monday at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. 491-SUNN.
Today:
Leon Russell - noon at the 24th Street Stage.
The Beach Boys - 2 p.m. at the 5th Street Stage (ticket required).
Opening act The R&B All-Stars.
Rare Earth - 6:30 p.m. at the 17th Street Stage. Opening act David
Klages.
Sunday:
Bill Deal, Fat Ammon and The Original Rhondels - noon at the 24th
Street Stage.
Sawyer Brown - 2 p.m. at the 5th Street Stage (ticket required).
The Band - 6:30 p.m. at the 17th Street Stage. Opening act Kyle
Davis.
Monday:
The Kingsmen - noon at the 17th Street Stage.
Kool & The Gang with The O'Jays - 2 p.m. at the 5th Street Stage
(ticket required).
How much: Events are free except for shows by The Beach Boys, Sawyer
Brown and The O'Jays and Kool and the Gang. Tickets for those shows are
$10, available through Ticketmaster, or $12 at the door. Children under
12 are free.
Parking: Municipal lots at 4th, 19th, 25th and 31st streets. Festival
parking at the Pavilion on 19th Street; shuttle to the concerts, on
Saturday, Sunday and Monday. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Paul Aiken, Staff, on page B1
Weekend of music at the Oceanfront
Dan Dymarcik puts final touches on the 5th Street Stage Friday for
this Labor Day weekend of music at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
by CNB