San Diego came alive at Street Scene 2001, the last great party of the summer. Thousands of people packed the Gaslamp District to dance, drink and listen. The vibe was simply wonderful.
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Street Scene and the Pacific Beach Block Party are the few times each year when the entire city of San Diego seems to flood the streets to have a good time and listen to great music.
Street Scene 2001 included a variety of music to please the attendees of the outdoor festival. Within a few blocks, fans could find reggae and jam bands, jazz and hip-hop groups and DJs making the crowd dance.
Still, some may have found the conspicuous corporate sponsorship problematic.
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Bands like Jack Johnson, Cake, Social Distortion and the Counting Crows rocked downtown Sept. 7. All the clubbers headed for the XM Radio Electronica Stage.
The Sept. 8 performances showcased 311, the Black Crowes and James Brown. Berlin was even there to take your breath away.
Sunday was the chance for the sub-21 crowd to go to Street Scene and revel in the music. Well-known bands like the Offspring, OutKast, and P.O.D. gave performances. People also grooved to G. Love and Special Sauce, and the jazzy sounds of Soulive at the Best Buy Stage.
San Diego’s own B-Side Players thrilled the crowd with great Latin jazz jams. Eek-A-Mouse played at the Time Warner Roadrunner Stage. Eek, no stranger to UCSD, was more at home with a larger crowd that seemed to understand its music more than the average UCSD student does.
Mix Master Mike dropped the beats in the dance music area and Donald Glaude had the crowd moving along to every pounding beat of his energetic set.
Rounding out Street Scene were the overpriced food and drinks: Four dollars for a slice of pizza and how much for a beer?
Besdies that and the corporate advertising, Street Scene 2001 proved to be a well-done festival.
