After what’s been a tough year for musicians all around the world, Mid-Missouri bands and music fans were able to celebrate a little Saturday with the return of the River City Music Revival.
Now in its second year, this local music-focused event was limited to 225 tickets, compared to more than 600 attendees last year, with four bands — Shiloh, the Dave Baker Band, Blues Deville and SoulRoot — taking the stage during the nearly eight-hour show at Capital Bluffs Event Center, 1616 Oilwell Road.
Organizer Doyle Kempker was forced to downsize the event meant to celebrate and support local musicians and their families — or not have it at all.
Those who came out Saturday were grateful Kempker chose to go forward.
Bradley Schulte said he attended last year’s event, which was a great time, and he was already having a blast not long after the revival got going Saturday afternoon. Schulte said there’s a lot of talented musicians in the area who haven’t been able to play as much, and it’s been harder to find live music to enjoy. He noted he used to enjoy going to The Mission on East High Street, which hasn’t been open in a few months as the owner and staff try to do what’s best for their own and their customer’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without those events, it’s easy to get a little disconnected, Schulte said, which can make a hard time even tougher.
“It’s a community,” Schulte said of the local music scene.
Dave Baker, of the Dave Baker Band, said it was great to get back out, even if it was in a limited capacity. Baker said the past year was difficult for everyone, and musicians are no different. Much of the pandemic has had everyone focused on trying to keep their heads above water, so it’s nice to get back to some semblance of what was once normal, he said.
Plus, with the spring-like weather Mid-Missouri has been enjoying, people are itching to get out even more than usual, he added.
“It’s good to get out and people are here to support the other bands,” Baker said.
When Kempker initially organized the revival in 2020, his goal was to not only put on a great show with local artists but to give the local musicians a chance to enjoy each other’s music. It’s a rare opportunity for many of these bands. Baker said they don’t really get to actually listen and watch other bands perform because they’re often playing at the same time or busy getting things set up or put away.
“It gives you a chance to enjoy the other bands,” Baker said, noting it also gives them an opportunity to see how good some of the others really are and note where their own group may need to improve.
Ron Schieferdecker, of SoulRoot, said it’s often hard for them to see other local bands perform, which is what makes the River City Music Revival so special. After the past year, it just means that much more, as Schieferdecker noted at least half of the band’s planned shows were canceled last year or postponed into this year.
“2020 was definitely a tough year,” Schieferdecker said.
But as the sounds of Shiloh filled the event center and people got up to dance, it didn’t seem like anyone was thinking of that.