Hippie convinced 2012 Sunflower River Blues Festival is still going on

by Dallas J. Delta

CLARKSDALE - Robert Vader, of Cape Coral, FL drove to the Mississippi Delta with friends in 2012 to attend the 25th annual Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, which featured legendary Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant.  After losing track of those he came with, Vader stayed on in Clarksdale, unaware that the festival had ended and that his friends had gone home over a year and a half ago.  Those friends recently returned for a Super Chikan concert and found Vader, not ten feet from where they had last seen him, at Ground Zero Blues Club.

"Crobbert," as he became known to locals, was happy to see his friends.

"We got separated, and the only one that had a phone was Eddie, and I think he left that at a truck stop in Mobile on the way up, anyway.  I just figured we kept missing each other."

The increase in tourism in Clarksdale in recent years has led to more opportunities for fans to hear live music on a nightly basis.  Vader said he became confused when the festival did not seem to end when he thought it was going to.

"I never saw any kind of lineup or anything," said Vader.  "All I knew, was that Robert Plant was playing.  And I thought he was supposed to be last, but then, bands just kept playing, and there were still people all over the place."

"I couldn't remember where the car was parked, and I would walk out to Hopson to see who was playing out there, hang out for a while, then come back downtown, see a band here, or at Bluesberry, or Red's, or wherever.  There's somebody playing out there on the sidewalk, right now, down the block.  There is music everywhere in Clarksdale.  This is the grooviest town around, man."

Vader indicated that it never occurred to him that his friends had ditched him.

"I figured they had to be somewhere around, and I would run into them eventually, and, sure enough, finally did.  Eddie was the only one with a cell phone, you know, and I think he even lost that before we got here, so, you know, I was looking for them, figured they were looking for me, digging on the music, enjoying the festival, and we just kept missing each other.  Can't believe they left, though.  They missed a ton of great bands.  This has been the most epic blues festival ever."