Bela at Red Butte

We love outdoor summer concerts, and this year's season started with a bang last Sunday with Bela Fleck and Femi Kuti at Red Butte Gardens.

Waiting in line to enter was... wet. Waiting for the concert to start was... wet and cold. But I've dedicated far too many lines in the past month's blog posts to bellyaching about our weather so I'll leave it at that.

The important part is that by the time our favorite banjo master took the stage the skies had cleared! Bela played with a kora player from Mali, which was a very cool combination. We've never been disappointed by a Bela Fleck concert and even the rain and redonkulous cold (oops, I forgot, I said I was done complaining about the weather) couldn't dampen our spirits as we enjoyed the world's greatest banjo player in action.

The concert was a double billing and after Bela was done, Femi Kuti took the stage. Before Sunday we weren't familiar with Kuti's work, but it was a delightful concert that got us out of our seats and grooving with the beat (it was that or succumb to frostbite). The music was infectious fun, but we all agreed that it was the background dancers that we will remember. Gyrating around in the freezing cold in their teeny tiny fringed skirts and bikini tops and bare feet... well, it's just a scene that sticks with you.

It was a great start to our summer concert season! Now if we can just get some sun for the next concert...