For more photos, click on the link below —

Wow! The big concern of the day was the weather… what with all the radar system, weather systems, and television stations’ websites, Larry Joe Taylor Fest was destined to be demolished by heavy rains, hail, and possibly even a tornado. Music started (Dolly Shine opened up and The Turnpike Troubadours closed it down Wednesday), 45 minutes late, but they made up for it by letting ALL musicians have their designated time allotments — that was only fair.

But then, as we all stayed glued to the radar, the storm headed this way seemed part like the Red Sea. Just went around us. Some rain, not enough to put a damper on the fun here.

The rain is beginning to come now in the form of beer slung toward the stage. I posted a photo last year of my beer hair, after 7 days here without shampoo.

Dolly Shine graduated from the Allsups stage to the Bud Light stage — and well deserved! Adam Hood played as a trio. Cody Johnson was, and in

This marks a tree planted in Steve Fromholz’ name.

addition to Zane Williams who is playing Thursday, my favorite band of the festival. Of course, Jason Boland & the Stragglers ain’t shabby!

And, it was Cody’s band who broke down and used the new steps on both sides of the expanded stage. They advanced quite often to the front of it, and then when they threw out koozies, a couple of them went down and handed koozies to those hanging over the fence.

Hayes Carll, Cooder Graw, Richard Leigh (who has written almost as many country hits as has Dean Dillon and yet remains so down-to-earth and real) — so much good music here it’s hard not to just wallow in it. For instance, while backstage at the smaller Allsups stage (comparable to the hippie stage at Texas Music Revolution), while one band was on stage tearing it up, another stood behind me getting their harmonies down. Stereo — even tho they were two entirely different songs, it was fun.!

‘nuf said. More tomorrow.

For more photos, click here — and more will be added next week.