Two Texas rappers, a Civil Rights icon and a new dad walk into a park ... It's Saturday In The Park and it’s the culmination of 35 years of hard work, volunteerism and passion for Sioux City’s music community. Over the years, the festival has established itself as a revered and star-studded summer tradition.
For its 35th birthday, SITP invited some of the hottest acts in the country for an afternoon of free fun in the sun. The dual-stage festival boasted performances from Riff Raff, That Mexican OT, Mavis Staples and Teddy Swims. In addition to big name acts, the festival featured regional artists including Sioux City rapper Cri$is, Justin Lamoureux of the Omaha-based folk project Midwest Dilemma and local big band Banda Nueva Tradicion, whose music celebrates the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Given that it was the Independence Day weekend, there were even fireworks to close out the fest.
It was a hot and packed afternoon, with music, food and activities galore. The first unforgettable moment of SITP 35 happened early that evening. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the Grammy Award-winning and effortlessly bluesy 26-year-old guitar savant from Clarksdale, MS, made his way from the mainstage down to the crowd, where he ditched his pic in favor of his tongue, a la Jimi Hendrix. Jaws dropped and phones whipped out to record the kind of spectacle you won't find at just any festival.
SITP has a deep history of blending contemporary artists and iconic acts on its bills. The festival gives Iowans and Nebraskans, who may never otherwise get to see legendary musicians, a once in a lifetime chance to see living legends like Aretha Franklin and Chuck Berry perform in person. Some big names even like the festival so much they've played multiple times, such as Santana (twice) and Buddy Guy (thrice).
This year, legendary artist Mavis Staples made her SITP debut. Staples is a revered R&B, soul, rock, pop and Gospel music icon, and took to the stage after Kingfish, as the smell of incoming rain began wafting through the park. Maybe it was meteorology, maybe it was the music, but the dark clouds decided to dissipate entirely for Ms. Staples.
“Ya’ll do this every year, I know,” says Staples after a few songs, with the humility of a pastor before a big sermon. “We’re grateful to be here this year. It’s beautiful! So beautiful, all the smiling faces! We bring you greetings from The Windy City … Chicago, Illinois! We’re not too far from home, we’re just around the corner.”
She took her time with her set, and performed standards such as “I’ll Take You There” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me).” Staples’ once-in-a-lifetime performance left everyone, in spite of the heat, grinning ear-to-ear.
About that second stage ... Past the food trucks, ample porta-potties, art vendors, carnival games, modest-sized Ferris Wheel, and the petting zoo was The Abe Stage, sponsored again this year by Bud & Mary’s.
In the last 10 years, The Abe Stage has become a western Iowa institution (an incubator of sorts) for up-and-coming Sioux-area talent. It's also come to be known as the featured stage for hip-hop. One of this year's acts was Texas rap stalwart Riff Raff, who performed with a cold cup of Coors in hand. Eagle-eyed attendees may have also spotted the Neon Icon later in the night, enjoying an unencumbered view of Teddy Swims’ headlining performance from the wings of the mainstage.
Virgil Gazca, known professionally as That Mexican OT, was the biggest draw of The Abe Stage Saturday, with fans clinging to fences far from the stage just for a better view. Gazca wears his love of Mexico on his chest — both musically, rolling R’s like nobody’s business, and literally. An unmissable ‘Lonestar Luchador’ tattoo wraps around his stomach, which was front and center for the entire set. He played a hard-hitting set, rousing and engaging the audience throughout. He also paid homage to his “Barrio” collaborator, the late Lefty Sm, before jumping into their 2023 Spanglish hit. The “Johnny Dang” rapper expressed genuine appreciation for the crowd afterward, signing shirts, hats and Mexican flags, his grills twinkling as he spat through sweat.
All day, there were murmurs of “How did we bag Teddy Swims?” and “He’s really coming here?” When the rugged and soulful Southern singer-songwriter finally emerged at 8:50 to close the music part of the festival, some still couldn’t believe it.
Like That Mexican OT just moments before him, Swims came zooming out to join his drummer, two guitarists and three backup singers on stage, the seven of them facing a completely packed amphitheater. Swims' set didn't disappoint either. He performed his hit song “Lose Control,” as well as tracks from his latest album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, Pt. 2, including “Hammer to the Heart” and our current favorite here, “Bad Dreams.”
Given his career trajectory, SITP booking Teddy Swims is an impressive feat. It wasn't a guarantee either as Swims and his partner, singer Raiche Wright, became first time parents just two weeks prior. Many shows around their son's birth were rescheduled. But not his SITP performance.
From small children in cowboy hats to older folk and festival security, Teddy Swims was the name on everybody’s lips as this year's SITP closed out. Even Riff Raff's.
