One Crazy 80s Summer in 2013, Part 6 – .38 Special at the Trails West Festival

Summer is officially over, and the festivals and outdoor concerts are sadly slowing. However, I was highly fortunate to catch some class acts this season, especially the latest at the Trails West Festival in St. Joseph, MO. The three-day arts gala celebrating the heritage of the city featured .38 Special on Saturday, August 17. This is one of the bands that the Midwest is fortunate to have tour its territory quite often, but this was the first time I could finally cross paths with it. And, it was the first band to traverse the musical taste of both my girlfriend and me.

We trekked a little more than an hour to catch the band and enjoy the festivities, which included an excellent Mediterranean dinner and viewings of some incredible paintings by a hand full of very talented artists. If you are unfamiliar or have never visited St. Joseph, it is quite the famous frontier town on the Missouri River historically known as the starting point of the Pony Express and the death place of American outlaw Jesse James in 1882. Today, it is no less intriguing as it still boasts an authentic western mystique.

Courtney's and my Mediterranean cuisine

The location was also impressive as the concert stage was set-up and festival fenced off right outside the front doors of City Hall. We forgot our lawn chairs, but luckily found some metal folding ones among the crowd and snagged ourselves a comfortable place to setup. The band sounded incredible and Don Barnes looked as youthful as he probably did 40 years ago. Unfortunately, although he continues to write and record, co-founder and co-lead singer Donnie Van Zant is absent from the band’s tour due to inner-ear nerve damage. Nevertheless, the crew hammered us for an hour and a half with their hottest hits, including “Hold On Loosely” (1981), “Caught Up in You” (1982) and personal favorite “Second Chance” (1989), which was performed vocally by keyboardist Bobby Capps.

The main stage at the Trails West Festival

Seeing .38 Special was the perfect way to wrap up my summer. The band is seemingly a favorite among festival bookers and goers as it transcends a wide variety of musical tastes. Going out to hear the crew is fitting for just about every occasion from a hot date to a family outing. They are simply just a wholesome, all-inclusive band, and I am confident that my future summers will bring many more evenings of listening to their soothing rock sounds.