Thank God for the small miracle of no rain; the following day the whole thing was drenched in rain with mud everywhere. As scheduled SAFKA performed the first set with Beau joining on guitar.

They were great despite the usual problems (unbalanced mics/feedback) etc.

The girls seem so confident and really exude a fresh clean sound. Basically it was the same set I heard at the coffeehouse so I can already sing along. I took a lot of pics of them as it was still light out. Melanie followed directly after with all three kids as background and extra guitar, a very self-sufficient family.

Being a free concert meant that not all were there to see Melanie. Sometimes that can be a hindrance but in this case I feel some converts were made as the crowd got larger and more enthusiastic (some a little too) as beer was close by!

By this time the sky was dark and a nice cool breeze began to soothe as the day was very hot, around 90 degrees. For Melanie's set the sound was good and the lighting was great. A broken string became somewhat of a long set back as the girls admitted to clearing the stage a little too much and no-one was able to grab an extra guitar. But it was a great chance for the crowd to see Melanie do her expert adlib accapello.

I think she did a line or two from 'Any Guy' by request. All in all it was great and a few plugs got in for Melanie's Place. Tapes and Coffee sold on a nearby table staffed by friends and family.

NO time for the usual encore as the fireworks was waiting to go off. A powerful 'Candles in the Rain' ended the concert with most of the crowd on their feet.

We took off as the fireworks began as we had parked illegally, and were able to beat the crowd and the traffic jams.

Dr. Hook, Average White Band with other local bands also performed at the 12th annual Taste of Pinellas outdoor festival to benefit "All Children's Hospital".