Renee Lyons-Stephenson (left) dances with her childhood friend Deena Douglas while Lloyd McCarter & the Honky Tonk Revival play onstage during ZooFest Saturday. Lyons-Stephenson and Douglas have been friends since childhood. "Music has been in our lives since we were kids, and we just love honky-tonk music," Lyons-Stephenson said.
ZooFest was washed out Saturday by an early evening thunderstorm that forced the festival to cancel or move shows inside, largely due to standing water on and around the stage. Kevin Burt, who had the 5 p.m.
timeslot, played during a light rain. But the stage was shut down by the high winds and heavy rains. The Paladins, set to play at 7 p.
m. moved inside the Zoo Bar, which was packed for their set, while organizers determined whether the festival could resume on 14th Street after the storm had passed. Guitar player Jimmy Weber (left) and Lloyd McCarter of the band Lloyd McCarter and the Honky-Tonk Revival perform during ZooFest on North 14th Street outside the Zoo Bar on Saturday.
“There was just too much water (on the stage),” said Watts System’s Robbie Christopherson. “We would have had to have giant fans to blow the water off and dry the stage before we could operate safely.” Soul Rebels, the New Orleans brass band that was to play the featured 9 p.
m. time slot, returned to Omaha, where they stayed in anticipation of an early morning flight. The Midland Band, who had been set to close the festival at 11 p.
m., played their Steely Dan/Gr.
