The Wildflower Arts and Music Festival Richardson TX -

Article and Photos by: Larry Young

RICHARDSON, TX – The Wildflower Arts and Music Festival has grown from a small community event to one of the premier music festivals in the country and Saturday evening was no exception. On a beautiful Saturday night the sold out crowd at Breckinridge Park in Richardson TX were entertained by a diverse line up of first class entertainment. Including the likes of Duel, 76, Alien AntFarm, John Waite, Dennis DeYoung of Styx fame, Soul Asylum and headliners the Toadies and Peter Frampton. They each gave the audiences exactly what they wanted…. the hits!

Duel, Alien AntFarm, Soul Asylum and the Toadies performed on the Wildflower Plaza Stage. Soul Asylum and the Toadies each had tour de force performances. While 76, John Waite, Dennis DeYoung and Peter Frampton ruled the State Farm Amphitheater Stage.

John Waite, an iconic rocker known for his work with The Babys, Bad English and as a solo artist, brought 40 years worth of brilliant music to the State Farm Amphitheater Stage Saturday night. From start to finish, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand with charismatic stage presence and jaw-dropping vocals. John Waite has created an impressive body of work, including nearly 30 singles that charted. The setlist for this show paid tribute to all eras of his career. He played his classic hits from his time as the lead singer of The Babys: “Head First,” “Back On My Feet Again,” and “Every Time I Think Of You.”

Dennis DeYoung the ex-Styx front man was quite impressive offering up all the hits from Styx. He opened his set with The Grand Illusion continued with Mr. Roboto, Lady, Lorelei and closing his set with Come Sail Away. He sounded great and it was great to see these songs performed live.

Peter Frampton no longer has those long flowing locks but he still brings all the same energy and charisma that put him on the map. Expecting a solid soft rock set from Frampton seemed like an easy bet going in. However, he sounded surprisingly fresh with extended bombastic guitar solos and some friends to help him out. Frampton’s guitar style is hard to pinpoint or put in perspective because of the diversity and versatility he brings to the instrument. It can only be described as rock ‘n roll. He opened with Something’s Happening following up with David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel finishing with his mega hit Do You Feel Like We Do!