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t was billed as “The World’s Leading Parking Lot Concert.” For more than 8 hours Saturday, the 2nd Annual Silospalooza featured the music of 6 bands – Americana, country, classic rock and bluesy rockabilly, and not-the-usual covers – and drew about 400 people to the parking lot of the Silos Restaurant.

Spectators came bearing their folding chairs and watched the bands and those who literally kicked up a little dust as they danced. As improbable as a parking lot may seem for a dance floor, it all worked. Five of the musical acts were from Pamlico County – The DelRios, Justin De Pree, Opry Band, Rhythm Doctors and Saltwater Gold – while one band, the Blues Casters came from Raleigh. There was also a pizza-eating contest and a very busy beer tent. Artwork was for sale. As were commemorative T-shirts.

The final act on the bill was Saltwater Gold.

For Silos Restaurant owner Chris Daniels, this was the second year of making Silospalooza happen and he said that this year, “the mood was awesome.” From the stage, he announced that next year it would be happening behind the restaurant in an amphitheater he planned to build.

Chris Daniels.

For this year though, the World’s Leading Parking Lot Concert had its fun in the parking lot…

The scene: the parking lot in front of the Silos.

Pizza eating contest. (Photo: Chris Daniels)

Masks from Rich Daniels’ display next to the stage.

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Jennifer and Pat Del Rio – The DelRios – opened the show with a mix of Americana.

Del Rios.

Playing next to the former grain silos.

Justin De Pree, who works at the Coast Guard station at Hobucken and came to the Silos Open Mic nights over the years. He’s being transferred to another Coast Guard unit this summer.

Justin De Pree plays to the afternoon audience.

Justin De Pree.

A pause.

Early evening brought out the Rhythm Doctors….

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Mac McWilliams in foreground, of the Rhythm Doctors

Drummer Tony Johnston of the Rhythm Doctors.

Guitarist Alex Davis and bass player Jim Gilbert.

Rhythm Doctors play while some dancers get up to dance.

The audience.

Dance lessons broke out at one point…

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Moira and Bruce LaViolette of New Bern applied a ballroom style dance to the swampy/Texas rolling rock of the Rhythm Doctors.

Dust was kicked up…

Gary Gresko and Liz Ann Taylor..

We interrupt this dance… A dog ignored the dancers and sought out the scraps left from the pizza eating contest that had taken place on that spot an hour earlier.

Parking lot turned in to concert seating.

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The man behind the masks: Rich Daniels of New Bern. He’s worked in glass for years and recently started making the masks (which are finished front and back).

He was displaying his work at Silospalooza. Rich’s son, Chris Daniels owns the Silos Restaurant and organized the Silospalooza…

As seen from inside the Silos..

Music, dancing and, in foreground, half of the cornhole court.

The Bluescasters from Raleigh were the penultimate act.

As the sunlight fell, more dancers took to the parking lot dance floor.

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Chris Daniels, organizer of the Silospalooza at his Silos Restaurant, is also guitarist in Saltwater Gold.

Saltwater Gold.

Perpetual motion. Saltwater Gold’s lead singer, Mark Hoff.

Silospalooza shirts were for sale.

At the beer tent.

Behind every good band sound is a sound board….

The answer: four minutes and about 25 seconds. The question: how fast can one eat a Silos pizza? Billy Hoysington provided the answer and won the pizza-eating contest. Then took a rest.

Though some patrons carried their folding chairs from outside, the Silos did provide seating indoors.

Posted Thursday May 29, 2014 by Melinda Penkava