Oregon: Astoria Regatta Bicentennial (2011)

In 2011, Astoria celebrated its bicentennial with a 4 day celebration. Part of the celebration was a concert held at Camp Rilea. There were 3 performances: a National Guard band, Phil Vassar, and Reba McEntire.

The concert was held the day after the horrible stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair just before Sugarland took the stage. I noticed that the crew were taking special care to make sure the stage was secure.

Our view from the reserved seat section, with the stage in the background.

The National Guard band

They were pretty good, but we were really excited to see Phil Vassar and Reba McEntire.

Phil Vassar

Eagle eyed readers will remember that we saw Phil Vassar in February 2020 for our Valentine’s Day celebration. This concert was our 2nd time seeing Phil in concert.

Phil’s piano is custom built to be taller than a normal piano, so he can sing and play standing up.

His piano is also built to withstand Phil standing on top of it, like he is here.

We were lucky and got to meet Phil after his portion of the concert. While we couldn’t take pictures of the meet and greet itself, I was lucky enough to capture a good photo before putting my camera away. Considering my Mom loves JMU (James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia), this photo is even more special.

Reba McEntire

This was our first time seeing Reba in concert. We had attempted to get tickets when she was touring with George Strait, but they were too pricey or too nosebleed. 🙂 So this concert was perfect for us with only several hundred attendees instead of several thousand.