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I attended City Stages for the first time in 2005, about a year after I moved to Birmingham from New York, but I heard about the festival on my very first day in town. Signs for it were everywhere and everybody was asking me if I planned on going. I was intrigued by the hype around the whole thing, reminding me of Atlanta’s now defunct Mid-Town Music Festival or the New Orleans Jazz Fest, events that pulled a city together for a few days and showcased the best the town had to offer.

Highlights of City Stages 2004 included performances by Kanye West, Kid Rock, De La Soul, Parliament Funkadelic, and the Robert Cray Band. Despite my interest, I couldn’t make it to the festival. The feedback I heard was great, sounded like a really good time and I started to regret not having gone. Before I knew it, however, City Stages 2005 was right around the corner and I was all set to get down. As fate would have it, word got back to the organizers that I should be on the bill--even better!
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