jedimaster1227 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 It may be a little known fact, but besides coasters, theme parks and fraternity life, I am really into local "foodie" type events, and do my best to give them a try whenever I can. That being said, I'm also a huge fan of Huey Lewis and the News, and have been tracking down the band for nearly three years in an attempt to see them live. So when I found out that this year's Bands, Brew & BBQ concert series at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay would be featuring the famed Back to the Future band, I couldn't resist. So without further ado sit back, relax and enjoy the photos of me eating, Huey singing and SeaWorld Orlando being awesome as ever! Oh, and enjoy the video! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Huey_bvae[/coastertube] We started our day sitting on the grass in the special events section of the park. The first of several booths offering foods to buy was the Texas Catering Company. From them we sampled fried gator, sauteed mushrooms and parmesan garlic fries, all of which were amazing! Here are the delicious fries... About an hour before the concert, the Atlantis Bayside Stadium still had plenty of seating, although this would quickly change. SeaWorld has managed to maintain the same special events area used for the Halloween Spooktacular, the Christmas Celebration and Viva La Musica, only slightly redressing the booths and sets to match the appropriate event's respective color scheme. Wondering where @Shamu went? He's doing the Shamu Shuffle at Bands, Brew & BBQ! The Texas Catering Company's booth wasn't ever too busy, but it was definitely my favorite of the event's offerings. You can see more of the fries here in addition to the sauteed mushrooms. It was all so good! This guy is clearly getting ready to serve me! As the start time for the concert neared, we decided to hit another vendor's booth before grabbing seats in the stadium. Pictured here are the smokehouse wings and the rib & pulled pork sampler platter, both from Smokey Bones BBQ. "What? You wanna try and dethrone me? I was in Back to the Future sir!" Here's the token harmonica point backed up by the saxophone sass! The water jets used for Reflections were also used in sync with the live performance, giving the venue an even nicer backdrop. Jazz solo! Let's dance! I'm telling you folks, Huey Lewis has still got it! He sounds just as good today as he does on record, and the band is no farther behind. This is a theme park trip report, right? It's all for you friends. A nice panoramic, just cause. Something that came as a big surprise to me was that the band has a tradition of performing acapella for a portion of each concert... And they sounded great! Here they are singing "It's All Right." It seems I'm not the only major fan here! In fact, there wasn't an empty seat in the house, so I think the band's still doing quite well. It can't be over yet! Nope! The band gave a great encore with an additional set of four more songs! You sir, are my idol! I bow to your will! Huey has some serious harmonica skills... Then they did backflips... And landed them gracefully. Ok, that didn't really happen. I'm excited to have finally seen Huey Lewis and the News after all these years! Thanks SeaWorld Orlando! Back over in the special events area, it was time for round three of food... But what to get? This is a seriously mean machine... Riding atop a lawn mower. You stay classy, Shock Top! Sounds good... Looks really good... They also had corn on the cob with a jalapeno butter! We weren't really feeling dessert at the time, but if we were, this stand would have been ours. The food booths were pretty busy after the concert, so we decided to make a quick lap around the park before It wouldn't be a special event without merchandise... The shirt features a really hip design for those interested in that kind of thing. I for one was tempted. Another stand offered beef jerky and buffalo chili. Plus, most of the stands could set you up with the Craft Brew Sampler--something clearly made for Derek. I'm gunna go out on a ledge here and say that this is Derek approved. After the concert, the small stage remained open with several different cover bands playing a wide variety of hits. Just a great environment to enjoy! Feeling the beat at Bands, Brew & BBQ... Here's the selection of brands offered in the new Beer Garden. I'd like to believe I'm all of those things. I am bands. I am brew. I am BBQ. Which do I like better? Huey Lewis or Blue Man Group? Take an educated guess! *wink* Das schurke!!! Careful! He may interrupt an important speech about survival by dragging the speaker into the depths... Or he could just go back on the hat rack. Hopefully someone gets my obscure movie reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) (Continued) I'd be curious to see what changes will have been made to Dine with Shamu by the time it reopens. Time for some Larry love! Another one for the index... The sun sets on the old stadium. Gone are the days of water skiing and boat shows here... But I'll take Huey Lewis over all of that on any day of the week! The Beer Garden... An eden beyond my reach for now. Some of the tree lights from the Christmas Celebration were still up and active during the event. Although other vendors had booths, SeaWorld represented itself with its signature BBQ. The spare ribs are always incredible! Look at that mic stand! That's rocking harder that Hard Rock Park! Worth a shot. Anyone remember when Chicken & Biscuit used to be here? Voyager's Snacks now sells Chipstix, a growing fad in the industry. A cool little machine takes a whole potato, cuts it into a spiral on a stick, and then fries the chips to perfection. Good stuff! I couldn't resist! Haven't been back in this corner of the park in a while... Feels kind of eerie at the end of the night. SeaWorld has always done right by their stingray exhibits. Bring back the conch fritters! One more try at this shot... Edited February 18, 2011 by jedimaster1227 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paiging_jen Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Looks awesome. Planning on going over there Saturday for Willie Nelson. Did you do the VIP seating package? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I really wish my plan to go for my birthday that day panned out, but alas. Awesome to see Huey's still got it, and I had no idea about the a capella tradition! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom1001 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I was there Saturday earlier in the day to try the BBQ and get a few rides on Manta and Kraken,I wanted to see Huey Lewis but I went up there with my mom who's been wanting to see Frankie Valli for years now and he was at Universal for Mardi Gras.I'm dissapointed Sea World took out the BBQ buffet they had the last couple of years and switched to only the booths like they have at Busch Gardens.They did add for the beer lovers the beer garden where you can try 12 3oz samples for $20 or $18 if you're a passholder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Huey Lewis rules. Thanks for the video! I'd like to believe I'm all of those things. I am bands. I am brew. I am BBQ. Well played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasGreg19 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Great pics!! And from one Huey fan to another, check this out...Me, my wife with Huey last summer huey.bmp Me, my wife and Huey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopLover Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 This looks really cool! I love the last shot of Manta! I haven't had the chance to ride it as it wasn't open the last time I visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pufferfish Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I was there last Saturday, but sadly by the time I made it to the park Huey has already finished up with the show. I'm kind of sad I missed it, but not sad about missing the crowds. Just enjoyed having Manta as a walk on for the rest of the afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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