Doobie Brothers, Parmalee headline Ribfest in St. Petersburg

If you missed the Gulfcoast Rhythm & Ribs Music Fest in Bradenton a few weeks back, fret not: There’s another rib festival coming up this weekend.

It’s in St. Petersburg, but if you like ribs and classic rock and country, it should be worth the drive.

Like the Bradenton festival, Ribfest — the St. Petersburg event just uses the unadorned generic name — promises that some of the best rib cooks from all over the country will be on hand, offering some of the best barbecue around.

The three-day festival offers an impressive music lineup, too, including locals the Greg Billings Band and the Black Honkeys, along with national acts the Millennials (featuring Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander), Atlanta-based band Blackberry Smoke, Whiskey Myers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Parmalee, Chris Young, Huey Lewis & the News, and the Doobie Brothers.

The Thunderbirds, Huey Lewis & the News and the Doobies have all been around a long time, but they all have key members from their classic lineups still performing. Singer Kim Wilson has been the voice of the Fabulous Thunderbirds since the beginning back in 1974, Huey Lewis is still fronting the News, and the Doobie Brothers are down to a core band of three members, including founders Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, and guitarist John McFee, who’s been a Doobie since 1979.

The Doobie Brothers perform with a touring band that includes keyboardist Bill Paynem, formerly of Little Feat.

Details: Nov. 11-13, Vinoy Park, 701 Bay Shore Drive NE, St. Petersburg. 5 p.m. Friday, 12;15 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $30 Friday, $35 Saturday or Sunday at the gate; $25 and $28 at Circle K stores until midnight, Nov. 10. ribfest.org.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Doobie Brothers, Parmalee headline Ribfest in St. Petersburg."