Rocking the route - online

Coronavirus had canceled the second annual Rockin' Route 66 scheduled for last weekend in Tucumcari, but the festival's promoter kept the rock rolling with a four-hour livestream of four musical acts Saturday in front of a small studio audience in Georgia.

The Rockin' Route 66 livestream from the Garage 71 studios in Marietta, Georgia, began with about 10 minutes of film footage shot during the 2019 festival in Tucumcari that included a song, "Blacktop Therapy," from one of Saturday's acts.

The event then launched into spirited performances from country and root-rock acts The Waymores, Atomic Boogie, Jane Rose & the Deadend Boys and Slim & The Gems.

Several performers gave well wishes to Tucumcari and extended regrets they couldn't be there because of the pandemic.

The livestream included a link to a PayPal account where viewers could donate money as tips to struggling performers whose gigs have been canceled by the pandemic.

Showing the occasional limits of internet technology, the livestream occasionally was marred by freeze-ups or audio hiccups.

"The stream was a huge success," Rockin' Route 66 promoter Brian Whitcomb wrote in an email Monday. "People may go to our YouTube channel and rewatch the concert anytime. It was an awesome show. 50+ people in studio. Next year, here we come..."

Whitcomb has said he would have a beefed-up Rockin' Route 66 scheduled for the weekend of June 25-26, 2021, because it would be during the 95th anniversary of Route 66.