Deep in the heart of America beats a soul. In May, that soul beats in Memphis, which, among other festivities, includes the Beale Street Music Festival. For $44, Beale Street, which butts up against the Mississippi River, offered three days of music by more than 60 bands.

This year’s lineup varied from modern rocker John Mayer to 1970s funk sensation The Gap Band; from Jerry Lee Lewis to Sheryl Crow; from LL Cool J threatening to knock you out to the Ben Harper threatening to steal his kisses from you.

Standout performances included the B52’s Fred Schneider beating his tambourine against his sparkly silver pants as the band rocked “Love Shack.” The daily performances by Korean guitarist Mok-kyung Kim jamming with blues legend Blind Mississippi Morris also were cool. Evanescence cancelled their appearance and organizers brought up the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth to fill their slot. The Generation X and Y crowd who came to see Evanescence’s Amy Lee were baffled by the big, balding buffoon drumming and screaming on stage. After half of Cowboy Mouth’s set, the crowd grew to like the band’s energy, humility, and simple, good-time party songs.

It made me question what makes a great performance – seeing a band you love rock out to all the songs you know, or immersing your ears into something different and learning to dig it. Beale Street’s beauty was that it offered both.

-WILLIAM SULLIVAN