The smell of wine lingered in their air as the mellow sounds of guitars placed the crowd in a trance. The swaying of the bodies, the nodding of the heads and the tapping of the feet showed how intently the crowd was listening to each note being played by the performers.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts took on the ambiance of a coffee house for the launch of the Wall to Wall Guitar Festival. This three day long festival runs through Sept. 15, including performances from well known and local guitarists alike.

Jim Connelly, junior in Aces, was looking forward to Thursday’s performance the most.

“I’m here to see Sonny Landreth,” Connelly said. “I saw him over the summer at the Eric Clapton Crossroads festival and wanted to see him again. He is really good.”

There are other performers playing through Sept. 15, such as Buddy Guy, John McLaughlin, Los Lobos and many more.

There are other things being offered at Krannert during this festival as well. Challenge friends to guitar hero on a big screen, take a tour in the John Lennon Educational Bus, jam on some guitars, record a song or look at any number of guitars that are on display.

Take a walk over to Krannert this weekend and experience the 2nd biannual Wall to Wall Guitar Festival, it is sure to be a fun time for all.

For a full story, see Diversions in Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Illini.