Bernard Allison

The last time a boatload of local blues fans saw Bernard Allison, he was slip-slidin’ on the deck of a cruise ship. Three months after that trek, Allison docks at the Grand Emporium for the weekend, where he’ll join his recent nautical neighbors for a two-day reunion bash. Friday’s gig is a straightforward show; Saturday’s fanfare includes Amazing Grace’s barbecue buffet and a prescreening of this year’s Blues Cruise video. Even if they didn’t come sail away back in February, concertgoers won’t feel like party crashers. Allison can lead even land-loving listeners on a reggae-and-R&B-infused, ferociously funky, fantastic voyage.