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Bluesfest runs from July 3 to 13 this year. No Parrot and I have tickets for the whole thing.
When we arrived, we caught about half of Keb Mo' s very good set, and wished we had been there for the whole thing.
We then settled in at another of the 4 outdoor stages ---it's ALL lawn here, pholks---to wait for the Blind Boys of Alabama. They are amazing for a bunch of old boys... and they had a special guest for 3 or 4 songs, Allen Toussaint on piano. Reallly added a lot!
My favourite moment was "Down by the Riverside", because the stage was right beside the mighty Ottawa River, and the refrain is "Ain't gonna study war no more" and that seems either ironic or approriate to hear because we were all sitting on the grounds, and even on the grassy roof, of the Canadian War Museum.
After that show, we caught the last 2 songs from Taj Mahal, and then the 3 or 4 more in encores, a couple with him on banjo...
As we rode our bikes away along the river parkway, we could hear the Tragically Hip loudly in the background. What a start!

Unfortunately, Sonny Landreth is on tomorrow night before I can get there....

Wow - sounds fun. Miss those Chicago Blues Fest days.... Have fun!!!

Love Blind Boys of Alabama. Saw them at Austin City Limits Festival one year.

They were also on ACL or PBS show on TV too. Great how they have remained true to their gospel genre.

Enjoy yourself.

I missed Friday night because of the course I'm taking. Wanted to see Sonny Landreth, but he was on too early, so I just went home and rested up.

Tonight, though, I zoomed over to Bluesfest on my trusty bicycle... it's about a 10 minute ride, and absolutely the best way to get there!

I was in time for the last half of Lucinda Williams, which was about enough. I like her, but not for too long. I got some food and beer, and rested on the lawn while I listened.
Then, a major crowd started to gather at the other main stage for Steely Dan, and I got up pretty close, but, being short, never close enough to see anything. The crowd pressed in, and the sound up close was not very good, so I backed up a long way, and enjoyed a clear but distant view and much better music. But it really wasn't to my taste, so I wandered over to see what was happening on the other stages.
Good sounds were coming from the River Stage, so I took a fresh cup of beer and headed for some picnic tables I knew were at the back of the area. Great view, a place to sit, and I asked the young guys on the table who it was: Zappa on Zappa, they said. I was so glad I have accidentally found that show. An excellent band, lots of rhythm and humour, and a place to sit, too! Thanks, Dweezil.
I left before it all ended, but once again, I could hear the music about halfway home.
Hooray for BluesFest!

HMMM next year.. Road Trip??

ragtopW wrote:HMMM next year.. Road Trip??

Now that's a good idea!
I have a few spare rooms, too, here at Barb's B&B !

Tonight's BluesFest report, fresh off the lawn!

Tonight , I got there about 8:30, as usual. All quiet at that time... Saturday and Sunday it goes all day from about noon.., but I couldn't.

At 9 p.m., there were 4 stages busy, and another started at 9:30. Too much!
The first one to actually start was Johnny Winter, and that's where I headed. He is quite frail but plays the guitar like a madman, anyway! Could not find a good place to perch, and was curious about The Wailers, too, so I ended up on a hillside where I could hear J Winter, and see him on the big screen, plus hear a lot of The Wailers. They were on the two middle-sized stages.
Then I got tired of being tossed between them and went up to look at the main stage, where Widespread Panic was playing. They were very good and the crowd was very small, compared to the Wailers, but they were incredibly loud! I backed way up and enjoyed them for a while. Then I went back to J Winter, heard the finish and the encores--all excellent, and even caught the end of the Wailers, but never got a good look at them, just side-stage through the fence.
Widespread Panic was still blasting as I rode away down the parkway...still sounded great.

There is a practice I would like to complain about: last year at BluesFest, both Bob Dylan and Van Morrison were hidden under their big hats. This year, so far, Taj Mahal and Johnny Winter were invisible. Yes, I know Johnny's an albino, but the sun had already set....

The stage I didn,t check out (indoors --with seats!) had Jack de Keyser, and the other outdoor stage at 9:30 had The Weakerthans.... all reputable musicians, for sure!

Tomorrow evening: James Taylor at 9:30. No conflict for me. I'm getting there early and parking my lawn chair in my ideal location--- I hope!

Last night was so good, I had to wait for the excitement to die down before I could write much.

By the time we (yes, No Parrot survived the weekend babysitting grandkids and granddog at the cottage) got to the BluesFest, there was a large crowd watching the Matthew Good Band, who were good rockers, and many more already in position for James Taylor, on the other main stage, which is at 90 degrees to the first. I found what I thought was a good place and we parked our lawn chairs, while NP went to check out Bettey Lavette on the River Stage. The crowds kept coming and coming, and soon, any hope of sitting down and seeing the stage--which was pretty far--was completely wiped out. But we were near one of the big screens, and at a good distance for sound, usually, so we stayed put.

When JT did get started, with an Everly Brothers tune, the sound seemed a little faint, and I got upset with people chatting loudly to each other and on phones, but I did settle down... He eventually captured the crowd, and there was a massive singalong on You've Got a Friend, which he followed with Mexico.... it was all great. The encore was a Wilson Pickett medley--rockin!!!! He introduced the band as he went along, told a few stories (I think--hard to hear) and there were a few pictures of interesting places and a cute dog....

Every once in a while, he would do a jump straight up in the air. It looks kind of amazing when a tall, skinny guy does that: not quite as natural as when our little Energizer Bunny Buffett does it!

He was definitely the best headliner I've seen at BluesFest in years.

Last year Bob Dylan and Van Morrison were not as good as connecting with the crowd: poor storytellers, mumbled the words and changed the tunes, and hid under their hats.

If I go tonight, it will be to see Boz Scaggs. But we may have thunderstorms.. ...

Snowparrot wrote:Last night was so good, I had to wait for the excitement to die down before I could write much.

By the time we (yes, No Parrot survived the weekend babysitting grandkids and granddog at the cottage) got to the BluesFest, there was a large crowd watching the Matthew Good Band, who were good rockers, and many more already in position for James Taylor, on the other main stage, which is at 90 degrees to the first. I found what I thought was a good place and we parked our lawn chairs, while NP went to check out Bettey Lavette on the River Stage. The crowds kept coming and coming, and soon, any hope of sitting down and seeing the stage--which was pretty far--was completely wiped out. But we were near one of the big screens, and at a good distance for sound, usually, so we stayed put.

When JT did get started, with an Everly Brothers tune, the sound seemed a little faint, and I got upset with people chatting loudly to each other and on phones, but I did settle down... He eventually captured the crowd, and there was a massive singalong on You've Got a Friend, which he followed with Mexico.... it was all great. The encore was a Wilson Pickett medley--rockin!!!! He introduced the band as he went along, told a few stories (I think--hard to hear) and there were a few pictures of interesting places and a cute dog....

Every once in a while, he would do a jump straight up in the air. It looks kind of amazing when a tall, skinny guy does that: not quite as natural as when our little Energizer Bunny Buffett does it!

He was definitely the best headliner I've seen at BluesFest in years.

Last year Bob Dylan and Van Morrison were not as good as connecting with the crowd: poor storytellers, mumbled the words and changed the tunes, and hid under their hats.

If I go tonight, it will be to see Boz Scaggs. But we may have thunderstorms.. ...

Missed Boz, after all.
Might make it out to see Brian Wilson tonight, but once again, thunderstorms are coming in.