Another night of outstanding music at the Ottawa Bluesfest. It started with Procol Harem and the National Art Center Orchestra and Choir. I would say at least 100 people on stage but the sound was exceptional and Gary Bookers voice has not changed at all in 40 years. Their second song was my favourite from the group Simple Sister and I was sold from that point on. Other highlights A Whiter Shade of Pale ( or as Johnny Gravel calls it What a Pail of Shit) and the encore Conquistador. At one point their was this young girl about 19 with a bright purple mohawk, face piercings and outrageous clothes just dancing like crazy and singing along with even the most obscure songs. I had no idea that this kind of music still touched people of this generation.....great to witness! Next it was off to catch Dave Mason and his group Traffic Jam. They played an hours worth of Traffic tunes and some of Daves solo work. He and his band were fantastic. Every song was spectacular but especially The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and a re-vamped version of Feeling Alright. Then I saw a bit of Blondie and their show was so much better than I expected. Ive only ever seen Blondie on TV and Deborah Harry comes off a bit stiff and self conscience, but live she owns the stage. Highlights for me Rapture (often credited as the first Rap song (although to me the first Rap song was Frank Zappas Dinamo Hum) and a cover of the Beastie Boys You gotta Fight for your Right to Party. Really slick and professional performance from the whole band. John Mayall kept the blues party going and his top-notch band, mostly from Chicago,and kept the crowd on their toes. John, at 80 years old now, was still rocking with the best and certainly didnt show his age. I wanted to go back stage and hang out with him but security was VERY tight. Hopefully there will be a next time! The surprise group of the evening and the one I enjoyed the most was Young the Giant. Ive heard these guys on CHOM FM in Montreal, but live they are truly great. One of the finest singers Ive heard in years and great catchy tunes. Royal Canoe (from Winnipeg) are kind of a Canadian version of Radiohead. Very ambient and spooky kind of music with so much processing on everything that its hard to tell who is playing what. Lots of potential there, not really the kind of music for an outdoor concert though, it would be much better to see this band in an indoor theater setting. The last band of the night is called The Band Perry. Dont bother. Corporate,trite bullshit music with no heart or soul. I caught about 20 minutes and it felt like I was watching a bad version of American Idol. Sure their good looking, and know how to pose....but after Lady Gaga and Blondie the bar is set very high and this band didnt come close. Honourable mentions for bands I havent told you about.....The Killers. These guys lived up to their name, of course being born and raised in Las Vegas, I guess knowing how to put on a good show would be second nature. They did not disappoint Also St. Vincent (Annie Clarke) was really neat. She has a very unique guitar style whom I could only compare to Adrian Belew of King Crimson. Her vocal style is also a bit like Bjork, but she really is her own artist. I enjoyed her show immensely.. Im having a great time in the nations capitol!!!
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 17:17:44 +0000
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