All I can say is: BEST DAY EVER!
I’m still overwhelmed from Girl Talk’s set, which I’ll get to later. It was probably one of the most talked-about shows of the entire RBC Bluesfest that year.
But first, I should start from the beginning.
It was the fifth day of Bluesfest, and the lineup was packed with acts I really wanted to see.
I headed over to the Black Sheep Stage where The Balconies kicked things off. I’ve seen them play many times before, but it was great to see them performing on that stage for the first time. A lot of people seemed to really enjoy their set, which shows how much their fanbase is growing. It was also nice to hear Elizabeth Powell from Land of Talk give them a shout-out.
After that, I briefly checked out The Sedatives at the Hard Rock Cafe Stage. Unfortunately, I had a bit of trouble getting photos because the volunteers were being pretty strict. I was thinking, come on—it’s a local band!
To get my mind off that, I went back to the Black Sheep Stage to catch Sunparlour Players. I was totally blown away by how great they were live. I’m really glad I finally got to see them in Ottawa—usually they play at Black Sheep Inn, which can be a bit of a trek to get to. Definitely a band worth checking out live.
Next up on the Black Sheep Stage was Land of Talk. I was really happy I managed to catch their set. Earlier I had told Elizabeth Powell that I might miss them because of scheduling conflicts, but when the timetable shifted back to its original slot, I was able to stay.
They opened with “Yuppy Flu,” which was great to hear live. I only wish their set had been a bit longer. It was also great to see them back touring after Elizabeth had to cancel shows the previous fall due to a throat illness.
Then I headed back to the Hard Rock Cafe Stage to catch King Khan & The BBQ Show. It felt like déjà vu since I had seen them earlier at NXNE, and the setlist was pretty similar—but at least the guitarist had a different costume this time.
Later, I had a nice chat with Elizabeth Powell from Land of Talk. We talked about a bit of everything. She told me that the reason their set time was changed earlier in the day was because their drummer was going to be late. Apparently, when the Bluesfest organizers heard from Canadian customs that he had arrived at the airport, they quickly arranged transportation to get him to the festival in time. Quite the story!
I also gave her the link to this site so she could check it out. She mentioned that she appreciated how the site focuses on the positive side of music rather than trying to be negative just for attention.
After that, I caught Jenn Grant. It started raining during her set, but I stuck it out. I was pleasantly surprised when she sang “Dreamer.” She’s an amazing singer, and the turnout for her set was impressive despite the weather.
Now for the big moment of the night.
I decided to catch Girl Talk, even though it meant missing Thunderheist (my brother ended up taking my spot for that set). Somehow I got lucky and managed to get on stage to dance during Girl Talk’s performance.
So yeah… no photos this time. I just wanted to experience the moment.
I had seen the documentary RiP!: A Remix Manifesto, where there’s a scene showing people dancing on stage at one of his festival performances. I never imagined I’d actually be part of something like that.
The crowd was completely insane—the barrier in the middle even broke because of the pressure from the audience. There was toilet paper flying everywhere, confetti in the air, and people dancing like it was one giant high school party. At one point Girl Talk even dropped a Michael Jackson song into the mix.
Honestly, words can’t fully describe what that experience was like.
If you saw me dancing like a fool on stage, feel free to leave a comment!
After that madness, I briefly checked out Joe Cocker and caught one song.
Finally, I finished the night with Mother Mother, who were absolutely amazing live. There must have been around 2,000 people watching their set.
And that wrapped up Day 5 of my Bluesfest adventure.
Comments
I saw you dancing like a fool on stage. it was hilarious…AND, he played like 3 MJ songs plus 1 Jackson 5. You describe quite well with as one crazy high school party!
i saw you up there and was pretty jealous, even though i was in the front row… craziest show i’ve ever been to. so much fun.