The last day of Bluesfest 2011 sure went out with a bang!
I arrived around noon this past Sunday to the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, and pulled into the Lebreton Flats grounds. Tyler and I drove as close as we could to the Hard Rock Stage, then unloaded the gear: two keyboards, a stand and seat. We met up with Ben Cooper, a local songwriter with a rich, resonant voice, who Tyler has played with many times.
After saying hello, I worked on my laptop in the trailer for awhile and Tyler set up his equipment. Then we made our way over to the merch tent. I was crossing my fingers that we wouldn’t be presented with an unopened box of CDs – but to our surprise, Tyler had actually sold 10 CDs since his show! That’s not bad for a 2 year old CD (or a CD at all these days!)
The Ben Cooper Band (Ben – lead guitar and vocals, Dan Joesph – bass, Dan Loach – drums, and Tyler Kealey – keyboards) hit the stage at 2:45 and played an energetic set.
It was SO hot out (42 degrees Celsius, with humidity) people were scrunched into every possible patch of shade to avoid the meltingly hot sun. Ben has such beautiful songs, luxurious melodies, and a self-assured stage presence that he is a treat to watch. I always enjoy listening to his songs, particularly “Typical” and “A Beautiful Place.” And of course, I always love watching Tyler play!
Peter Voith, another great local musician and founder of Jackson Miles, also came out on stage for a rocking version of “Superstition.”
Another great local musician, Amanda Rheaume, was on the MBNA stage at just about at the same time, so I dashed over to catch a few of her tunes at the end of her set. With a new CD just released, Amanda was joined on stage by several other local favorites like Ana Muira, Tara Holloway, and Marc Charron, to join in the chorus for a powerful song that showcased her rootsy rock style.
After grabbing some food, I headed over to check out the Court Yard Hounds. They were amazing! Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, sisters from the band The Dixie Chicks, performed songs infused with tones of country and folk, belted out in clear harmonies, and accompanied by a great band, including Martie playing fiddle on most songs, and a female drummer. I had no idea that they were recording and touring as a band while the Dixie Chicks took a break – and I am a converted fan!
I especially liked their tune called “Ain’t No Son” and also enjoyed their “hoedown” number – furious instrument playing, clapping, and hundreds of people stomped along, dripping with sweat, to the infectious melody.
Next stop we made was to the Subway stage to meet up with some more friends and re-apply sunscreen (for the 5th time). We stretched out on a blanket to listen to Tristan. Her pretty voice and sweet, slow tunes were catchy and nice to listen to, sort of a light folk-pop sound, very pleasant on a hot summer’s day.
We made it back over to the main stage at the beginning of Cheap Trick’s set. They sounded good, and I snapped a few shots of the band members singing and strutting around the stage.
As they launched into “I Want You To Want Me,” Tyler and Jeff started joking around and pointing out the dark clouds overhead. The clouds were moving faster, creeping across the sky and covering it like a grey carpet. A chill ran down my spine, and we agreed that getting the gear packed up in the car, now, was probably a good idea.
We ran back over to Ben’s artist trailer and picked up a few things, then started walking through the crowds of people towards our car. It started to rain in big, fat drops, splashing down my neck and pelting my legs. The wind picked up quickly and in a heartbeat, branches began to fly past, people started shouting. I could barely see with the dirt and dust swirling into the air and filling my eyes. We sat in the car for a moment, until Dan the drummer came by and said he was running back for the rest, just in case. After a moment’s hesitation we jumped back out into the storm and made it to the trailer, our clothes plastered to us from the rain.
We waited out the storm in the trailer, watching the perimeter gates knock over, the river pulsing in whitecapped waves, until a volunteer came by and said everyone was being evacuated to the War Museum. We high-tailed it towards the cars instead, watching lightening crack through the sky. We ran into a breathless Ben and Katie, who told us that the big stage had collapsed in the storm, causing mass panic on the main festival grounds. The rain and wind had slowed a bit by this time, so we just packed up and went home.
I’m seeing reports on my social media feeds that while there were a few injuries, everyone is fine, thankfully. It’s very lucky that no one was seriously hurt, with the amount of people on that stage and nearby.
The remaining acts, including headliners Death Cab for Cutie, may have been cancelled, but Bluesfest 2011 went out on an interesting note nonetheless!
