Have you even wondered what it’s like to be on the other side of the stage? Here is a glimpse into July 13, 2011 at the Ottawa Bluesfest with a local singer/songwriter/ piano man. My boyfriend, Tyler Kealey, played a set of his original blues-pop piano music on the Claridge Homes stage at 6pm and here is a rundown of the day, from behind the scenes!
7am – alarm goes off.
7:45am – We drive downtown to George Street, and park outside the A channel’s news station for Tyler’s appearance on the A morning show.
8:00am – We meet the hosts, producers, and everyone involved with the morning show. It’s a small set with tan leather couches and a kitchen area with a refrigerator and working stove.
8:30am – I chat with the food stylist from Food Thought, grab a coffee, settle in to watch the show. Tyler goes to warm up in the car for a few minutes.
8:55am – Tyler’s interviewed by Kent Stoodley and does really well! Kent is very comfortable and easy to talk to.
9am – I go feed the parking meter and find a notice on the car warning against vandalism (I guess Tyler’s gear was visible through the back window. At least it wasn’t a ticket!)
9:40am – Tyler chats with Kurt and the guest co-host, Korey Kealey, who we determined is married to a long-lost, few-times-removed relative of Tyler’s, then plays a song from his upcoming album, Tommy’s ticket.
10am – The show comes to a close, and Tyler plays “Baseball Diamond,” a catchy, melodic tune from his album Characters, as the credits roll. After the cameras are off, Bill Welychka comments on how much he likes the song and it’s catchy hook.
10:30am – Packed up, we head home. Tyler’s a bit disappointed in how he sang on the show, but it was pretty early in the morning.
11am – Tyler responds to some emails, prints his set list, gathers everything he’s going to need for the show.
12pm – I head out with the dog to meet my friend Meg and give the pups a run.
1pm – I arrive home with lunch from Kettlemen’s. Tyler meets me at the door and says we have to head down to Bluesfest earlier than expected for an interview. I make him stop pacing and eat lunch.
1:30pm – Tyler’s dad comes over and they pack up his van with keyboards and all of the gear.
2:30pm – We head out to Bluesfest.
2:45pm – We do a quick U-turn to park behind the stage, and hop out to figure out which main entrance we are meeting AJ Sauve, the media coordinator for Bluesfest at. We see Mark Monaghan zip by in a scooter, waving hi.
3pm – We find the CTV news van, and AJ, and walk over to the big empty stage where Tyler will be performing, chatting about local music.
3:05pm – Tyler’s dad isn’t there with the equipment yet, so we rush to get some back stage guys to set up a keyboard for Tyler to sit at.
3:10pm – CTV’s Catherine Lathem interviews Tyler, asking about the Junos and what he thinks about the awards show coming to Ottawa, how the Junos would benefit the city, and how they would help a local musician like himself.
3:20pm – They take some shots of Tyler pretending to play the keyboard, while in the background, Metric’s production guy soundchecks their bass.
3:30pm – Tyler’s dad arrives at the gate and i let him in. The stage hands help to quickly unload the equipment from the van.
3:40pm – I’m on the phone with Tyler’s drummer, giving directions on how to get to the stage parking area.
3:50pm – It starts raining pretty hard. I grab my rain jacket and fasten the hood, hoping it clears up before the show. Tyler is setting up, plugging in, playing, testing, adjusting.
4pm – I get in a golf cart with a Bluesfest volunteer and Metric’s road manager to bring merchandise to the merch tent. Tyler just has CDs so I check in, get them counted, and leave my contact info and the pick-up time. I get a ride back to the backstage area.
4:15pm – Steph, the drummer arrives and sets up, plays the drums, everything is sounding good.
4:20pm – I talk with Mark, the backstage manger and get the band passes, guest passes, and catering tickets sorted out.
4:25pm – The rain starts dripping again. They cover the front speakers with plastic and tarps.
4:30pm – We check out Tyler’s backstage trailer, stocked with candy, chips, juice, water, and a cooler of beer. We listen to the rain rattling on the roof.
4:40pm – I start calling Tyler’s bass player, Garney, and guitar player, Todd, to see where they are.
4:45pm – On standby by the back gate to let in Garney and Todd. They arrive and carry their gear up to the stage.
4:55pm – Tyler’s band is all onstage just to make sure everything is all set up and working. Tyler thanks the production guys – they are real pros and did a wonderful job , making sure every detail was attended to.
5pm – The Bluesfest gates open for the day. I can see the edge of the grey cloud quickly disappearing, and blue sky peeping out – feeling optimistic!
5:15pm – We all gather in the trailer. I hand out the set lists and the guys make a few notes on them.
5:25pm – I meet up with Jen, a friend and awesome local photographer, to give her a pass so she can get some backstage shots of Tyler and the band.
5:30pm – Metric’s tour bus pulls up backstage.
5:45pm – The guys get ready to go onstage.
6pm – Tyler is announced, and the guys walk on stage and start playing!
6:05pm –The first song they play is “Only Love,” and it bursts out across the festival grounds in a wave of guitar and piano riffs. Tyler’s voice sounds strong, and I can tell he’s feeling confident and enjoying himself. He plays a few new tunes, and everything sounds awesome. I watch for awhile, take some photos, check out the crowd, wander around, take some video.
Until 7pm – Loving every minute of every song. Tyler plays his heart out, taps the keys with his foot a couple of times, gets everyone clapping along, charms all of the audience. I couldn’t feel more proud!
7pm – Set is done, the guys come off the stage and then tear down all of the gear, and pack it up.
7:30pm – We relax in the trailer with a few drinks and talk over the show, then take a group shot outside the trailer.
8pm – Watch Metric walk past to go onstage, then I head down into the “pit” (a gated off area in the front that is filled with media people) to take a few photos of Emily Haines and her band.
8:30pm – Head over to the catering area behind the big MBNA stage fill up our plates with delicious food. Lots of vegetarian options provided by the Green Door restaurant including avocado salad, curried chickpeas, and spinach and tofu lasagne. Yum.
8:45pm – Someone with My Morning Jacket takes off from his trailer in his boxers and runs quickly around the food tent, with his bandmates cheering him on. We clap as he darts back into the trailer.
9pm – My Morning Jacket starts their set – they sound great!
9:30pm – It’s getting chilly so we get our jackets and then head over to meet some family at the Subway stage, and catch the end of Buddy Guy’s set.
10:30pm – Pack up and head for home.
I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed the show. It was even more hectic and chaotic than I can describe leading up to the show, but well worth it. Tyler will be back on Sunday as part of Ben Cooper’s band, at 2:45pm on the Hard Rock stage to do it all over again (with less pressure).
Did you make it to the show? Any new tunes catch your ear? What other acts will you head down to see at the Ottawa Bluesfest this year?
