It’s a rare night at Bluesfest when tickets for the day sell out in advance, but that was the case for Combs, as some 30,000 people turned out to see the 32-year-old Nashville star.
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RBC Ottawa Bluesfest reached a peak not seen since the pre-pandemic era, as a streak of good weather and top-tier performances made LeBreton Flats Park the place to be for the weekend.
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Ottawa-born superstar Alanis Morissette was scheduled to entertain a hometown crowd in her first Bluesfest appearance on Sunday, and Jack Johnson wowed us with his suave charm on Friday, but it was Luke’s Saturday night blast Combs which took the festival to the top. in terms of attendance and beer sales.
It’s a rare night at Bluesfest when one-day tickets sell out in advance, but that was the case for Combs, as some 30,000 people turned out to see the 32-year-old Nashville star light up the grounds of the Canadian Museum of Music. Guerra, his first show in the country’s capital. It was the biggest Bluesfest crowd since the Foo Fighters drew nearly 40,000 in 2018.
Back then, the challenge of moving around the crowded plaza and waiting in line for beer, food, and portable potties was a hassle, but this time it was all part of the fun we didn’t have during the pandemic shutdowns. Even patrons who reported waiting more than 45 minutes for a beer on Saturday took it in stride, happy to be back at a festival.
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Backed by his star band, Combs was also in good spirits and kicked off the night with 1, 2 Many, an ode to excess that saw him grab a beer on the song’s appropriate line. “Are you ready for the party?” he asked a little later in his North Carolina accent, “because that’s what we’re about to do.”
Sure enough, it was an epic party for a crowd in which cowboy hats outnumbered face masks by roughly 200 to one, despite the latest public health advice recommending the wearing of masks. It was also a historic night for drinking, according to festival boss Mark Monahan, who called it one of the top five nights for beer sales in the festival’s 28-year history.
But between the fist bumps and gulps of beer there were moments of genuine connection, like when Combs’ irresistibly rich baritone embraced heartfelt ballads like She Got The Best of Me, The Kind of Love We Make and Houston, We Got A Problem, inviting everyone to sing.
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More than once, the burly singer-songwriter looked out over the large crowd of smiling faces and seemed to pinch himself, remembering the day he arrived in Nashville at the tender age of 23 hoping to make a name for himself. Never in a million years, he said, did he imagine himself on a stage in another country singing in front of so many people.
“Without you there is no show,” he declared during a round of thanks, emphasizing the importance of fans. “You are the most important”.
Combs’ feel-good performance capped off an eclectic night of programming that also featured an incredible, intense and highly energetic show from global rhythm king Femi Kuti, son of the legendary Fela Kuti, on the SiriusXM stage, along with a treat for the blues fans in the picturesque river setting.
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That grounded extravagance was anchored by the excellent guitar work of Canadian blues rocker Colin James, who was flanked by two guys from Ottawa, Steve Marriner on bass and Anders Drerup on rhythm guitar, plus drums, keyboards and Texas. Horns, the festival’s resident horn. section of Austin, Texas. The jam apparently continued into the wee hours of the morning at the Rainbow Bistro after party.
One change to the festival’s schedule this year is for music to start at 6 p.m. on weekends instead of earlier in the afternoon, an adjustment Monahan said was part of an effort to streamline things in the event of cancellations. related to the pandemic. Doors open at 5:00 pm every day (except Monday, which is a day off).
As for the slow bar service, Monahan says part of the problem stemmed from the number of newly recruited volunteers who had to learn their jobs quickly. A last-minute push for volunteers last week left little time for training.
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“It was partly a function of the numbers and it was just rusty in some cases,” he said, adding that staff are working to streamline the process. “Yes, it took longer to get a beer, but you can see that the servers are working hard. We had 15 beer stations open on Saturday, and people got their beer, believe me.”
Perhaps the best-organized aspect of the festival is the free bike rack, east of the museum, where volunteers can park up to 1,200 bikes in a secure area. In my experience, whether it was arrival or departure, it was so well organized that there was never a queue of more than two or three bikes. After Saturday night’s LRT power cut closed Pimisi station and forced people to walk to Gare de Lyon, cycling is clearly the best way to travel to the festival.
After a day off on Monday, the festival continues through July 17, with a weekday headliner lineup that includes DJ Marshmello and soulman Michael Franti on Tuesday, rockers Alexisonfire and Sum 41 on Wednesday, and another star of the country, Luke Bryan, on Thursday.
For updates and information, go to ottawabluesfest.ca.
