Bluesfest Day 1: Jimmy Eat World, DVBBS, and The Black Keys
It’s that exciting time of year when Bluesfest is upon us, promising two weeks of music-packed evenings, rain, suffocating humidity, and a whole bunch of sweaty people. The first day was no exception, as clouds tumbled in from afar and looked as if they were ready to offload some serious precipitation on us. Luckily, it was a near miss as the storm seemed to hover just north of LeBreton. The sun did eventually come out, saving us from yet another stormed-out Black Keys set.
One problem with music festivals is that timeslots clash. Jimmy Eat World and Bahamas were on at the same time, so Eric and I split up and went our own ways to cover our respective acts. I suppose you can’t be two places at once, but we got about as close to doing so as possible. As I sauntered over to the Bell Stage to catch Jimmy Eat World, the sun started to break through and that festival rush really hit me.
Jimmy is one of those bands that I don’t listen to much any more, but still hold close to my heart. Throughout my teens and just into my 20’s, Jimmy was that band that my adolescent self could relate with, fitting right in with the pop-punk heroes of that era. I nestled into a nice spot close up and got there right in time to hear “The World You Love”, which is an anthemic song about how everything as you know it changes as you get older (my interpretation, anyway). I was transported into my 19 year-old self at this point, at the cusp of adulthood and dealing with friends moving away and new responsibilities.
Their set continued with old and new. They played many songs like “Futures”, “Work”, and “Pain”, off Futures, which is my favourite album by them, and older ones such as “Sweetness”. I had seen a live DVD by them years ago and lead singer/guitarist Jim Adkins’ vocals were horrendous (perhaps poor audio quality). I think deep down I had assumed that any live performance would be the same outcome, but I was so relieved that the opposite was true. His vocals were spot on, and the band played like the seasoned veterans they are. They continued with new songs off their record, including “Damage” and “Appreciation”, which weren’t as epic as their older tunes but still well-written and catchy nonetheless. Perhaps not as relevant as they used to be, Jimmy Eat world still won over audience with their strong catalogue, ending their set with “The Middle” and getting the crowd to dance their hearts out.
Next on the bill for me was DVBBS (pr. “dubs”), a Toronto-Based electronic duo consisting of bros Alex and Chris Andre. This music isn’t really my thing, but I’m always down to check out different styles if it sounds good. Hearing about these dudes online, I found out that they’ve shared the stage with Tiesto, Steve Aoki, MSTRKRFT, LMFAO, and Calvin Harris. Their mixes were well done and I was impressed with their choice of samples, which included Florence and the Machine, Icona Pop, and a mix of genres including rock and reggae. Pretty much, it was party rock central, and I was one of the oldest guys there. You know, like the only guy at the party with a full beard. Despite my slight discomfort with this realization, the set was solid as people went nuts when the bass “dropped”.
I left DVBBS a little early to stake out a spot for The Black Keys at the Bell Stage. They eventually emerged and began their set with “Howlin’ For You” off Brothers. Right off the bat it was apparent that someone fucked up. Not the band though, the sound guys messed up lead singer Dan Auerbach’s vocals AND guitar. The problem persisted throughout the set, some songs were worse than others in this respect, but their performance was legendary nonetheless. I had seen The Black Keys at Lollapalooza 2007 before they made it big with Brothers, and coincidentally, the power went out during their set. Add on a massive thunderstorm at Bluesfest 2011 that almost forced them to cancel their performance, and I begin to think I’m a curse upon the band.
I don’t know what else to say other than that Black Keys are one of this generation’s defining bands, bringing real rock and roll, raw musicianship, and impassioned stage presence to the fold on a consistent basis. The spectacle was mesmerizing, as Patrick Carney slammed his drumset into oblivion and Dan Auerbach showed his true skills while masterfully dominating his guitar’s fretboard. The Keys played newer, more well-known material from Brothers and El Camino, such as “Next Girl”, “Tighten Up”, “She’s Long Gone”, “Gold on the Ceiling”, and “Little Black Submarines”. With each of these, the crowd played a back-up vocal role while reciting each lyric word for word. During the quiet acoustic verse of “Submarines”, Dan brought out a beautiful-sounding steel hollow-body acoustic guitar. Between verses, the lights went out, only to lighten up again with Dan equipped with his electric to finish off the song loudly and intensely. Songs like “She’s Long Gone” boasted perfectly over-driven guitar tones from Dan and thunderous percussion from Patrick, reminding me why this band has been a saviour of music in an age of prepackaged shitty rock bands.
2013. RBC Bluesfest Press Images PHOTO/Marc Desrosier
The rest of the band left the stage mid-set so that Patrick and Dan could play some old school songs with just the two of them. Playing one of my favourite from their pre-Brothers era, “Your Touch”, the sound was so genuinely good that it was hard not to rock out a bit. People were crowd surfing and jumping all over. The band ended their set with “Lonely Boy”, and “She’s Long Gone” a great song off their album Attack and Release.
Other than the two people that passed out around me, and a near fight between two older women, the night was a really positive experience. Here’s to hoping the rest of the festival follows suit!