Matias’ Bluesfest 2013 ‘Top 5’ lists
Having covered so much of Ottawa Bluesfest 2013, it’s hard to summarize everything or even narrow down top 5’s. So much happened, and many great memories were made. I’ll do my best to conjure these memories with honesty and (perhaps arbitrarily) rank them, but as Eric said in his post… who doesn’t like lists?
2013. RBC Bluesfest Press Images PHOTO/Mark Horton
Top 5 performances (click on the band for a link to the review)
1. Death Grips
2. The Specials
3. Wu-Tang Clan
4. Passion Pit
5. Yukon Blonde
Top 5 moments (personal events, not directly related to a band’s performance)
1. After a long, hot day in the sun and a little bit of grumpiness setting in, a wonderful older gentleman serving beer at one of the tents smiled and asked me how my day was going and engaged in a really pleasant conversation with me. He made my day a lot brighter, and it goes to show how important it is to a) have volunteers, and b) be kind to people. Thank you, random genuinely good-hearted fellow.
2. Dancing (…stumbling…) like an idiot to catchy Great Big Sea songs with my closest friends. Beer may or may not have been involved.
3. During the Black Keys’s set, a woman of larger proportions passed out cold in the middle of the crowd behind me. Within seconds, people were finding ways to create a circle of protection for her until medical staff got there, supporting her head, and eventually helping to carry her to safety. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let them through, and I thought that was really special.
4. Discovering how beautiful an icy Palm Bay is on a scorching hot day. Life-changing. “Palmed.”
5. Being able to see Rush with a girl that I fancy a lot, albeit from a less-than-ideal standpoint, but it was super cool to be there to catch one of her favourites.
Top 5 things I would change about Bluesfest
1. There needs to be greater accessibility to drinking water. This isn’t even about comfort, it’s a serious health, safety, and security concern. Every beer tent/porta-potty area should have water stations.
2. Ensure that adequate sound testing is done prior to the start of the festival (rigging-wise), and ensure that soundboard is set and ready to go. The sound issues this year were unacceptable and embarrassing. These issues rarely happen at Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Glastonbury, so if Ottawa Bluesfest wants to compete amongst the world’s best festivals, fixing sound issues is a must.
3. I’m not sure, but something tells me that Ottawa Bluesfest is out-growing LeBreton Flats. Especially with the land development taking place, the grounds are seeming to compress year after year as the festival grows. Medium to long-term planning for a new location should start taking place.
4. Not have EDM acts blasting at the same time as other acts that aren’t as prone to dropping the bass. I heard that Los Lobos were pissed about Dog Blood’s set because they couldn’t compete with the massive sound coming off the Bell Stage. Having those acts are fine, just don’t have anyone scheduled to play at the same time. It’s a matter of respect.
5. There should be more shaded area for people to hang out and recharge. Yeah, there are a few trees, but not that many. Tents could be set up with small vendors selling non-alcoholic beverages. Plastic tables and lawn chairs are inexpensive. They could even incorporate Eric’s idea of having misting tents off to the side of the shaded area so that people can cool off however they prefer.
Top 5 things I really liked about Bluesfest
1. Volunteers. These guys put a lot of their own time and effort into making sure this festival stays viable and that patrons have a wicked time. They do a great job every year and deserve a ton of credit.
2. Medical/security personnel. On multiple occasions (4 or 5 at least) I saw medical emergencies happen around me and each time the response teams were on it. It’s some peace of mind knowing that our asses are covered if something bad happens.
3. Spraying water during sets with big crowds in the dead heat of a hot afternoon. It’s almost like taking a dive in a swimming pool, it’s unreal how refreshing getting sprayed is. That, and I think the security guys just enjoy soaking the pants off everyone in the crowd.
4. I like that the festival removed a stage and replaced that area with more vendors. I felt like the former Black Sheep Stage (which is now moved to the far side of the museum) was too much for such a small area.
5. Beer tents (in the end). Once the organizers got the snake lines up and running, problems of congestion and bottle-necking were largely alleviated. While I would like to see an assortment of local craft beers being served, I understand the politics behind sponsorship so I was still happy with what Mill St. had to offer.
Top 5 interesting people
1. The pirate-zombie, whom I’ve seen around Ottawa before in full costume, navigating the tumultuous seas to find his treasure island amongst waves of spectators and lawn chairs for B.B. King.
2. The little photographer with a musculoskeletal issue who had bigger cojones than most photographers I’ve ever seen. He needed help carrying his gear, but he had no problem getting right up beside the members of Wu-Tang Clan while they were on stage to get that one great shot. He also acquired a cherry-picker and harnessed himself in to get an overhead shot (maybe 20 metres up) of the Bluesfest crowd during B.B. King. Crazy guy!
3. The ultimate Rush fan who may have been slightly overweight, but running around, dancing, and gyrating his heart out before the band came on stage. This guy ties with a Matt Good fan who seemed to think he was at a metal show whilst Mr. Good played songs like “Load Me Up”.
4. The Specials’s leads singer Terry Hall, who seems to always have a look of perpetual dissatisfaction on his face, ended up more than dissatisfied at Bluesfest. In fact, he was pissed. Due to crappy sound, he could be seen yelling out sound guys, throwing microphones, stomping around stage in annoyance. I don’t blame him one bit. Still a great show though.
5. The kid (maybe 4 years old) on his dad’s shoulders during Solange’s set who would have gone up on stage and danced his butt off if he could. Happiest kid in the festival for sure. It’s nice to see the little guys get into live music. We must all teach our children well!
Top 5 bands I would like to see next year (A man can dream right?)
1. Arcade Fire
2. Radiohead
3. Toots & The Maytals
4. The Pixies
5. Dookie-era Greenday