As I headed into the festival grounds on Friday, I couldn’t help but feel a great deal of excitement as the sun beamed down on me. Today was a ridiculously fantastic line-up.
Entering the gates, Old Man River could be heard opening on the main stage – the familiar “Sunshine” wafting through the air, to a small but appreciative crowd. A.L.O. followed for their second and final performance at the festival, playing a fairly similar set to what we saw on Thursday night. The big difference, however, was that “Girl I Wanna Lay You Down” was played acoustic today, with some accordion thrown in. It’s possible my memory is shot, but I’m fairly sure that wasn’t the case on Thursday! In either case, another great set from the talented group.
The Greencards (pictured above) hit the Jambalaya stage a short time later, another personal Bluesfest find from years past. While based out of Nashville (formerly Austin, Texas), the group, fronted by two Australians (Kym Warner and Carol Young), is a bluegrass meets folk meets gypsy meets rock and roll experience. I’m told this is called “newgrass”. Despite recently replacing their long-time fiddle player Eamon McLoughlin, the band sounded as tight and were as talented as I remember, getting the crowd on their feet, dancing the afternoon away – not an easy feat at 230pm! While definitely a sound born of the Southern American states, the fronting duo gave it that slight Australiana edge, helping make their music stand apart from the rest.
I caught a bit of RockWiz next – its first of 3 shows at Bluesfest. They put on a show identical to what you see on TV, with the obvious exception being “regular folk” contestants were members of the crowd! It was a great break from the rest of festival, although with guests like Jen Cloher (pictured above) giving us surprise musical interludes, alongside a backing band, it definitely fit in with the pack. Also of note, artist Megan Washington, who didn’t play the festival, was one of
the many other special guests to make appearances throughout the week. A game show: something every festival should have!
Matisyahu (pictured below) proved the first big drawcard for my Friday afternoon, playing the mainstage, seeing the tent pack out for the first time this festival. His energy on stage was intoxicating – before even saying or singing a word, he’d already jumped into the crowd while the band jammed behind him. “Youth” was knocked out early in the set, and he spent the rest of the hour impressing us with his lyrical genius and beatboxing skills. This man is a machine!
While I found the music to be heading into the repetitive department towards the end, Matisyahu nonetheless impressed and provided a set going far beyond expectations.
But it was The Swell Season who proved the highlight of the day, gripping the crowd from the very first note. Glen and Marketa first came out accompanied by 3 acoustic guitars and a violin, before becoming a six-piece, adding a piano and drums into the mix, The guitars went electric, however, for “Low Rising” – which had a sublime taste of “Sexual Healing” thrown in!
Glen performed a few tracks solo, the first of which, “Say It To Me Now”, showed just how goosebump-inducing, tear swellingly powerful this man’s voice can be, as he beats down his beautifully tattered guitar. The audience was stunned, sharing a silence as his voice echoed around the tent (on an incredible sound system).
Marketa returned for a cover of “Fogtown” by Michelle Shocked, which they dedicated to Dr. John, who had played on the Crossroads stage just prior to their set. It may have been a cover, but it was yet another example of their raw passion and power, something of true beauty. The trend continued with “When Your Mind’s Made Up”, and the audience interaction/sing-along during “High Horse” brought another exciting layer to the set. Their hour ended with a surprising cover of “Walking on a Dream” by Empire of the Sun, during which a member of the audience held up the lyrics for Glen. To be honest, it was better than the original! This was indeed going to be a hard set to top.
The Colin Hay Band were ending their proceedings back on the Jambalaya stage as I made my way over from the Swell Season, performing “Land Down Under” to an overflowing tent. You could probably have heard that sing-along in space! It was a pity that this was his only appearance at the festival, I would have loved to have seen the full set.
Having only caught the end of The Avett Brothers the night before, I made my way to see the band that is easily going to become as big as Kings of Leon. They’ve got the looks, the charm, and the talent to get them a long way. It’s just a pity it’s taken so long for us to experience it! The Cello plus piano combination in their set was of particular beauty, and when Scott and Seth Avett sing “A Pretty Girl from Chile”, screaming the name Gabriella at the top of their lungs, they may as well have been singing it right to her, directly from the heart. The energy and emotion that came from their voices showed you how much this band puts into their live shows. Check this band out. Now.
The legends just kept on rolling in, with Buddy Guy playing to another packed out tent. This was a man who still had his mojo working overtime, as he jumped around the stage, playing his classic tracks, while paying tributes to those who made it possible for him to stand on that stage. John Lee Hooker. Albert King. Eric Clapton. Their tracks became a part of Buddy’s set, which showed the master at work, reminding us all that when music is played right, there is nothing else in the world that you need at that moment. Buddy Guy, it was an honour.
Guitar GOD Jeff Beck (pictured above) followed Buddy, and now I truly understand what all the fuss is about. He makes it look so EASY! And with a set that included tracks like instrumental versions of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, he kept the audience hooked to his jams, which were brought together by an impressive backing band. If anyone surrounds himself with fine musicians, it’s Jeff Back.
I made my way back to the Caba Caba Ray Stage, where RockWiz had performed earlier in the day, to catch another festival resident: Poor Man’s Whiskey (pictured below), playing all 5 days. The San Franscisco group were a hit of the festival, tonight playing an hour of tracks off of their album “Dark Side of the Moonshine” – a bluegrass interpretation of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Hilarious indeed, especially as they were dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz – however it was pretty damn good as well. The lyrics were transformed just as much by the skilled musicians as were their styles, making the tracks very much their own.
It helped that they were having an absolute blast on stage, too. All in all, I think it was the most entertaining show Bluesfest had ever seen. They would go on to play original material later in the week, which was just as entertaining to be honest.
Back on the main stage, John Butler Trio ended the night, after arriving late to the stage due to flight delays. It sounded like they was in an episode of the Amazing Race! But they made it, and opening with “Better Than”, the new look trio sounded as good as you’d expect. I can’t say it was the SAME with the new guys, and John Butler appeared a more dominating force on stage than he used to, but it was still a great way to end the night. Is it even possible to have a Bluesfest without Mr. Butler? I don’t think so.
We’ll see you again tomorrow Byron!
All the above photos were taken by Larry Heath. Click here to view Johnny Au’s more comprehensive photo gallery of the second day of the festival!
