The most hotly anticipated festival of the year kicked off last night in Byron Bay. The 22nd annual Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival saw tens of thousands take over the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm to enjoy the likes of Ben Harper (with Relentless7 and a couple of the Innocent Criminals), Ruthie Foster, Michael Franti with Spearhead, C.W. Stoneking, Ernest Ranglin, Funky Meters, Lowrider, Los Lobos, Xavier Rudd and many more.
During Michael Franti, who was celebrating his birthday, a couple got engaged on stage, before Kim Churchill joined the happy couple of stage, adding harmonica to “Sound of Sunshine”. Ben Harper, meanwhile, surprised the crowd with a Relentless7/Innocent Criminals fusion band, thrilling them with an impressive 2 hour set full of all his hits. Los Lobos, meanwhile got the crowd on their feet, closing their set with “La Bamba”, and artists like Ruthie Foster, Ernest Ranglin, Ray Beadle and C.W. Stoneking were among the many to impress with their vocal and guitar skills.
But it was ZZ Top who gave crowd the quote (and the beards) of the day: “We’ve been doing this for 4 decades… the same three guys… the same three chords”. It would be safe to say these old rockers have still got it.
A 6 day event for the first time, the remainder of the festival will see Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Bob Dylan, Imogen Heap, Grace Jones, George Clinton, Jethro Tull, Warren Haynes, Blind Boys of Alabama, Fistful of Mercy, John Legend, Gurrumul, Leon Russell and so many more! Calling this an impressive lineup is putting it lightly. Stay tuned for our full review and photo galleries.
More details: http://www.bluesfest.com.au/
