Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan, Pussy Riot take over LeBreton Flats
With the weekend finally showing its beautiful face to Bluesfest fans the LeBreton Flats festival’s Saturday lineup was looking amazing, topped by Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan and Pussy Riot.
But much like day seven of Bluesfest, thunder and lighting were major concerns for organizers and attendees on day nine, and at around 8 p.m. a thunderstorm forced festival organizers to cancel and postpone shows.
The gates did not open until 8:45 pm, which was an additional risk in itself because of the dark clouds that surrounded the festival. But Bluesfest deserves credit for their open and constant communication with attendees — their Twitter page was filled with updates on new showtimes and cancellations.
Somali-Canadian artist K’Naan and blues group Southern Avenue were among the acts impacted by cancellations, but the show must go on. And as the weather improved, so did the mood.
Green herb was in the air before, during and after Snoop Dogg’s 10:15 p.m. performance. What stood out during his set was the age of the crowd. Simply put, it was multi-generational. To your left, a 45-year-old mother of three. To your right, a 15-year-old high school student.
On the other side of City Stage was the Bluesville Stage, graced by Russian crew Pussy Riot. The political rock band was energetic and brought a big message. Like the Videotron Stage, the crowd was small compared to the mainstream acts at City Stage but the diehard fans were present. Matt Anderson closed out the Videotron Stage with a passionate fan base reciting lyrics and following along to his beat.
Wu-Tang Clan took over the festival’s main stage at 9 p.m. after the weather delay cleared and delivered lyrical fire on the mic. Inspectah Deck, GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, U-God and Young Dirty Bastard were taking us back to the 36 Chambers-era while reminding all of us that “Wu-Tang clan ain’t nothing to fuck with!”
They even played some Queen at the end of their set to spice up the crowd. But they didn’t need too much excitement because Snoop D.O double G continued to bring the fire.
Instead of finishing his set at 11:15 p.m., Snoop extended his show to nearly two hours of old-school and new-school hip-hop. From Gin & Juice to Smile Bitch the crowd was lifted (literally and figuratively).
What made his performance special were the dancers, the message and Warren G bringing the G-funk style to Ottawa. Snoop closed out the show with his classic Wiz Khalifa collab, capturing exactly how both the night and crowd felt: Young, Wild and Free.
