Arts

The rain held off, the weather was nice, the music was loud, and the energy was magnetic

Bluesfest began this year on July 4 at LeBreton Flats with Mother Mother taking the headline role. The famous Ottawa summer festival started off with a bang and, as always, started to display an extremely diversified genre of musical talent to give a backdrop to Ottawa’s summer. 

The second day of the festival kicked off July 5 with renowned Canadian band Nickelback and rising country music singer Warren Zeiders at the RBC Stage.

The Artichoke Hearts, Mia Kelly and Noah Cyrus played at the River Stage; May Davis and Ziggy Alberts played on the SiriusXM Stage, while Bywater Call played both at the SiriusXM Stage and with Danielle Allard and Aleksi Campagne in the Barney Danson Theatre. 

The 30th edition of Ottawa’s festival was roaring high with excitement this Friday for all of the acts, but especially Nickelback. Warren Zeiders took the honour of opening for the rockers from Hanna, A.B., and he was highly anticipated by numerous attendees. Although some others may not have recognized his name, they surely left with it memorized, as he captivated the crowd with his songs “Pretty Little Poison”, “Relapse”, and “Weeping Willow”. 

However, the highlight of the day was the rare and thrilling experience of seeing Nickelback perform live in front of a crowd of 30,000 people.Nickelback gave the audience a blast from the past with renditions of fan-favourite hits such as “Photograph”, “This Afternoon”, and, as expected, “Rockstar”.

As many devoted fans know, their show in Ottawa brings nostalgia to the band’s followers and the band itself, as lead singer Chad Krogoer remembered on stage how they were playing sets in the ByWard Market more than two decades ago. 

The concert that they put on this Friday reminds us why they are one of Canada’s most memorable bands and universally recognized artists. From the energetic performance, to the fireworks, toand the amazing connection between the audience and the performers, this headliner was not one to miss and especially not one to forget.

Simultaneously and differently, Noah Cyrus was playing at the river stage, where a different vibe was capturing the audience. Cyrus moved the crowd with her melancholic lyrics, having her mostly young audience sing along to some of her most popular songs, such as “Make Me (Cry)” as the audience anticipated “I Got so High that I Saw Jesus”. 

However, with the festival having her scheduled at the same time as Nickelback, this created a smaller audience for her performance and a much more enthusiastic crowd on the stage next to her.

Friday was a success and most definitely a great second day of the 30th edition of Bluesfest in our nation’s capital. The rain held off, the weather was nice, the music was loud, and the energy was magnetic. Catch more performers on the following days and enjoy some of the magic that this festival brings to Ottawa.