Arts

Bluesfest performance
Milky Chance was both wholesome and vibey. Image: Noah Bailey/Fulcrum.
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There are only two days left of Ottawa’s summer music festival.

As we approach the last weekend of RBC Bluesfest, it’s only right that we were blessed with another country night. 

Thursday night hosted another crowd of flannels and cowboy boots, the proper attire for a Luke Bryan concert. 

Luke Bryan took the stage at 9:15 wearing a fun floral shirt and immediately started singing his country classics.

He frequently reminded the crowd how much he missed Canada, and how happy he was to be in Ottawa. 

If anyone was looking to make some of their money back from their passes, I watched a girl sell one of her beers to a man who didn’t want to lose his spot in the crowd. 25 dollars, easy money. 

Luke Bryan is a phenomenal performer. The entire set had everyone singing along, but no surprise, “Country Girl” got the entire crowd grooving.

Friday night presented a dilemma. At 9:30, the mainstage brought on Rage Against the Machine but on the River Stage, Milky Chance was performing. 

I walked a few laps of Lebreton Flats beforehand, taking in the earlier acts before deciding which stage I would commit to for the late show. 

Personally, I needed to swing by the Accora Village Spin Stage to see what DJ Prosper was playing. That guy definitely does not lack energy, and he knew his audience well, playing throwback hits for a bit of an older crowd. 

Back near the mainstage, I caved and got in line for a lemonade. All week, I’d opted for alcohol despite craving a cold, fresh, lemonade. 

I absolutely did not regret standing in line for 25 minutes to get it. So delicious, so refreshing. 

It was just about 9:30, so I headed back to the River Stage to watch Milky Chance perform. 

No regrets. I was super impressed by this performance. The German band was super funky and had a cool style. Plus, they had sweet stage lights. 

Truthfully, I didn’t know a lot of their songs, just a couple popular ones. Everything they played was great, and the harmonica bit was out of this world. 

As Milky Chance finished their set, there was still time to pop back over to the mainstage and catch the end of the night’s headliner, Rage Against the Machine (who are on their “Public Service Announcement” tour). 

Obviously, the vibe was a lot different than Milky Chance. As they are known for expressing their political views in their songs, the crowd went absolutely wild when reminded of current issues. 

Frontman Zach de la Rocha gave a fiery speech about standing up to the government, solidarity with one another, gun violence, and women’s rights to their bodies (they recently donated ticket sale earnings to reproductive rights organizations). 

The audience responded incredibly, singing every single line of “Killing in the Name”. It was a powerful way to end the night. 

Author

  • After spending four years with the Fulcrum’s sports section, Jasmine has taken her knowledge and experience to the EIC role. Outside of the Fulcrum, Jasmine captains the Gee-Gees women’s ultimate team and represents Ottawa’s competitive scene on Stella. If she’s not creating content for the Fulcrum or on the field, you can find her streaming on Twitch.