Luke Combs draws largest crowd yet for 2022 RBC Bluesfest

Last night was my first night at RBC Bluesfest this summer having come down with COVID just before my debut was slightly delayed. Thankfully I was back on my feet and feeling good and made it down early and managed to stay for the full night and what a night it was. There was literally something for everyone at Bluesfest last night and the massive crowd definitely left happy.

It’s always tough at Bluesfest because there’s so many great acts often playing at the same time on different stages. Last night was no different with Ottawa native Anders Drerup kicking off the RBC Stage while Canada’s Got Talent winner Kellie Loder kicked things off on the SiriusXM Stage , Gavin McLeod on the River Stage and Andrew Waite in the Barney Danson Theatre. Unfortunately I only managed to catch two of those four.

I started the first set with Anders and skipped over to see Kellie for a bit on the SiriusXM Stage. Kellie made quite the impression on the crowd that had gathered in the tent, although I didn’t watch Canada’s Got Talent, I can see how her personality would’ve easily helped her win. Her performance was definitely memorable enough that I’d want to see her again should she come through on a tour.

I had to be back at the RBC Stage for Anders before the end of his set as there was going to be a special surprise for the crowd. Anders was having a great time with his band getting the crowd fired up. His music seemed to draw influence from blues, rock and some international styles making for a very entertaining show.

As many of you may know when the pandemic hit in the absence of live music we started working with and developing new artists. One of the first artists we brought on board was a young Ottawa Valley artist who has taken on the stage name Khloe B. Khloe was 14 or 15 when she first came on our radar and last night she had the biggest moment of her career when Anders invited her up onto the stage for a song at the end of his set. You’d think that a young artist would be intimidated by a crowd of that size, keep in mind Luke Combs was headlining so by the time Khloe got on stage the crowd had swelled to probably about 20,000 or more, but not Khloe; Khloe walked out with full confidence and performed a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” like she’s been performing in front of crowds that size for her entire life. Before she left the stage she asked the crowd if they’d mind if she took a quick video with her…the crowd roared in approval. Something tells me this isn’t the last time you’ll be seeing Khloe B on stage at RBC Bluesfest. Big shoutout to Anders for supporting Khloe and giving her such an amazing opportunity. If you were there and want to find out more about Khloe visit her online click here.

After Anders’ set there was little on my radar which opened up time to explore the other stages and discover something new.  First up was an energised blues set from Anthony Geraci. Anyone that says there’s no blues at Bluesfest is terribly mistaken…last night alone there were a number of blues acts including a major blues headliner, Colin James. Geraci and his band were a lot of fun to watch, they had the tent at the SiriusXM stage rockin’ for the full hour of their set. Those who preferred the more intimate setting of the Barney Danson theatre were treated to an encore performance by Geraci and his band later in the evening as well.

Following Geraci we went back to the RBC Stage to catch some of The Revivalists. This band felt out of place last night. With a night made up mostly of blues and a major country headliner I just didn’t feel that The Revivalists had the impact they could’ve had they been booked on a different night, perhaps with Alanis or even Alexisonfire. My son, Keenan, who returns as my wingman this year and will be helping with reviews this summer really enjoyed their show. They were the first to use the catwalk, so far this year, much to the delight of the crowd.

Around 8pm we made our way to the River Stage, located behind the museum this year, for Group Project. This Montreal based trio were highly recommended by many I spoke to last night and definitely didn’t disappoint. I don’t know what it is about music, indie rock in particular, coming out of Montreal but you can almost never go wrong. Group Project brought elements of the Arkells and Arcade Fire to their performance and if the crowd was an indication I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them back as headliners in a few years if they keep going with the momentum they have right now.

Our final stop before the headliner was back at the SiriusXM Stage for a highly recommended performance by Africa’s Femi Kuti. So much to unpack about this show, Femi and his band The Positive Force were almost too big to fit on the tiny SiriusXM Stage. The colour and the dancers and the horns made the tent overflow with positive energy. It was equally fun to watch this group on stage and the crowd that had gathered for the show was loving every second of the performance.

After watching Femi for a bit it was time to make our way back into the main bowl which had, by then, swelled to easy double the crowd that was there when we left after The Revivalists. We decided to bypass the crowd and take the road between the museum and the field and grabbed a quick bite to eat in the food area before the show. Unlike the beer lines, the food lineup was fast and efficient. Lots of variety for all tastes but one surprisingly absent vendor this year left us a bit disappointed. It’s been about 10 years since Keenan started joining me at festivals and it’s become our tradition that we have a slice of Gabriel Pizza’s Bluesfest Pizza every night we’re there but this year there’s no Gabriel’s and no bluesfest pizza…I don’t think there’s a pizza vendor at all to be honest. Here’s hoping they and their famous pizza will be back in future years.

We ended up watching the start of Luke Combs’ set from middle of the venue, seeing as we also planned to checkout Colin James we didn’t want to get stuck too deep in the crowd. He kicked things off with “1, 2 Many”, shotgunned his first beer and, and much to the delight of the crowd, sent the remainder flying over their heads giving everyone in its path, including our photographer, a beer shower. Welcome to country music folks you know it’s a good show when you’re wearing more beer at the end of the night than you’ve actually managed to drink. Don’t get me wrong I love a good Luke Combs show but last night I was torn one of my favourite Canadian blues artists, Colin James, was also headlining but on the Riverstage. After watching a few songs with Luke we made our way through the museum to watch Colin and boy what a show.

Colin James has been a long time favourite of mine and his music holds a place in my heart. I’ve personally promoted two Colin James shows while I still lived in the Ottawa Valley and my wife and I were engaged at one of his shows about 15 years ago. Watching Colin and the crowd was a great example of the spiritual power of music. As I watched people around me…some tapping toes, others clapping hands while others are full on being exercised from their demons! It was actually something beautiful to watch. No fear of judgement and no one judging. You can sing off key as loud as you possibly can, and I did, and others around you will just join in. Not to mention the many air guitar players who rocked out with Colin, myself included, during his many guitar solos. Colin was joined by two Ottawa players including Anders Drerup and, MonkeyJunk’s own, Steve Marriner along with an incredible horn section from Texas.

Colin rocked through his solo hits, as well as some from Little Big Band and a number of songs from his new, JUNO Award winning, album Open Road. He closed out the night with “Just Came Back” and much to the thrill of the crowd delivered his cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” as the encore.

It felt really good to be back at Lebreton Flatts for the first time since 2019. Was nice to see that the crowds were back and everyone was having fun and enjoying live music again. The world is fractured right now and I truly believe that music, especially live music, can help bring us all back together.

There’s still lots of entertainment to come before the final notes right now a week from tonight. Canadian, JUNO Nominated, Folk/Blues artist Rick Fines kicks things off on the SiriusXM Stage while Canadian rocker Sophia Radisch kicks things off on the RBC Stage. Of course the big highlights for tonight will be Garbage, Mackenzie Porter and Alanis Morissette but do yourself a favour and check out some of the other talent on the schedule. Renee Landry performs in the Barney Danson Theatre at 8, Sue Foley takes to the SiriusXM Stage at 7:30 and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will close out the River Stage starting at 8pm.

For tickets and a full schedule of events, including last minute changes, visit www.ottawabluesfest.ca

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