The intense heat finally let go of it’s grip on Ottawa this past Sunday as day 4 of the 2023 edition of RBC Bluefest continued to draw large crowds to Lebreton Flats.
Taming Sari performs at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo: Laura Collins
We kicked off the night with Taming Sari at the SiriusXM Stage, one of the first performances we’ve taken in under the tent so far this year. Always fun and always loaded with energy Taming Sari was exactly the kickstart we needed to get day 4 underway.
Bran Van 3000 performs at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo: Renée Doiron
It wouldn’t have been right to miss Bran Van 3000 on the RBC Stage so that’s where we made our way next. Although familiar with the name I wasn’t overly familiar with the band’s music going into the festival but it was hard not to get into the groove of this group that celebrates 25 years of making music this year.
Tegan and Sara perform at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo: Renée Doiron
We didn’t have to stray very far for our next performance as Tegan and Sara took to the RBC Stage next. Having been following these two for about as long as they’ve been making music you’re guaranteed a good time when they come to town. 10 albums in and, hopefully, many more to come, Tegan and Sara are still at the very top of their game. It’s been a few years since I last saw them live and, like fine wine, they’ve gotten better with age.
Alan Doyle performs at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo: Laura Collins
We had planned to split the headline performances between Alan Doyle and Death Cab for Cutie but once we got to the River Stage we found ourself quite deep in the crowd and under Doyle’s magical east coast spell. I spent a few weeks not far from Doyle’s hometown in Newfoundland last year and, like the music, there’s just something about the East Coast that draws you in and makes it really hard to escape from. I haven’t seen Doyle live since the spring before the pandemic when he performed at Ottawa Dragon Boat festival so it was great to spend a few hours going back to the classic Great Big Sea songs and melodies I grew up with and even the new Alan Doyle solo tracks that I can’t get enough of today. I really felt that Doyle was misplaced on the River Stage but it’s still possible that the mainstage would’ve been too large of an area for him to fill as well. In the end we got a high energy, yet intimate, performance with two big promises to take home…first: new music is on the way and second: a new tour is being planned and there will be a stop in Ottawa. So it was a triple win for us. Of course, as soon as details are available on the tour we’ll have them here on the site.
Death Cab for Cutie performs at the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo: Renée Doiron
We managed to escape the clutches of the coastal tide in time to catch a few songs by Death Cab for Cutie on our way out. Honestly not familiar with this band at all, I listened to some of their music after the lineup was announced but it just didn’t grab me like others do. I was hoping to get something out of their live performance but simply didn’t see enough to entice me to stop and take in their set. Although there were many leaving at the same time as us (about 10:45pm) I did see many positive comments about Death Cab for Cutie so I’ll chalk it up to acquired taste. I’d definitely give them a second look should they return to a festival and not be up against one of my favourite artists.
So here we are, the end of the two day break and in about 24 hours I’ll be back on my way to RBC Bluesfest to get ready for, what will likely be, one of the busiest nights of the summer as Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters return to town. Some acts I’ll be checking out tomorrow include: my good friends and neighbours from Cardinal, Ontario River City Junction, My Son the Hurricane and Adrian Sutherland (Adrian performed at RBC Bluesfest several years ago with his band Midnight Shine ahead of Tom Petty). The last time the Foo Fighters were in town I gave the show a less than favourable review…can they change my mind tomorrow? Stay tuned!!
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