Foley battles through illness to deliver healthy shot of blues

A diverse crowd of people waited to groove to the blues at Amigos Cantina on the second night of the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. Taking the stage with a powerful blues voice and her signature pink Telecaster guitar, Sue Foley didn’t disappoint.

Local three-piece blues band Apollo Cruz opened the show. While all three members are young, it didn’t stop Nick Longpre, Aiden Currie and Brandon Ziola from sounding like seasoned blues veterans. Longpre’s guitar solos and the soulful vocals of all three members oozed the emotion typically present in someone who’s already had a lifetime of singing the blues.

Although the sound mix drowned out many of the lyrics, it wasn’t enough to ruin the feel of the music. The audience members couldn’t keep from tapping their feet or bobbing their heads along to the rhythm.

The crowd got even more into the groove as the Sue Foley Band took the stage. When Foley began to sing Give Me Time, many audience members started to whistle.

However, after playing four songs, the show came to a stop as Foley said she wasn’t feeling well and quickly left the stage for a “10-minute break.”

The break turned into 20 minutes, and then half an hour of waiting for Foley to come back on stage, but the atmosphere in the room never changed. The laid-back, bluesy feel of the music translated to the audience members, who patiently waited to see whether Foley would be well enough to continue the show. After almost 40 minutes, she returned to the stage.

“In all my years of playing live, this has never happened to me,” she told the audience.

Although Foley was visibly unwell, especially during Come To Me, the first song back after the break, she persevered for an audience that certainly didn’t let her down. The show turned into a dance party that was almost as entertaining to watch as Foley herself.

After playing a few more songs from her latest album, The Ice Queen, including Gaslight and The Lucky Ones, she invited her special guest, American blues icon Lou Ann Barton, to take the stage.

And take the stage she did. As Foley took a break from vocals and showcased her skills as a guitarist, Barton brought her heart and soul to the stage, showcasing her years of experience.