No need to sing the blues
Despite Wu-Tang woes, Bluesfest boss Mark Monahan calls 2013 one of the smoothest years yet, writes CHRIS COBB.
It was touch-and-go whether some members of the U. S. hip- hop ensemble Wu-Tang Clan would make it across the Canadian border for their Bluesfest concert last Sunday.
It was, said festival executive director Mark Monahan, “a months-long immigration saga” to get the group into the country.
Past brushes with the law were the problem.
“Most people who have criminal records don’t like talking about them,” he said, “so our biggest problem is always getting the information out of people. But if you want to avoid hassle when you cross the border you’ve got to come clean.”
Hidden, ancient or sometimes forgotten criminal records have always been an annual thorn in Bluesfest’s side.
Three years ago former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh were holed up in a hotel at the border over soft drug convictions dating back almost 30 years.
Over the years, some performers have been turned around at the border, leaving holes in the schedule and panicked efforts to fill them.
But after years of bringing thousands of foreign musicians into the country, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Bluesfest have developed a relationship, said Monahan, partly based on a track record of those coming in always leaving again.
“CBSA are very co-operative,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘This guy murdered his wife but he’s playing Bluesfest so let’s let him in,’ but we start working on the border issues as soon as we confirm an act.”
Behind-the-scenes immigration saga aside, Monahan says this year’s sun-drenched Bluesfest attracted an average of 25,000 customers a day to see around 200 acts, including 50 local performers.
Together they cost $5 million in fees.
Crucial for the festival was avoiding last year’s criticism from loyal Bluesfest customers that they were being ignored by a youth-heavy lineup of electronic dance music and rap.
It also hit Bluesfest in the beer pocketbook: Build it and young people will come, but they won’t buy beer.
“This year, we’ve heard no complaints about the lineup,” said Monahan. “We got it better.”
There were complaints about an inability to move along the designated walkway because of bottlenecks — especially on the first night as Black Keys were preparing to headline on the main stage, and worse Sunday as a mass of people attempted to get to see B.B. King on the Claridge stage.
The second night shifting of the Empire Grill section, from the side of the main Bell stage to the centre, helped alleviate the crowding on the footpath, said Monahan.
Bluesfest also took a step closer to becoming a cashless festival this year with the introduction of credit and debit card payment at 20 concession stands.
Monahan estimates that 20 per cent of drinks sold during the festival were bought with plastic.
How cashless Bluesfest 2014 will be is partly dependent on wireless connectivity which, despite boosts over last year, was still inadequate in the two larger stage areas where thousands were using mobile devices.
“The wired (debit/credit) machines worked fine,” said Monahan, “but you can’t wire 70 machines. I’m not sure whether we’re ever going to be able to totally eliminate cash but we’re heading in that direction and technology is changing so fast.”
The other major change this year was the elimination of a fifth outdoor stage and with it, sound bleed from the larger stages.
“This was a gain for us,” said Monahan. “We were investing so much money in artists and it wasn’t a good experience for them or the audience. And not having that stage significantly reduced my stress level.”
This year’s run of fine weather helped.
“Anyone staging an outdoor special event is at the mercy of the weather and it’s unpredictable,” he said. “It’s the luck of the draw but when you look at some of the recent weather patterns we have been having, it’s scary.”
The 2013 edition began with the organization being slapped with a lawsuit by veteran rockers Cheap Trick, who are seeking damages related to the 2011 stage collapse during a violent storm. But, added Monahan, it became perhaps the most problem-free Bluesfest in its 19-year history.
“People usually come to me if there’s a problem,” he said. “I’m here to put out fires. This year I haven’t had a whole lot to do.”