An odd, but perfect, final mix
B.B. King and Dog Blood, Alice in Chains and Serena Ryder — somehow, it worked
B.B. King, Serena Ryder, Alice in Chains
Sunday
RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest wrapped up Sunday with landmark performances by B.B. King and Dog Blood, two artists who have probably never before shared the same festival airspace.
On the Bell main stage was Dog Blood, a collaboration between American EDM superstar Skrillex and German producer Boys Noize. It was Skrillex’s third visit to Bluesfest in as many years, and he always draws a young crowd hungry for his electro noise mongering.
As the throngs of young people wormed their way through an endless maze of lawn chairs filled with a generally older crowd of blues fans, it seemed like all of Ottawa was gathered on the lawn of the Canadian War Museum. It appeared to be the biggest Bluesfest crowd in recent memory.
For longtime Bluesfest patrons, B.B. King’s first visit to the festival was the must-see show. Looking thinner and more frail than the last time he was in town, the 87-year-old king of the blues was delighted to be on the stage. “I have one question,” he said to the adoring crowd. “Why didn’t you bring me here before?”
Good question. Although King is well past his prime, he still tours regularly with his slick band, the B.B. King Orchestra. With their help, he was able to deliver a wonderful show. It wasn’t so much the quality of his playing or singing that made it such an enjoyable performance, but rather the sheer force of his charismatic personality. “You can’t rush an old man,” he’d say, and fans knew they’d have to be patient to get the songs they wanted.
In the end, King delivered a crowd-pleasing setlist, including renditions of Rock Me Baby, Guess Who and the The Thrill is Gone, to name a few, and he was reluctant to leave the stage. Before the field succumbed to the hard electro beat of Dog Blood, King made a promise to return. Let’s hope that happens.
On the Claridge stage in late afternoon, Serena Ryder was facing the sun and definitely feeling the heat. But the Juno-winning Ontario singer-songwriter didn’t let it sap her energy one iota, turning in a polished and dynamic performance with her band.
Her big news was the fact that she’s scheduled to appear on Jay Leno’s late-night TV talk show on Wednesday. There’s also some studio time booked in New York to record a new song, which she unveiled in the middle of her set. Performed solo on acoustic guitar, it was a tender song about true love.
The 30-year-old singer kicked off with Melancholy Blue, a song that was recorded live at the Black Sheep Inn more than a decade ago. The rest of the concert consisted of songs from her last couple of albums, including For You, Fall, All For Love, Weak in the Knees and Little Bit of Red. She was great with the huge crowd, successfully prompting them to sing along and even dance in the sunshine.
Alternating between electric guitar and drums, she jumped in on the percussive rhythms of Circle of the Sun and set-closing monster hit, Stompa, to the delight of the audience.
After Dog Blood and B.B. King, grunge survivors Alice in Chains were probably the third most popular attraction at Bluesfest on Sunday. In their first Ottawa appearance in 23 years, the Seattlebased band, who have weathered the loss of singer Layne Staley and bassist Mike Starr over the past decade or so, showed they are at top of their game, still honouring their fallen members with the initials, LSMS, on the drum kit.
Their new singer, William DuVall, who’s been part of the band since 2005, was terrific, his rich, resonant voice meshing well with that of guitarist/co-founder Jerry Cantrell. Plus, the physicality of his performance added a fresh energy to the band’s overall stage presence. DuVall hinted at some uncertainly about the Bluesfest gig — “We weren’t sure what this was going to be,” he said, no doubt wondering how they fit in with either Dog Blood or B.B. King. “We’re kinda the odd band out, but this turned out great.”
So great. Their sludgy downtuned fare offered pure escapism for the sun-baked crowd as pit security hosed them down. Songs from the new album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, blended remarkably well with classics like Down in A Hole, No Excuses and Roosters. Clearly, Alice in Chains is still a force to be reckoned with.