FOO FIGHTERS IN BLUESFEST LINEUP AT LAST
Bryan Adams and Shawn Mendes among headliners
Foo Fighters, Beck, Bryan Adams, Shawn Mendes, Shaggy and Jethro Tull are confirmed for headlining slots at this year’s edition of RBC Bluesfest, evidence of another wildly diverse year for Ottawa’s biggest summer music festival in an increasingly competitive market.
The event runs from July 5-15 at LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum. Like Tom Petty last year, Foo Fighters have long been a sought-after act on the Bluesfest wish list. “We’ve tried to go after them the last few years,” said Mark Monahan, Bluesfest’s artistic and executive director, in an interview at the festival’s Churchill Avenue headquarters. “It’s one of those acts you would do any year, and this is the year.”
The Foos and Dave Matthews Band, whose Bluesfest date was announced a few weeks ago, aren’t the only first-time headliners on the program. Also featured on the biggest of the festival’s five stages will be classic rockers Jethro Tull, alt-rocker Beck, country crooner Brett Eldredge, pop reggae star Shaggy and hiphop duo Rae Sremmard.
For Can-rock icon Adams, it will be his first Bluesfest appearance in 14 years. Adams tops the bill on opening night, followed by Jethro Tull and their 50th anniversary tour on July 6, pop heartthrob Shawn Mendes on July 7 and Eldredge on July 8. After a one-day break, the fun continues with Foo Fighters on July 10, Matthews’ band on July 11, Shaggy on July 12, Beck on July 13, Rae Sremmard on July 14 and Chicago’s hardcore heroes Rise Against on July 15.
According to Monahan, the competition for artists increases every year as major festivals in North America are taken over by multinational concert promoters such as Live Nation. (Because it’s a non-profit charitable organization, Bluesfest is in no danger of takeover.)
“The whole cycle has changed,” Monahan says. “The amalgamation of all these festivals — Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza — has contributed to this race to get programming done. They’re looking for headliners for 20 or 30 festivals. I think our lineup’s pretty darn good, but it’s becoming more competitive, and it means you have to be on top of it all the time. The busiest time for programming now is August through November.”
The dozens of acts listed in Tuesday’s preliminary announcement also include roots rocker Sturgill Simpson, singer-songwriter Passenger, Canada’s Strumbellas, indie rockers The War on Drugs, former boyband Hanson, electro funk duo Chromeo, rockers Three Days Grace and EDM acts Zeds Dead, Keys N Krates and Grandtheft, to name a few. Emerging acts such as Korean-American DJ Yaeji, U.S. rockers Greta Van Fleet, pop songstress Jessie Reyez and Australia’s Courtney Barnett are also represented.
Returning to the festival grounds this year is the ferris wheel and the sheltered Bluesville stage, covered by a huge tent, where concerts by Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Benjamin Booker, Beth Hart, Lighthouse, M. Ward and others will take place. New for 2018 is a large screen so you can watch the performances from outside the Bluesville tent.
Hip hop has not been abandoned. In addition to Rae Sremmurd, shows by Naughty By Nature,
Ghostface Killah, Machine Gun Kelly, Brockhampton and more are scheduled.
The blues is still a part of Bluesfest, too, with the return of the blues jam in the Barney Danson Theatre, hosted by Ottawa musicians MonkeyJunk and The Split. Other blues artists include Canadian bluesmen Colin James and Steve Hill, who play July 14, Beth Hart returning on July 8, sax dynamo Vanessa Collier on July 12 and Mississippi’s Mr. Sipp on July 14.
As usual, a contingent of Ottawaarea acts will also be showcased, including Brock Zeman, Amos the Transparent, City Fedelia, Cody Coyote, Kimberly Sunstrum,
I think our lineup’s pretty darn good, but it’s becoming more competitive …
J. W-Jones, River City Junction, the Bank Street Bonbons, PepTides, Stone Age Man and many more.
New in ticketing this year are two separate youth passes. The under-19 pass is a no-drinking, nontransferable wristband, available to patrons who will be under 19 years of age for the duration of the festival. Pre-sale price is $109, plus tax and surcharges. A new level of pass is aimed at festivalgoers age 25 and under, with prices starting at $139. Adult passes start at $209, while the VIP Club passes start at $605. Tax and surcharges are extra.
The one-day pre-sale starts at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 and ends at midnight. General tickets and passes go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 16.
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs last year.