Byron Bay
Thursday March 28 – Monday April 1 :
The permanent sunshine of Bluesfest 23 gave way to what might be described as a ‘real’ Bluesfest experience this time round – phenomenal music with some added “blessings from the sky” as Carlos Santana so beautifully put it… At least the gumboots I bought last year got some use! Overall it goes without saying – the lineup was out of this world and the musicians – oh how they delivered, further cementing Bluesfest as THE music festival of Australia (Peter Noble you are my god!). The only problem with the set up is the dizziness that ensues from racing between tents and making decisions on whom to see; there’s just too much talent! (A sentiment shared by Bonnie Raitt, who mused with the audience about a transportation device between tents – yes please!).
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about Bluesfest, but there’s this certain magic in the air, which seems to dissolve all barriers… between background, race, musical genre, age and audience/performer. This being only my second Bluesfest, Thursday had the strange feeling of a family reunion (minus the creepy distant relatives of course). The Counting Crows set the American trend for our night. The crowd was singing along to their engaging set of rock tunes. Ben Harper’s set with harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite provided the ultimate introduction to the blues-fest. As Charlie says, “blues is a feeling”; we certainly felt it. It was evident they share a strong connection – both musically be personally – and it all came together on stage. We skipped off to catch Chris Isaac getting the crowd moving and playfully involved. His set paid homage to his musical idols, including a great rendition of ‘Ring of Fire’. The Tedeschi Trucks band were nothing short of awesome; the marriage of powerful lyric (and guitar!) from Susan Tedeschi and sublime guitar from husband Derek Trucks, backed up by ten others on stage including a formidable horn section, provided a real reminder of what we were here for.
Friday saw Jimmy Cliff playing to a packed out tent, getting us all swaying to the reggae grooves from his new album Rebirth, along with some crowd favourites, including ‘Wild World’. Joan Armatrading bought real presence to the stage and we were hanging on every word of her well-crafted lyrics, shared in such an intimate way. We bumped into some astronauts on soul street; members of The Break after a signing and from there it was over to the space cowboy himself – Steve Miller and his band were tight and the audience appreciative. Next up was my personal must see, the one and only Carlos Santana. The infectious Latin rhythms and screaming guitar had us in a frenzy. The percussion solo to finish transported the crowd into another dimension I’m sure; this performance is one that will stay in my heart a long while.
Ruthie Foster and Michael Kiwanuka provided a dose of Saturday evening soul. Foster’s voice was awe inspiring and her version of Adele’s ‘Set Fire to The Rain’ went down well with both the crowd and the weather gods; the rain drying up for the whole day. From soul to space shifting – anticipation was huge for Robert Plant and his Sensational Space Shifters, with grown men acting like young girls and the performance didn’t disappoint, with “the voice of a generation” giving really clever renditions of classic Led Zep songs.
Luke Bloom eased us into Sunday with his poetic Irish folk feel and a mesmerizing performance. Melbourne 9-piece band Saskwatch kicked it up a notch; they were a revelation and the injection of energy from their soul-funk meant that even our sleepy legs were a moving. ‘The Voice’ winner Karise Eden continued the powerhouse feel; friends have told me that I remind them of her – if only it was the voice they were drawing comparison on! The chance to see Roger Hodgson was special- he was on song and thrilled to be performing for us with ‘It’s Raining Again’ being dedicated to the pouring rain. Xavier Rudd has been a long time personal favourite and it was worth the wait to see him live, for his one-man-band easily filled the tent with his trademark earthy indigenous tunes and hint of protest. The blues meets dub experience of Fat Freddy’s drop provided a unique flavour and it was impossible not to dance! The Cat Empire topped it off an incredible day of music.
Last year I plugged Bettye LaVette and then heard she was voted by many as the performance of 2012. Well I just can’t get enough of her raw soul… We set up front row to soak up the emotion that she just oozes on stage; what an interpreter of song. She didn’t disappoint and was one of the rare double performances not to play the same set twice. A huge crowd braved the left over mud for Paul Simon who played an epic double encore. We chose to close with the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, I still find it amazing how they can fit on stage, let alone manage their antics up there. The crowd onstage and the crowd under the tent were one, with conductor Nicky Bomba directing the whole electrifying show.
All in all Bluesfest 24 was just overwhelming in the best of ways, with so many other performances we couldn’t make but heard inspiring campsite stories of. Underlining every performance is the pure humility and humanity on display – an awareness within all involved of just how special it all is. After all, the people and the music can’t be separated and the five-day celebration just makes everything feel right again. The evolution continues, with exciting new developments such as the solar powered seventh stage addition of the Lotus Palace and the new sister festival – Boomerang – celebrating indigenous culture over the October long weekend. Not in my wildest dreams can I conjure what the 25th anniversary line up will have in store, but I can spend the year knowing that real music is alive and kicking, from the legends to the new revelations, and in the best of hands.