| Everybody else, part two... |
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| The Allman Brothers Band For two hours and 45 minutes, the present incarnation of the Allman Band thrilled 25,000 fans...I had never imagined they could still be this good. The songs were brilliantly adapted by the two lead guitarists, seen here, neither of whom were with the original band. They've magically managed to resurrect the duelling guitars from Duane's days with the band. Before the encore, the band did a song nearly half an hour long which, after the guitars had finished, included a 10 minute solo by the three drummers the band had onstage the entire show. Unfortunately, Gregg Allman was couched behind a keyboard off to the side so I couldn't get him in here. Definitely one of the best concerts I've ever seen. |
| Young guitar prodigy Derek Trucks and his 30-foot likeness broadcast on the psychedelic-ish background that made the concert seem almost surreal.. |
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| My sometime concert-mates Angie and Ben Russell, grooving to Tony D. They have their own band - Bluestone - and actually performed at last year's Bluesfest (I missed them, though). |
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| One of the mose unique performers at the 'Fest was Harry Manx, an East Indian-influenced tabla/slide guitar player. He had a whole range of guitars, and played beautiful, mellow folk with both Southern and Indian tinges. |
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| Ben Harper was one of the most pleasant surprises of the Bluesfest. I'm a passive fan at best, and I have his live album - which I don't like that much. However, his two-and-a-half-hour performance on opening absolutely blew me away. Every song was incredible, and every musician in the band got to prove his worth. The crowd-pleaser had to be Juan Nelson, the bassist seen above, who soloed for about five minutes. An amazing concert, for sure. |
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| I've waited quite a while to see Kate Fenner and Chris Brown live. Kate has, hands down, the most powerful voice in music today. Not just loud - emotive. She has such an impressive range. They're very little-known musicians, but I highly recommend checking out their "Geronimo" album from a few years ago...it's their best, and after all this time it still packs a punch every time I hear it. |
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| Like all of the acoustic stage shots, such as Harry Manx, this picture of Jeff Lang is unfortunately terrible due to the lighting conditions in that room. The "stage" was actually in the air-conditioned comfort of Ottawa's city council chambers. Jeff Lang was probably the very best act I saw at the Bluesfest, and prior to seeing him, I hadn't ever heard of him. His act defies categorization, perhaps owing to the unique blend of blues and Australian folk music he has. He writes some of the most beautiful, and compellingly original, music I have ever heard. I just wish I had a picture that would do him justice! |
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| Peter Green, of Fleetwood Mac fame, was a surprisingly good act, coming on just before Blue Rodeo closed the Bluesfest. His unique electric blues-rock was a welcome breath of fresh air on a hot day. |
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| 90-year-old piano blues legend Pinetop Perkins - who has been performing since 1926 - took to the stage with Bob Margolin for an astonishingly lively performance (considering Pinetop's age). |
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| Richard Johnston was a Mississippi hill blues performer of the highest order. Sounding exactly like R. L. Burnside, with obvious nods to Junior Kimbrough, but one-quarter the age, Johnston treated us to a one-man-band explosion of lively and refreshingly different deep Southern blues. Another less than perfect acoustic stage picture...but there's really nothing that could be done! |
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| Well, this was certainly unexpected. During Saturday's completely drenching downpour, guitarist Scott Holt jumped the barricade into the crowd and sat down with a woman right behind me, showing her how to play his song on his guitar. He then gave it to a press photographer and told him to keep going. The whole time he was rambling around, the band onstage was playing. |
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| The first and only performer to wear tight leather pants was San Fransisco's Tommy Castro, who managed to be both high-energy and laid-back. He seemed to be having so much fun onstage, and this coupled with the great soul-inflected blues he hammered out was so infectious you couldn't help but smile and nod along! How long does it take to get into those? |
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| Tim Williams is just about the friendliest guy you could ever want to meet. Over on the acoustic stage, he laid down fast-paced and entertaining hill country blues on a variety of instruments, but his songs were always punctuated by hilarious stories, in-jokes and long, rambling grandfatherly anecdotes. He seemed like he was sitting across the table from you as opposed to be onstage in front of a hundred people, and it's just that kind of great musicianship combined with a colourful personality that makes a consummate performer! |
| All photographs copyright 2003 Neil C. Raynor |
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