Crowds gathered at CityFolk on a chilly, late summer night in anticipation of Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge — acts that promised dancing, singing and all around nostalgia on Thursday.
Hours before the headliner, mustached Irish trio Amble took the stage, bringing energy and an upbeat mood.
They gave a lively performance of “Schoolyard Days,” their voices ringing deeply and melodically together. Crowds clapped, cheered and whooped for a zestful guitar solo.
Amble rewarded the crowd with the unreleased song, “Like the Piper,” coming out on Sept. 26.
The country-folk beat relied on the bouzouki paired with the band’s strong and clear voices. Youth at the front led the stomps, cheers and dancing, while older folks gently swayed and clapped. In the glow of the early evening, alternating red and blue lights strobed with the music, adding depth and energy to the fast-paced song.
Around the corner at the main stage, Hamilton, Ont.-hailing Junkhouse offered up a nostalgic throwback performance.
They alternated between their radio hits and telling anecdotal stories about frontman Tom Wilson, like when he lost his Order of Canada pin and received nine replacements.
Before breaking into a rendition of “Jesus Sings the Blues,” they also recounted the epic soft serve ice cream machine backstage and meeting a shirtless Bruce Springsteen.
Rock tracks had the crowd bumping and nodding with beers in hand.
As golden hour approached, the chill began to set in. Sweater hoods came up, and festivalgoers drew closer to their companions.
Then, the crowd came alive and swayed to the beat when Indigo Girls took the stage with “Shame on You.”
The band offered Ottawa-focused anecdotes about the joy of seeing black squirrels and walking along the canal.
The vibe turned to rock with a performance of “Faye Tucker.” Amy Ray and Emily Saliers’s vocals were strong, proud and well-seasoned with emphasis and attitude in all the right places.
Another rock song, “Trouble,” was an upbeat rock song that had the band singing about political themes like LGBTQIA+ rights and calls for peace: “One day the war will stop, and we’ll grow a peaceful crop / And a girl can get a wife, and we can bring you back to life.”
Before backing vocals singer Lucy Wainwright Roche performed a solo, she made a cheeky jab at United States politics, met with an eruption of laughter from the crowd.
“I have half-siblings that are Canadian,” she said. “It’s a shame I can’t marry them. For several reasons.”
Her light, wispy soft voice was warm in the cold night. People held their significant others close and swayed alongside family and friends.
Long-anticipated “Galileo” incited sing-alongs, dancing and arms raised towards the stage, as the Indigo Girls delivered their song with smiles while strutting and singing around the stage.
With pink strobe lights and high energy, the band closed with “Closer To Fine,” previously featured in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie film.
The audience cheered when Melissa Etheridge came on stage to sing with the band before her own set, with Etheridge’s slightly raspier voice adding auditory depth to the performance.
For her headliner, Etheridge came on stage dressed in an all-black getup complete with a cowgirl hat, fringed jacket with sparkly lapels, leather pants and a black guitar, plus smoky eye makeup that glittered under the stage lights.
Her stage presence was electric as she danced around while shredding on her guitar, singing seemingly effortlessly. She periodically took sips from her water bottle while chatting with the crowd — and at a heartfelt moment, she responded “I love you, too” to an adoring fan.
She also invited the Indigo Girls back up on stage for a slower rendition of “Sleep While I Drive.”
“I Wanna Come Over” was next, delivering upbeat, crowdpleasing rock sounds.
An animated performer, Etheridge’s eyes widened, and she stood with her arms outstretched as the stage lights went out with the last remaining spotlight stuck on her.
Etheridge broke out into an a-cappella version of Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova,” which lapsed into a reprise of “I Wanna Come Over,” with big instrumentals and blue strobe lights.
After a sultry performance of ballad “You Used to Love to Dance,” Etheridge excitedly teased her upcoming album, RISE, slated for March 2026 — her first new album in eight years. The crowd, buzzing with newfound energy, responded in roars and applause.
Carrying on once more with music, she performed the country-rock unreleased song, “Don’t You Wanna Woman,” with hard rock instrumentals.
In the final stretch of her performance, Etheridge let it all out.
She ripped multiple guitar solos, following a solo with a harmonica which she later tossed to the cheering crowd. Closing out the night with “I’m The Only One,” a thumping drum duet with big bass and high hat accompanied her boldly raw vocals.
In the cooling night breeze with nostalgia clinging to the evening, Etheridge closed out the night with a call out to the CityFolk crowd.
“Spread the peace,” she instructed concertgoers. “Choose only love.”
Featured image by Greg Kolz
