It was a bitter night for one of Bluesfest’s most anticipated acts amongst the younger crowd as Solange, the younger sister of superstar Beyoncé, cut her set short due to what seemed to be technical difficulties.
The Texas-born musician began her set with thunderous bass that made her lyrics incomprehensible, while concert-goers murmured about the harsh sound.
And Solange didn’t seem keen on it either, as she fiddled with her earpiece while appearing visibly incensed and glancing back at her backup vocalists. After her fifth song, a cover of New York rockers Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness Is the Move,” Solange apologized for the sound.
“I apologize deeply,” she said hurriedly. “I’ve never had sound this bad.”
Upon this disclosure, the noise decreased substantially.
But, it was still too much for Solange.
A mere seven songs in, the concert was over, minutes before 9 p.m.
Cambridge, Massachusetts synthpop band Passion Pit was only set to headline the River Stage at 9:30 p.m., while Solange had started 15 minutes late, at approximately 8:30 p.m.
And although the modest and mostly teenage audience didn’t react aggressively or angrily, it was certainly a disappointment for the fans who had paid $40 to see the famous “Losing You” singer perform.
But, she still kept that track on the setlist, in addition to singing “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Bad Girls (Verdine Version),” “Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work,” and “Sandcastle Disco.”
Despite the hiccup, the show featured tight choreography, as Solange and her guitarist occasionally two-stepped in unison across the River Stage.
The shining evening sun kissed Solange and her bandmates, who wore trendy colour-blocking garments and played their respective instruments with composure and skill.
Many would argue that a shorter CD tracklist is far more favourable if the quality outweighs the quantity, and the same could be said about Solange’s first Ottawa performance, which demonstrated more experimental sensibilities than her well-known older sister.
Later on, an audience member shouted “You are late! You are late!” 10 minutes after Passion Pit was slated to begin. Before the impatient young man could say more, glowing neon lights lit up the back wall of the stage, visually illustrating the indietronica rockers’ mystical aura.
A young, handsome man with spiky hair emerged quickly from the shadows. Wearing skinny jeans, a white shirt, and a tie, frontman Michael Angelakos began the first verse of indie hit “The Reeling” from the band’s first studio album, Manners.
The uneasy crowd moved and swayed—revelers pushed and cried for the coveted front row standing area, eager to catch a close glimpse of Angelakos and his piercing voice that has led to the band’s marked entry into indie royalty.
But something strange was happening, at least, something I hadn’t seen so fervently in years. Somehow, the crowd fed off the energy of the flickering synths, the lights, and the range in Angelakos’ singing. He did not need to verbally entice or demand that the audience move. Instead, they fluttered without question.
This enthusiasm may also explain the high ratio of shoulder sitters to those only standing. It could also explain the sweltering heat emanating from what I imagine was everyone’s body in the epicentre of the crowd. Because, really, it wasn’t that hot outside. As I tried to escape the crowd to avoid suffocating from other crowdgoers’ body odour, I ran into a half naked trio of young men in the midst of a very bromantic embrace. It was magical.
On the periphery of the massive crowd, there were no bored members of the audience. It was just more room to dance. The female shrieks continued. The funky guitar riffs bellowed, and Angelakos alternated from his already high vocal range to an impeccable falsetto that Frankie Valli himself would envy.
Before continuing into their ninth song, “I’ll Be Alright,” Angelakos was breathless.
“You guys are fucking amazing, thank you so much,” he said while gasping for air.
After the 13th song, “Little Secrets,” the band said farewell to the audience and left the stage, before returning to cries of an encore. And encore they did, with the catchy “Sleepyhead.”
Angelakos finally instructed the crowd, asking for their hands in the air. His request was obediently followed, marking a triumphant return to Ottawa for the catchy-as-hell cuties and Cambridge’s best export.
