Before heading to Kendrick Lamar, I stopped by a smaller, secluded stage looking up on the rest of the Folk Fest grounds. It was there that singer-songwriter Emmy Lou Harris entranced her audience. She’s been playing music since 1969 and in that time has accumulated a dozen Grammys. They played the Tartan Homes stage, a medium-sized stage at Folk Fest. It was the perfect fit for the veteran and her band.
Most of the crowd was older, rooted firmly in lawn-chairs or spread across the grass. Around a hundred dedicated fans stood at the front of the stage. The hill allowed everyone a great view of the whole band, unless you were stuck behind the sound tent.
Harris’ band featured a drummer, a guitarist, double bass, and a steel guitar. She picked up guitar duty herself a few times. In later songs an accordion was added to the mix, showing their willingness to take risks. This is a group still very interested in pushing the boundaries of the country and western genre, and they showed off the most impressive guitar solos of the festival yet.
Harris and her band play a classic style of country and western. It’s no Taylor Swift or Rascal Flatts. There is grit in all their voices, and stories being told earnestly. This is what country is supposed to sound like—raw, powerful, and humble.
California rapper Kendrick Lamar took the main stage at 9:30 p.m. Much to my surprise, he brought a band along with him: guitar, drums, and heavy synths. He also brought the largest, rowdiest, youngest crowd. All through the set, audience members were pushing past me to trying to get closer to the front. Girls were being lifted up on shoulders to take pictures of the rapper. When Lamar told people to put their hands in the air everyone did without hesitation.
His ability to build off the energy already present in the crowd is amazing. He goes above and beyond what most performers do with token thank-yous and compliments. He forces participation. About three-quarters of the way through his set he told everyone to put one hand up. Then two hands up and did a count down from five. Telling people that when he reached zero they better be ready to go crazy.
People went nuts as the sample played right on cue. “If Pirus and Crips all got along . . .” the crowd yelled along with the rest of the words. They didn’t mumble, they didn’t clap, they yelled and jumped. Hands were flying in every direction. The song was “M.A.A.D. City.” After two minutes of playing it as it sounds on the album, Lamar’s guitarist soloed, his drum player shifted into a break and the synths became ever more sinister. Kendrick freestyled two verses over that, then jumped back into the song cleanly and finished it off.
Lamar’s raps are wordy and complex while remaining catchy. He managed to go fluidly, constantly, and with no slip ups. His musicianship was incredible. He also mixed in tracks where he is featured—notably A$AP Rocky’s “Fuckin’ Problems.” He pulled deep cuts from an earlier mixtape and freestyled again before the night was over. The calls for an encore were thunderous.
The only thing that would have been nice is if the whole soundsystem was louder. The audience noise was occasionally overpowering and Kendrick’s vocals sometimes got muffled by the enthusiasm surrounding it. As complaints go, “turn it up” is probably the best one you can get.
From beginning to end, Kendrick Lamar went above and beyond what was expected of him. He told Ottawa they were the loudest show of the tour, and though usually I call BS on statements like that, I don’t think Lamar was kidding. I’d be surprised if anyone else at the festival could top him.
