The fourth night of Ottawa Bluesfest brought out the best of the best when it came to the musical performances that stretched out into the night.
Although there was initially a small turnout, a crowd began to form as Cody Coyote took the Black Sheep Stage in the afternoon with his modern hip-hop-meets-Indigenous beats.
His politically-inclined show had a video montage of residential schools, and included traditional Indigenous dances from guest performers, along with short speeches calling for change and education to move towards reconciliation.
The Ottawa local made sure the show remained upbeat, with heavy and heart-pounding bass that had the crowd nodding along. Cody’s lyrics were heavy but insightful, giving a brief glimpse into his personal experiences of substance abuse and bullying.
Following this performance, another Ottawa act took to the City Stage: Amos the Transparent. The indie rock band drew in the crowd with fresh vocals from Jonathan Chandler and Olenka Reshitnyk.
On the softer side, they sang out ballads to a transfixed audience, nailing dual harmonies without breaking a sweat, which only comes from 10 years of album-making and practice. It’s hard to say what stole the show more: the vocals or the guitar, with fantastic guitar riffs on behalf of Dan Hay complimenting the show perfectly. Their cool performance was perfect for the scorching afternoon.
Canadian favourites, The Strumbellas, appeared on the main stage shortly after. The Strumbellas made a name for themselves at last year’s Juno Awards, and that clearly remained during their crowded performance.
With a lively and spirited act, Simon Ward blew everyone away with his spot-on vocals, and powerful violin performances by Isabel Ritchie were the icing on the cake. Hand-bobbing, scream-singing, and loud cheering after every song added to a fun-filled atmosphere as the band joked with not only each other, but the crowd as well. They sang all of their hits, but their Juno-award winning song “Spirits” made sure the entire show ended with a bang.
As the night wore on, the energy kept going. American country superstar Brett Eldredge drew an eclectic crowd of fans in cowboy boots, plaid and trucker hats, that instantly livened up the second he went on stage and sang his hit song “Something I’m Good At.”
His modern sound with an old-school twang got everyone in the country spirit, with the entire crowd going wild after just the first song. Eldredge made sure to show off his incredible vocal range, from a deep, sultry tenor to an impressive falsetto.
Although not an Ottawan himself, he made sure to give credit to the capital, bringing Cody Ceci and Jean-Gabriel Pageau of the Ottawa Senators onto the stage to drink whiskey with him.
Eldredge seemed extremely excited to play each song to the audience at his first major show in the nation’s capital. A huge grin on his face, adding to a wild performance, made his performance the perfect way to end an evening of amazing music.
