The third night of Ottawa’s Bluesfest brought on another dance party. Day three brought heat and star performances to Ottawa, as people came in droves to experience one of the best nights of the festival.
The main headliner of the day was Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes. The 19-year-old Pickering, Ont. native sang to a packed crowd of excited fans who were screaming every lyric along with him. Starting out with his Juno award-winning single “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back,” Mendes captured the crowd right from the start.
Performing with a powerful band, he played songs from every album he has released so far, including hits such as “Mercy,” “Stitches,” “Treat You Better,” and “In My Blood.” He also performed fan favourites such as “Bad Reputation,” “Fallin’ All In You,” and “Never Be Alone” in between the hits, which energized the crowd and kept those who did not know the lyrics waiting to hear their favourite songs.
About halfway through the show, Mendes got down from the stage and ran along the middle barrier, which split the main stage crowd into two sides, making fans further back go crazy.
The buildup to Mendes’ show on the City Stage was a string of amazing artists throwing dance parties for the excited and enthusiastic crowd.
Lauv, a pop singer-songwriter from San Francisco, kicked things off on the City Stage. He started out with his chart topping ‘’I Like Me Better,” which caught the attention of the large and mostly-youthful crowd.
Although Ottawa was burning in the sun during the performance, the heat didn’t stop the crowd from singing, jumping, and raising their fists to the lyrics of “In a Different Way,” “Reforget,” and “Easy Love.”
After Lauv, Chromeo’s metallic set and electro-funk music kept the crowd dancing and jumping throughout their performance.
While Lauv’s party was going on, Her Harbour was playing meditative tunes at the Barney Danson Theatre, the festival’s smallest stage located inside the Canadian War Museum.
The Montreal-born, Ottawa-based singer-songwriter played for a small and supportive audience inside the theatre. The mix of instruments, coupled with silence and her powerful voice created a different but welcome atmosphere from the sound outside.
At the Black Sheep Stage, Kimberly Sunstrum, another Ottawa-based singer-songwriter, played songs from her new album for a small crowd, getting people to dance and sing along to the chorus.
That night, Ghostface Killah drew a large crowd at the Black Sheep Stage. Known best for his work with the legendary hip-hop group, Wu-Tang Clan, Killah’s crowd was strong and loud, as they danced and rapped along to the songs.
On the Claridge Homes Stage, the Angelina Hunter Trio captured the audience’s attention. The crowd of both adults and children alike were supportive while Hunter gave an emotional performance.
Overall, day three of Bluesfest was filled with amazing performances from local and international artists who delivered and made standing in the heat worthwhile.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
