On the second last day of Bluesfest, concertgoers poured into LeBreton Flats sporting rain ponchos over fishnets and black skinny jeans. Even with a rainy night expected to follow Friday’s Green Day performance, Ottawa was ready to rock again on Saturday to Daughtry and nu metal demigods Papa Roach.
Hours before the headliner, small crowds began to gather around the perimeter of the RBC Stage. Sporting Papa Roach T-shirts and Daughtry hoodies, some people arrived early to secure the best view for later acts. However, most of the small but mighty crowd was there to cheer for hometown heroes We Were Sharks.
Based in Ottawa, We Were Sharks has perfected an effortlessly Canadian pop-punk sound since the group formed in 2011.
New festival arrivals were welcomed with the timelessly punk opening riff of “Hotel Beds.” With energetic air kicks and well-timed head banging, frontman Randy Frobel established an energetic atmosphere that he kept up throughout the night.
On the other side of the festival grounds, the Texas Horns kept the blues in Bluesfest, performing swanky swing tunes for a more docile crowd.
The band has been playing at Bluesfest for 25 years, with singer Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff going on a light tangent to remind the audience of the band’s veteran status.
“I feel funny mentioning CDs, because no one buys them anymore and most young people don’t know what they are,” Kazanoff joked after one song.
With a stellar mix of saxophones, trumpets and blues guitars, the Texas Horns rocked River Stage in their own way.
Back on the RBC Stage, blue fluorescent lights and hypnotic visuals primed the entrance of hard rock heavyweights Daughtry.
Daughtry quickly established a commanding stage presence, with band members clad in black eyeliner, tattoo sleeves and skinny jeans.
Eruptions of applause welcomed Chris Daughtry’s 14-year-old daughter on stage for an acoustic duet rendition of “Waiting for Superman.”
Adalynn Rose Daughtry ultimately found her voice with the help of a motivating crowd.
“I’m trying not to cry right now,” Chris Daughtry said softly as his daughter left the stage.
By the end of the setlist, the once-scattered crowd now stood shoulder to shoulder in anticipation for Papa Roach.
Using high-calibre white strobe lights and faux flames, a mosh pit quickly took shape during Papa Roach’s third song, “Dead Cell.”
Although lead singer Jacoby Shaddix encouraged moshing, he reminded the audience to do so mindfully.
“I want to see old school circle pits, and if anyone goes down, we pick them back up,” Shaddix yelled over the opening riff in “…To Be Loved.”
Once the official theme song of WWE Raw in the late 2000s, Papa Roach took advantage of the song’s earworm lyricism and classic electric guitar to rile up the crowd.
Papa Roach intentionally halted the chaotic head banging and minor slam dancing halfway through the setlist to draw attention to mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
With a video projected on the massive screens, Shaddix highlighted mental health resources and shared his own struggles with depression and substance use. At the end of the video, Shaddix promised a donation to a local suicide prevention charity on behalf of the performance.
Shaddix also dedicated a moment of silence to “the ones we lost and the ones we left behind.”
The crowd of thousands fell quiet aside from a few hecklers. The silence was eventually broken with the opening riff to “Scars,” a song about overcoming emotional trauma and self-harm.
Bluesfest continued to rock hard into the night, and the show crescendoed with the smash hit closer “Last Resort.” As the rain pelted down harder, everyone in LeBreton Flats belted the lyrics in unison.
As the final applause died down, fans chanted “Papa Roach” as they made their way to the exits.
Ottawa shook off its reputation as a sleepy city with roaring support for local punk music, encore chants, and sold-out merch. After day 8 of Bluesfest, LeBreton Flats clearly has no issue staying up past the city’s 6 p.m. bedtime.
Featured image by Landon Entwistle
