With fans advised to arrive two hours early to avoid traffic delays, there was one thing on everybody’s mind on July 12: rocking out with the Foo Fighters.
Day five of the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest started off slow with indie talent, progressing to include punk and rock favourites.
For early-bird fans trying to beat the heat, the Barney Danson Theatre was a great place to catch indie Saskatoon songwriter and singer Katie Tupper. She charmed the audience with funny touring stories and shared the odd coincidence of all her previous partners being born on the seventh of the month.
Tupper played “She Said” and “Woman No” from her newest EP, Where to Find Me. She explained both songs detail her experience coming to terms with her bisexuality, something the artist struggled with for a long time.
“Hopefully [“Woman No”] can transcend space and time and knock some sense into 15-year-old me,” Tupper said.
Tupper ended her set with “How Can I Get Your Love” and initiated an impromptu call-and-response with the audience. Her breathy vocals and heartfelt lyrics about love and life impressed the audience and captivated hearts.
Much to fans’ dismay, White Reaper kept their performance short and sweet. However, they still played popular newcomer songs “Pages” and “Fog Machine” from their new album, Asking For A Ride.
The band rocked out with heart-pumping drumming and contagious energy, getting the crowd riled up and ready for the headliner. At one point, the band even joked, “Just so everybody knows, we are not the Foo Fighters,” after some drunken confusion from the crowd.
As some fans arrived at the stage as early as 6 p.m. to snag a spot for the Foo Fighters, Lebreton Flats continued to fill up with eager fans. Anticipation grew as fans stood shoulder to shoulder with barely any room to move.
At 9 p.m., the Foo Fighters opened with rocking hits “All My Life” and “The Pretender.” Lead singer and guitarist Dave Grohl promised fans they would perform until they got kicked off the stage.
“We have two hours to cover 105 songs–two hours is a short set for us!” Grohl yelled.
The hair-whipping and pounding drumming continued, with popular hits “No Son of Mine” and “Learn to Fly” riling up the audience. Some fans crowd surfed, while others held signs and sat on friends’ shoulders to get a better view of the stage.
With the energy high and the crowd ready for more, Grohl brought out his “favourite singer in the world”: his daughter, Violet. She joined Grohl for “Shame Shame” and “Show Me How,” two slower songs highlighting Violet’s soft vocals.
After Violet left the stage, the band performed “Aurora” in honour of Taylor Hawkins, their drummer who passed away last year. Emotions were high as fans paid homage to the beloved drummer by singing along to his favourite song.
The Foo Fighters ended the night with old-time classics “Monkey Wrench,” “Best of You” and “Everlong.” The band played until the 11 p.m. noise curfew, fulfilling their promise to rock out with the crowd until they were ejected.
Ottawa Bluesfest day five was filled with high energy, emotion and hair-whipping music as the crowd jammed along to a night to remember.
Featured image by Greg Kolz.
