RBC Bluesfest 2021 kicked off Thursday night with four outstanding artists, a crowd of masked attendees and a heavy rainstorm. For many, this event was their first opportunity to rock out to live music after 18 months without it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the beginning of the night, the field in front of the stage at Lansdowne was mostly empty, aside from food trucks and a couple dozen concert goers eager to witness the opening act.
The small crowd gathered at the front of the stage where Lauryn Macfarlane’s acoustic-electric guitar and singing filled the air. The mellow, indie pop singer performed her original songs such as Nowhere Town and Letting it Out. She followed these up with the slightly sassy Friendly as a few more festival goers sprinkled into the field.
Although the singer from Peterborough, Ont. told the audience she had only planned to play her original music, she ended up getting the small crowd to bob their heads and sing along to a slowed down cover of I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles.
Next on stage was Aysanabee, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who graced the audience with his moody indie pop.
Between songs, Aysanabee told intimate stories, such as his near death experience working in the Canadian North, capturing the crowd’s attention almost as much as his intricate guitar picking and powerful voice.
Aysanabee’s guitar bends and his ability to create melodies with hammer ons across the fretboard were showcased in songs like Ocean Breath. He chose the song We Were Here, inspired by his Indigenous background, to close his set as the ever-growing crowd hung on to every word.
The last of the incoming crowd filed in hoping to catch the headliners as grey skies turned to rain. Hailing from Newmarket, Ont., the indie rock band Tokyo Police Club took to the stage and the intimacy of the previous acts disappeared as they began playing.
Soon all that could be felt was the beating of the drums and all that could be heard was their 70s style guitar riffs. The smell of marijuana and the sight of bobbing heads took over the grounds.
Although the energy from the crowd was high, it didn’t quite match the energy from the band as the guitar players jumped and danced around the stage, jamming to original songs like Simple Dude and Tessellate.
Tokyo Police Club wrapped up their set with their most popular song Your English is Good, getting the crowd amped for the next band.
Light rain turned to hard rain as Half Moon Run, an indie rock band based in Montreal, Que., came on stage for the final act of the night.
The covered stage couldn’t stop the rain from blowing in and soaking amps, instruments and the band members. Frantic stagehands moved quickly to cover everything in plastic but the crowd wasn’t phased by the downpour and cried out in cheers when the band finished every song.
Festival staff recommended Half Moon Run take a break until the rain lessened following one of their songs. This proved to be pointless as the rain lightened enough during the song for them to continue on and perform a few of their original songs such as Call Me In The Afternoon. They also performed Give Up, during which the lead singer encouraged the crowd to do exactly the opposite.
The fields beneath the crowd’s feet turned to puddles of mud which several of the concert goers danced in as Half Moon Run finished their set with their balladlike Grow Into Love. The festival attendees, unhappy with the night coming to an end, cheered loud enough for the band to return and play a few more songs for the soaked audience.
From a mellow start with a small crowd to a high-energy ending with a wild mob, RBC Bluesfest kicked off with a bang Thursday night. It’s clear that after 18 months without any live music, people are determined to weather any storm—be it a rain storm or a pandemic—if it means seeing their favourite artists perform live again.
Featured image by Greg Kolz via Bluesfest.
