Night Seven of Bluesfest kicked off with a variety of performances from artists spanning from indie to country. With beautiful weather and a great lineup, audiences flocked to the festival grounds in droves.
Although the festival didn’t pick up until later in the evening, the crowds were still abundant as visitors watched some of the smaller acts on the spread out stages.
On the Sirius XM Stage, house, alternative-rock and R&B artist Janette King put on an energetic show while captivating an intimate audience with her powerful vocals. She played songs from her debut album, What We Lost. She also previewed a new song, telling fans that they were the first ones to hear it.
She even cheekily asked the audience, “Should this be my new single?” and received passionate cheering in response.
She wore a colourful ensemble printed with rainbows and birds, which she described as her “gayest outfit yet.”
She enthralled the audience with heartfelt performances of hits like “Hot & Heavy” and “Kissing Lessons.” Later in her set, she rocked out to a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” which she had originally covered on her EP, 2019.
She played the guitar through most of her songs, switching between electric and acoustic. It was like watching the band practice in the best possible way. It was intimate, fun and quiet but also crazy.
Fans followed her every move on stage, loudly singing along to her music and waving signs with song requests, hoping they would catch her eye. Nearing the end of her set, she asked, “Do we have time for two more songs?” to thunderous cheers from the audience.
With country star Luke Bryan headlining for Day Seven, much of the crowd dressed for the occasion. Cowboy hats and boots decorated the population as people headed to the RBC stage to grab a good spot.
When Bryan came on, he was met with loud cheers from the crowd of thousands and it was easy to tell he was enjoying himself as he said to the audience, “It’s good to be back!”
Bryan interacted with the audience throughout his set, telling fans how much he missed playing in Canada. During one awkward moment, Bryan mentioned a song lyric that had “USA” in it. Audience members began to boo loudly, and Bryan stood there in silence until it began to fade before chipping in a slightly childish taunt of, “Well, we boo Canada down there too!”
Bryan finished his set with a lively encore of, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” while fans danced and sang along. Even while leaving for the night, people still hummed or sang along to Bryan’s music as they made their way home.
Featured image by Jordan Vecchio.
