The first night of this year’s CityFolk Festival got off to a great start on Thursday, attracting large crowds that grew throughout the night. By sundown, crowds filled Lansdowne’s Great Lawn to see stellar performances from rock and country musicians.
The night started as Emmy-nominee Jake Smith, who uses the stage name The White Buffalo, took the stage, opening the night with “Problem Solution,” accompanied by a live band. The White Buffalo’s set was full of headbanging, guitar solos and high energy.
“I like your city, I got … hammered last night,” he joked, proceeding to chug a beer while onstage.
Between performances, festivalgoers frequented the on-site food court, merch table, Mill Street Brewery stands and TD-sponsored booths as they waited for the sounds of live music to return to the stage.
Next to take the stage, Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards played “Simple Math” and other songs from her 2012 album, Voyageur. The audience members swayed to her music, arms around one another, dancing the night away.
Before playing “Glenfern,” one of her most popular hits, Edwards paused to tell the audience the song was dedicated to her guitar player, who is also her ex-husband. She then waved to her current husband in the audience and finished her set.
“We want Zach,” the crowd chanted in anticipation for Zach Bryan, the night’s headliner. In the minutes before his performance the crowd seemed to double, with newcomers wearing cowboy boots, hats and Bryan’s merch.
When Bryan appeared onstage, he asked for a moment of silence for Queen Elizabeth, who died earlier that day. The chatter and cheering quickly came to a halt, as fans removed their hats and stood silent in a powerful tribute.
Bryan opened his performance with “God Speed” and the previously silent crowd brought the energy back up, cheering and singing loudly along with the lyrics.
“I’m gonna marry him,” a woman in the crowd said to her partner during Bryan’s opening song.
As Bryan’s performance was coming to an end, he took the time to thank the audience, also mentioning his CityFolk set was his longest this year.
“Thank you guys for having us, you guys have been the greatest crowd this year and I mean that,” he said.
As the lights went dark and Bryan exited the stage, it was clear his fans were not ready for his performance to end as they persistently cheered, “One more! One more!” for the next five minutes.
After much encouragement, Bryan came back out to sing three more songs, including his new single “Burn Burn Burn,” live for the first time. Bryan gave the audience an encore to remember to conclude the first night of CityFolk.
Featured image by Natalia Konrad.
