Bluesfest: Day 1

Yesterday was Day 1 of the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest.

Day 1 started off on a strong note, although I only managed to get on the festival grounds by 9pm. I had a meeting with my Fringe colleagues that prevented me from going earlier. However, in all honesty, I was only interested in seeing the main act on the main stage: Tiesto.

After discovering Tiesto's music a couple of years ago, I became a fan instantly. His collaboration with Emily Haines, frontwoman of Metric, on the song "Knock Me Out" sealed the deal for me and I was hooked.

First, I was surprised at how many people showed up to see Tiesto's show. This is the first electro artist playing at this year's festival, whose line-up includes many electro artists and even designated an electro stage. I initially thought that maybe Ottawa wouldn't be very receptive to the new direction of the festival.

The popular dutch DJ had a very elaborate set-up, including huge screens in front and behind his wide turn tables, displaying some cool images and colours during his songs. Tiesto's set included many remixes of popular songs, including Calvin Harris "Feel So Close", Coldplay "Paradise", OneRepublic "Apologize" and Rihanna "We Found Love". At various points in the show, water was sprayed through the crowd and the stage erupted with smoke and even fireworks.

Having lived in Ottawa for ten years, I know the concert crowd pretty well: it's mostly boring. But I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised of how fun and engaged the crowd was. Good for you, Ottawa! Also, I'm sure it helped that most people in the crowd were in their twenties. Even the random older person in the crowd was dancing and having a great time. This makes me really happy.

There was a very contagious vibe amongst the crowd and people were having a great time, feeding off of one another's energy. Also, I must admit that I have never danced so much in my entire life. Crazy, ridiculous, fun dancing... If I wasn't having so much fun, maybe I would felt embarrassed. But I didn't.

The show was everything I was expecting and more! The downside: Day 1 and I'm already exhausted. Oh, the fun begins...

Stay tuned! Day 2 = Dragonette + Plants & Animals