Sam Roberts
Date: July 10, 2006 On the Other End of the Desert Skies Despite what Jason Collett had to say, the Ottawa crowd was not so well behaved on Day Four of the Bluesfest, at least in my vicinity. However, it was a solid day of straight-ahead rock and roll. The evening started with a set from The Stills, who I had seen once before, also at a festival setting. The band drew a respectable crowd for their early slot, although plenty of room remained in the sprawling area in front of the Main Stage. That being said, I still managed to find myself next to a particularly chatty group of concert-goers, who were a definite distraction in the latter half of the show. As for the band, I can't fault their effort, as their playing was good and they did a fine job of patrolling the massive stage. Overall, though, I found that they did not generate a lot of excitement. It was also interesting to note that they avoided their biggest hit, "Still in Love Song," perhaps preferring to emphasize their latest release, Without Feathers. A break for supper meant that I only returned in time to see the tail end of Matt Mays & El Torpedo. I enjoyed what I saw, though, as the Nova Scotia group brought a ton of energy to a series of rough-edged songs like "Cocaine Cowgirl." In retrospect, I think that I mistimed my supper and missed the best act of the evening. The biggest act of the evening was definitely Sam Roberts, though, as he brought a throng of fans to the stage. This was also where the crowd difficulties returned, as their were a ton of people trying to push their way directly through me. Annoyances aside, the audience was also the greatest strength of the concert. A lot of the fun of seeing someone like Sam Roberts is the experience of being in the midst of so many fans who are clapping and singing along (when they're not busy jabbing you in the back, of course). This was a big rock show with a big light show and a big crowd response. Fortunately, the band's output matched the scope of the night. Roberts and company worked through a sweaty set, touching on all of the expected songs, including "Hard Road," "Brother Down," and "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" The group was assisted with visits from Matt Mays and a member of The Stills, the latter returning the favour from the extra percussion that Roberts and his band had added earlier. Two waves of light rain that passed through late in the affair did not seem to slow down the crowd; and the band finished with its most interesting offering, an epic psych-jam of an encore. While I can't say that a night at the Main Stage was as engaging as the opening days of the Bluesfest, it was still a fun dose of well-delivered rock. <--Prev (Ani DiFranco) | Next (Son Volt)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |