Bob Dylan/Radio Birdman
Date: July 5, 2007 Birdman Sound After several years downtown, Bluesfest returned to LeBreton Flats for 2007. Although the festival started on Wednesday with Van Morrison, I had picked up an eleven-day pass before he was added to the line-up, meaning that I entered on Day 2. With a pair of long-running artists on the slate for Thursday, this night turned out to be illustrative of the vastly different crowd experiences possible at the same festival. While I wanted to see As the Poets Affirm, I was only able to make it through the gates in time to hear the final seconds of their set, taking place on one of the two main stages that were set up facing each other across the largest section of field. After surveying the festival layout, I made my way to the River Stage, a much more modestly scaled setting, overlooking the Ottawa River. I again caught the tail end of a set, with Fairfield covering Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." My Bluesfest 2007 experience finally started with a set from legendary Australian punk outfit Radio Birdman. This was a case of the festival pass giving me exposure to something special that I would have otherwise missed. I knew next to nothing of the band going in to their performance but I ended up having a great time seeing them play in front of a number of obviously diehard fans. Having been around since the mid-1970s, the band carried the flag for the older generation of punk. Singer Rob Younger, one of three original band members, along with guitarists Deniz Tek and Chris Masuak, looked his age but he certainly did not sound or act it. His energetic flailing on stage suited the frantic music, while his voice was perfect for the material. He also set a fun mood, diverting Masuak from centre stage with a joking "back in your place" and engaging a spirited and diverse crowd. In fact, the whole band seemed to be having a great time, other than a stretch where drummer Rusty Hopkinson was blowing his top over an array of stage lights that were shining into his eyes. His counterpart in the rhythm section, bassist Jim Dickson stayed out of the spotlight but could usually be seen mouthing along with the vocals. While I can't claim to be an expert on Radio Birdman, I can say that their set was a fantastic introduction to a festival that will hopefully continue to surprise. With the band's five-song encore pushing the set past an hour, Bob Dylan had already settled into his performance before I made my way towards the main stage. The huge throng of fans kept me from approaching anywhere near that stage, making a sharp contrast with the Radio Birdman show. Where the earlier experience had felt participatory, seeing Dylan from that distance was merely passive. Not being a big fan, it was hard to get a lot out of Dylan's set in that environment. His band sounded well polished, though, and I can at least say that I heard the man play "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Like a Rolling Stone." All in all, my first day at the 2007 edition of Bluesfest was a fun one that left me eager for the shows to come, albeit after slanting me even more in favour of the smaller stages. <--Prev (The Dears) | Next (Kid Koala)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |