Xavier Rudd
Date: July 12, 2007 The Ones Who Get to Your Soul Day 9 of this year's Bluesfest marked the eighth in a row that I was attending. After so many shows, I was content to skip the exploration of unknown acts on this night and simply attend a single concert. Fortunately, the one performer who I did see, Xavier Rudd, carried the torch for what had been a fantastic festival. Rudd, an Australian married to a Canadian, has made frequent visits to this country; in fact, he is a safe bet to be seen in Ottawa most summers. That said, my only previous exposure to his playing was seeing him jam his way through an afternoon sound check last year, in advance of a headlining slot at the Tulip Festival. Although I missed his actual concert on that cool, rainy day, I was happy to catch him on this night and also happy to see that the threatening clouds failed to open up again. Given the large crowd that stretched far back on the grounds of the River Stage well in advance of his start time, Rudd had made an impression with his frequent appearances in the city. The most immediately striking aspect of a Xavier Rudd concert is his instrumentation. Rudd came out solo, sitting behind a drum kit and an array of three didgeridoos, also playing guitar and other instruments, while supplying vocals. His musicianship was very impressive, as he always maintained full control, despite the range of instruments and a minimal accompaniment, which came when drummer Dave Tolley took the stage after several songs. While Rudd's fan base draws from hippies and devotees of jam bands, he kept things musically tight. To be sure, he worked through some jams but they were always focused enough to keep bodies shaking and minds engaged, without drifting. From what I recognized, Rudd's setlist sampled generously from his latest release, White Moth, while still including some older selections, such as "Messages." The mellow feeling of songs like "Twist" and "Come Let Go" provided moments of calm in a night that also gave itself to stomping rockers, such as the percussion-heavy instrumental "Message Stick" and even a surprise tease of "Iron Man." Xavier Rudd is definitely one of those feel-good performers who promotes a communal spirit amongst his audience; and he was perfectly suited for playing an outdoor show on the riverbank. Really, it is no surprise that I enjoyed the experience. If a certain amount of fatigue was setting in near the end of my run at Bluesfest, it was still well worth attending on this night to see a great set from Xavier Rudd who spread a fantastic mood with his musicianship and positive frontman skills. <--Prev (Cat Power/Todd Snider) | Next (Built to Spill)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |