Rachid Taha
Date: July 7, 2008 World Tour With no obvious draws for day five of Bluesfest, I sampled the festival web site and picked what sounded the most interesting from the unknown acts. Predictably, I ended up at the reliable Blacksheep Stage, where I caught Argentinian Federico Aubele and Algerian-born French musician, Rachid Taha. Both were entertaining, with Aubele setting a mellow mood and Taha delivering a more fiery set. I arrived late, catching only part of Aubele's set. What I heard seemed more consistent in tone than the bio had described, with the band delivering a straightforward accompaniment to Aubele's acoustic guitar playing and singing. Natalia Clavier stepped forward on vocals at one point, sounding very good and adding variety to the set. Overall, it was a strong set of clean Spanish vocals and crisp classical guitar--not at all a bad way to spend the evening at Bluesfest. Before Rachid Taha played, a lady next to me expressed concern that the grounds in front of the Blacksheep Stage were far too sparse for what he deserved, although I assured her that they would fill in. Soon enough, we were both proven right, as a packed and active crowd assembled during Taha's performance, which was certainly energetic and engaging enough to warrant the attention. Taha was supported by a full band, with guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, mandolin, and percussion contributing to a swirling musical mix of Arabic and French rock and punk. with twenty-five years of recorded music under his belt, the fifty-year-old Taha has surely earned his haggard look; but he was certainly a vibrant performer. The interaction between Taha and his talented band--and even between Taha and the stage crew, who came to the fore due to some in-ear monitor problems--was interesting to take in; and Taha was even more engaging with the audience. To be sure, it was hard to get everyone to participate when he cried, "everybody sing now," in the midst of an Arabic song but the effort was there. The inclusion rate was higher for the French songs, with everyone at least joining in on the "oohs" of "Ecoute Moi Camarade." Regardless of language, the songs spoke for themselves; the repeating guitar burst of "Barra Barra" needing no translation, for example. Taha's late-set venture off the stage and against the front row of fans also raised the energy, while a cover of The Clash's "Rock the Casbah" made a great conclusion to the night.
Day five was a good example of the benefit of a Bluesfest full pass. While I likely wouldn't have even heard about, let alone taken a chance on, two unknown foreign-language acts in other circumstances, they were well worth exploring at the festival; and that investigation paid off with a pair of enjoyable sets. <--Prev (Primus) | Next (Stars)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |