Bluesfest is back with its biggest and most impressive lineup ever. Stretching over 6 days – taking full advantage of the super long weekend – it goes without saying that Peter Noble has outdone himself in his 2011 installment. We’ll probably never see anything like this on Australian soil again! So can something with such high calibre performers ever live up to expectations? Well, over the next 6 days you and I are going to find out.
I kicked off my 2011 Bluesfest last night with the sweet sounds of legendary Jamaican guitarist and composer Ernest Ranglin. The 78 year old, who has released dozens of albums over the course of his career, was touted by promoters as one of the most constantly requested artists on the lineup. And it’s no wonder why… the man’s instrumentation was hypnotic. Opening his set with “Ball of Fire” and “Congo Man”, some may see this sort of slow jam music as background noise, however in the environment of Bluesfest I couldn’t have thought of a better way to ease myself into it all.
Having arrived after the sun had set, I made the most of the evening by bouncing between stages, trying to catch a glimpse at all the festival had to offer. I made tracks over to festival mainstay Michael Franti next, who brought Spearhead along for the ride. Would a Bluesfest be complete without the iconic performer? Probably not! And it comes just as unsurprising that the set would bring us the first great ‘festival moment’ of 2011 – “One Step Closer To You” seeing a marraige proposal take place on the stage. This followed with the happy couple dancing the night away on the stage to “Sound of Sunshine”, which featured Kim Churchill guesting on harmonica. An energetic, entertaining set from a band who know how to get it done.
It was a pity Franti clashed with Ruthie Foster – she was such an incredibly talented performer. From a flawless, stunning voice, all the way down to impressive guitar work – and a featured player on the fiddle and the spoons – there was nothing not to love about the Texan native or her band. She’ll be playing the Crossroads stage again today at 1.15pm – make sure you catch her if you happen to be heading into the festival!
The accordion and the saxophone were given plenty of love during Los Lobos’ set. The internationally known seven piece Mariachi band from Mexico, who were last seen in Australia for the Sydney Festival just a couple of months ago, showed that musically they could do just about anything.
From straight rock and roll, blues, country and folk (sung in English), to more traditional cumbia, boleros and norteños numbers (sung in Spanish), they are quite an impressive live band. But let’s face it – it was “La Bamba” that everyone wanted to hear – and on this account, the band didn’t disappoint, closing the set with the famous track. While it would be safe to say that the band would be quite tired of performing the song by now (and you could tell), it didn’t keep it from being any less enjoyable on our behalf…
On the other stages, the legends of Funky Meters showed us how to do a guitar solo in style (one may call it ‘funky’), while the Luciano & Jah Messenjah Band continued the Jamaican love that Ernest Ranglin championed earlier in the set. This time, it was a more traditional Reggae set, fueled by tracks off their new album United States of Africa. Great fun! If you’re familiar with the name, you may recall their appearance at the 2007 Big Day Out.
As the day drew to a close, it was time for the headliners: Ben Harper & Relentless7 – featuring members of the Innocent Criminals (including the incomparable Juan Nelson on the bass guitar). Launching into “My Own Two Hands”, before switching to the slide guitar and then “Diamonds on the Inside”, it was clear this wasn’t the expected Relentless7 set. Ben Harper came out with all guns loaded, thrilling the audience with a hit-centric set from all his projects. The band had plenty of moments to shine, too, with Juan Nelson’s famous bass vocal moment from “Steal my Kisses” getting the ladies swooning. And perhaps even yours truly. An unexpectedly entrancing set from the Bluesfest mainstay.
I didn’t hang around for the entirety of Ben’s two hour set, however, as the legendary rock and roll group ZZ Top were selling their dirty blues over on the Crossroads stage. They delivered, by far, the coolest set I’ve ever seen at Bluesfest. The infamous three piece from Texas came prepared with their Blues Hats (delivered by their Blues Technicians – two lovely ladies who demanded kisses from the bearded gentlemen in return) and sparkling suits. They delivered the best one liners of the day (“We’ve been doing this for 4 decades… the same three guys… the same three chords”) and some of the best music too.
Tracks like “Gimme All Your Lovin'”, “Rock me Baby” (BB King), “Party on the Patio”, “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Legs” and “La Grange” showed why this band is continuously regarded as one of the best on the planet. They know how to deliver killer blues riffs, beard envy, amazing one handed guitar solos, and just fucking rock it. Their drum kit even featured a rotating car wheel, while videos of boxing and wrestling women, cars and cowboys played on the video screen! Now that’s rock and roll.
Now, I believe it’s time for me to get that beard growing…
