Muse caps off an entertaining day 9 at Bluesfest

July 17th, 2017 by Scott Martin | Published in Concerts

I was excited to catch Muse for the first time. I’ve been following the band for a few years now. They brought the big rock show production one would expect with a cool stage setup, with moving parts and a cool lighting setup. As they show was drawing to an end, I started to fear I wasn’t going to hear my 2 favourite songs. While I never did get a taste of Panic Station live, the band did close out their set with Knights of Cydonia.

Opening up the evening for me was BLAKDENIM. I first discovered this local act through the LiVE 88.5 Big Money Shot competition. I love their groove and it was great to finally see them on a larger stage. Over the years I have caught the band in a bunch of local clubs. With a skillful blend of hip-hop, funk and soul vibes, this is a local band you have to check out! I really enjoyed their set and the performance translated well to the larger Bluesfest stage. Boasting 8 members, they could use a little extra room. You need to check these guys out. I love their sound!

Over on the Black Sheep Stage, the Dead Obies brought their Montreal hip-hop vibes to a pumped up crowd.

My local discovery for the evening was Jessica Pearson & The East Wind. Tucked inside the Barney Danson Theatre, this trio was on fire with a string a catchy tunes that grabbed the audience. Full of smiles and personality, it was a performance to remember. Check these locals out the next chance you get!

Night Lovell was also new to me. Though the few thousand bodies packed in front of the Claridge Homes Stage told me, plenty of people knew exactly who he was. His entrance may have been low key, but after that, he raised the energy to 10 and never really slowed down for the rest of his set. At one point late in his set, he started to climb the side of the stage and continued his rap while checking out the crowd from his perch. Definitely a cool moment during a memorable performance.

My last act of the evening before Muse was Xavier Rudd. Definitely a talent worth checking out. The tent was full as many were there for him on this night. Unfortunately I couldn’t catch as much of his set as I would have liked as I was really looking forward to Muse.