Bluesfest July 14, Rihanna

I had the blues tonight for sure.

 

This was not the way to follow an incredible night. Things started out well enough. They were actually on time, and soundcheck was quick and painless. The first act, Trevor Hall, was a decent roots/reggae type, followed by In Essence, a vocal group who actually sang really well. They were surprisingly tight and we enjoyed their show.

 

Then there was Cadence Weapon. How he got nominated for the Polaris Prize I do not know. The music wasn’t that hot, not to mention his complete disrespect for the audience. In short he was an ass.

 

And then we had the spectacle that is Rihanna (which isn’t her real name, by the way. Shocking, I know). Her set was barely 40 minutes, she was only onstage for about half of that and of the 85% of the time she was onstage, her voice came off a cd. The 15% she sang was brutal. What the f***?!? How does a festival go from Etta James to Rihanna? This festival is known for booking only the most talented, best performers. This was a total joke and a waste of my time, and the time of others. It wasn’t hard or anything, it was just insulting more than anything else. There was one good thing about the whole show though, sincerely… It ended. Quickly.

 

Oh, the very best part… They left behind a copy of the script for the show. I have a copy of the script. It’s hilarious. Maybe I’ll post it….