Thursday night loomed large at Bluesfest as premier stage Mojo was turned over to the contemporary sounds of urban RnB, a move to attract the younger aficionados and fans of Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar, D'Angelo, Kamais Washington and our own Hiatus Kayote. To emphasise the significance of the occasion, daughter Alicia likened tonight to my seeing The Beatles. Hmmm...
As subsequently reported to my friend Barry McGloin, a fellow Bluesfest tragic, that tonight Mojo was not quite my cup of tea with melody replaced by 'tude and way too much motherf.......
Like a country rube wandering the State Fair goggle-eyed, I dipped in and out of various stalls and stages window-shopping their contents. Juke Joint featured stalwarts Chain, Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges and gem of a blues pianist Lucky Peterson. He was entertaining a small crowd hardly commensurate with his talent, the usual Thursday night crowd vacuumed up by Mojo's headliners. Nearby big brother venue Crossroads was partially filled as the Cold War Kids presented their indie pop, followed by the classy, if slightly indulgent Tedeschi Trucks Band. I caught a little of Mali blues band Songhoy Blues with their unique take on the blues, and up and coming Rhiannon Giddings who is garnering exceptionally good revues. I would have stayed, however my appetite was insisting I search for forgotten sustenance from the always inviting Crossroads food hall.
Past festivals have convinced me Jambalaya is just about my favourite stage, and tonight was no exception where The Wailers were playing album "Exodus" in its entirety, the first of three successive performances that would include "Uprising" tomorrow night and "Survival" on Saturday. As I entered the tent "Jammin'", a crowd pleaser if there ever was one kicked in and I was soon getting down along with the crowd. Original Wailer Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, topped with an ancient dreadlock crown, laid down a seriously pure chunky reggae groove for the new lineup led by singer Dwayne Anglin who channeled Bob Marley. So great, we will return.
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