Sean Paul capped off a global dance party at Bluesfest on Thursday with a main-stage performance that turned up the heat as the temperature dropped.
“Are you ready to show the world that Ottawa can still party?” the dancehall superstar inquired at one point, challenging the crowd to leap up and down, make some noise and toast the sexy ladies. He got a roar of approval in response.
The Bluesfest show at LeBreton Flats Park went on after an afternoon of unsettled weather brought periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms to the region, breaking the heatwave and its 30+ temperatures. While the rain held off during the early main-stage sets by Kardinal Offishall and Dystoh, it started again just as Paul took the stage, following 15 or 20 minutes of build-up from his hype man.
Performing in front of an image of a Jamaican flag as a backdrop and with a full band accompanying him, the 52-year-old singer-rapper was impervious to the drizzle. He slid right into his repertoire of club bangers, a pair of leggy female dancers twerking alongside him.
In fact, “sexy ladies” were a recurring theme for the self-styled ladies’ man, but he tried to make it a little more wholesome for the families in the audience with a shout-out to mothers because they “bring forth life” – in addition to being sexy.
Musically, Paul’s performance was designed to fill a dance floor with beats ranging from melodic reggae to heavy dancehall, and showcase his rapid-fire wordplay. The setlist touched on Get Busy, Baby Boy, Got 2 Luv U, Shake That Thing and more, all of it punctuated with calls to make more noise, sing louder and get higher.
In the crowd, fans raged along with him. For many, it was a nostalgic reminder of a youth when Paul’s Dutty Rock tracks topped the charts and brought dancehall to the mainstream. But in a clear illustration of an audience’s short attention span these days, the minute Paul whipped out a new song, Ginger, a bunch of fans suddenly lost interest and had other places to go.
Whether they were checking out another stage, heading for the train, or getting in line to buy a hoodie (the most popular item in the merch tent on a cool night when everyone was underdressed), it was up to the hardcore fans up front to keep things lit.
Earlier in the evening, Kardinal Offishall took his warm-up duties seriously during a lively main-stage set that was a late addition to the program after G-Eazy pulled out due to scheduling conflicts.
With fellow Canadian Karl Wolf on stage alongside him, the Toronto-based rapper took fans on a fun ride that showed his Jamaican roots while also making fun of the “weirdos down South” and wondering if anyone in Ottawa actually had any rhythm.
Along with crowd favourites like Numba 1 (Tide Is High) and Dangerous, Kardi also unveiled a brand-new tune called SOAK, with a sultry summery vibe that would have been perfect for the recent heatwave.
Earlier, the main-stage party got off to a fantastic start with Dystoh, the fairly new, made-in-Ottawa duo of Ray Tabana and Phil Motion, both widely known and respected for their membership in the legendary local outfit, Souljazz Orchestra.
“We’ve been best friends for 25 years,” Motion told the crowd, also noting that it was good to be home on an Ottawa stage.
With Tabana on baritone sax, Motion on percussion and some percolating electronica in the air, the pair demonstrated their Afro-Latin and reggae influences in a super-charged set that included a couple of Souljazz tracks along with the funky Dystoh grooves.
As fans got into the dancing, both musicians looked to be having the time of their lives showing off their vibrant new project on the big Bluesfest stage.
Elsewhere on site, the blues was represented by B.C. troubadour Harry Manx, who brought singer-keyboardist Geneviève Jodoin to join him and his instruments on the LeBreton stage.
The Quebec woman lent an ethereal texture to Manx’s Eastern-influenced style of blues, making it even more hypnotic.
Between songs, the Saltspring Island resident lightened the mood with weed jokes and other nuggets of wisdom. One example: “Blues is not about feeling bad,” he said, “it’s about making other people feel bad.”
No one believed him for a second.
Bluesfest continues through the weekend, with a Friday-night concert by Green Day that’s expected to be the biggest draw of the festival.
